Traveler

The day continued on as if nothing terrible had occurred. The whispers of the inquisitor’s hearing declared that Lord Francel had indeed been innocent spread like wildfire. It also helped their cause as the witness came forth to Lord Haurchefant. After traveling to the observatorium to obtain the astroscope log from the Astrologian tower—to be precise—the sixth volume of the 1572 readings, they were able to precisely pinpoint the location of where the Enterprise had landed. 

The Stone Vigil. 

Which meant they would have to get the knight permission to enter the premise. While they were fortunate enough to have some of the high House’s Lords on their side, it would still be a tough expedition. Apparently access into the Vigil had been limited thanks to House Durendaire. Safety purposes—they were told—as the garrison had been overrun with dragon and scalekin alike. 

Still that didn’t deter Lord Haurchefant from writing a letter to Lord Drillemont of Whitebrim From to request their permission to enter. He then recommended them to receive a letter from House Hallienarte to help their cause. 

From one lord to the other, they wound up with both Lord Haurchefant’s and Lord Francel’s written letters, and were wished the best of luck. Azlyn, Alphinaud, and Cid prepared for a long walk westward to Whitebrim Front, only to see Mjnt appear with two chocobos. She smiled genuinely to them as she hopped up onto one of them. 

“I requested my Lord to allow me leave. I wish to see you through your travels in our lands—and make sure you do find your airship. He was also worried that those who tried to frame House Hallienarte may change targets to you for disrupting their plans against Lord Francel.” 

Azlyn broadly grinned up to the dragoon, happy that there was another fighter in their party. It was one thing to have a fighter with them, and another to have someone that they could trust. “Thank you—we appreciate all the help we can get.” 

Alphinaud and Cid climbed upon one of the Chocobo’s while Azlyn joined Mjnt on the other. Together they ran through the snow fields and arrived in Whitebrim Front well before the sun started its descent into the horizon. 

They had hoped Lord Drillemont to be as generous as Lord Haurchefant had been—but after showing their letters of recommendation to him he was still disinclined to help. He had more pressing issues happening within Stone Vigil that drew his attention away—and another complication occurred. 

Inquisitor Guillaime. 

Azlyn replayed the scene in her head. They had finally gotten an audience with the elusive Lord Drillemont where he questioned their intentions. Alphinaud spoke of their alliance—of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn—and the deeds they did under that banner. They needed to get to the airship that could possibly be stored in Stone Vigil to take care of Garuda, the Lady of the Vortex—the same primal that threatened the eastern premises of Coerthas where the Ixal tried to expand into their grounds with each passing day. 

They were almost granted access when Lord Drillemont started to speak with Cid—however given his current disposition—it was hard to strike a conversation someone without much memories. 

And that was where things spiraled out of control. Inquisitor Guillaime appeared proving to Lord Drillemont that they were not to be trusted. Then proceeded to rip the hood off from Azlyn’s head, revealing her Au Ra horns and scales for them to see. 

“Do not be deceived by their honeyed words. These foreigners are not to be trusted. This one hides her true race—one born from scalekin. We cannot afford to help those who have the slightest possibility of draconian blood.” 

Azlyn gritted her teeth remembering what he said aloud. His blatant racism against her based upon her scales. It was true that she hid her identity, however she didn’t want to upset those around her in the lands where dragons had caused more suffering. 

He then continued his prattle about how the three of them, with a House Fortemps knight in training from outside were trying to undermine House Durendaire’s chance to reclaim Stone Vigil. Then to add insult to injury, he dared to mention the Empire exterminating the alliance a few days ago. 

Azlyn would have punched him, had it not been for Alphinaud and Mjnt. 

So with Lord Drillemont convinced that they were not to be trusted by the vaunted Inquisitor Guillaime, they were sent out from his sight and told that they would have to wait until House Durendaire reclaimed the vigil...on the condition they told him the truth. 

“It could be moons before House Durendaire purges the dragons from Stone Vigil. We cannot afford to wait that long!” Alphinaud had argued back to the Lord. 

“That is not our problem child. Now leave.” Lord Drillemont paid them no heed, which led the group into further frustration. 

Frustrated by these new conditions, the four of them left to seek sanctuary in the infirmary. Azlyn kept her hood off, seeing as keeping her identity had driven a trust issue between them and the knights. She could already see the burning hate in some of the people’s eyes as she walked with her head held high. 

Mjnt stuck close to her side glaring back to them. This treatment continued even sitting in the infirmary. 

“We will need to earn the trust of Lord Drillemont and the men in this front.” Alphinaud reasoned as they sat in one of the rooms they rented for the night. “We will need to do something about that inquisitor. Azlyn—it’s apparent that he does not like you.” 

Azlyn curled her feet into each other, sitting against the back wall of the room. “I think it’s because I’m onto him.” 

Alphinaud nodded. “I take it we don’t need to discuss that this Inquisitor is not who he says he is then?” 

She shook her head. “I thought it was odd that he persisted in trying to kill Lord Francel. Then his men carried the same draconian rosaries that summoned the wyvern. He is now trying to stop us from proceeding—it’s as if he’s purposefully trying to stop us.” 

Mjnt sighed. “I will go around and see what we can do to earn the trust of the people in Whitebrim. It may take a course of a day or so—but it’s better than sitting around and doing nothing.” 

Alphinaud agreed. “I will see what I can find out about this inquisitor. Azlyn, you should do everything in your power to regain the trust of these people. It may mean you need to work through some blatant racism however.” 

The Au Ra nodded grimly. “I know. If it’ll help us get closer to stopping Garuda—then a few mere words will be nothing in the long run.” She got up from the bed, joining Mjnt as she started to walk away. “You and Cid try to do what you can here too—it would seem they may need a handy man to repair things.” She gestured up to the broken lamp posts and tools. 

Cid stood up, walking over to the lamp to examine it. “...I think I can fix this.” He offered, and then went over to the table. He started to roll out his tools and started his tinkering. 

Mjnt and Azlyn left the infirmary—deciding to check back into the barracks. Mjnt had an idea to help the cooks—what better way to earn the trust than through the stomachs of hungry men and women. The cook, Haustefort liked Mjnt for her suggestion—however he felt that the men would have reservations if they prepared the food. However if they brought him the uncooked meat of the mudpuppies in Daniffen Pass, he’d prepare some steaks for the knights and tell them that they were the ones who provided. 

The pair sprinted from town, wanting to bring back a feast of tails for the cook to prepare—hopefully this would help ease the gap created. 

“Is it true the Empire annihilated the Scions of the Seventh Dawn?” Mjnt asked Azlyn after they retrieved their bounty. They had been quietly getting their quotas—three mudpuppy tails each—before meeting back up on the path. 

The Au Ra frowned, “A tribinus decided to give the Scions a visit on Starlight day—but they weren’t there to spread joy and cheer.” She thought back to the deaths, to the blood on the ground, the dead slyph bruised and battered on the carpet of the Solar. “They captured some of the Scions and left after killing many of the people within. I barely missed them, coming upon the aftermath after they had left.” 

“My condolences Azlyn.” Mjnt looked ahead, staring straight to Whitebrim Front. “You were the first one to find them like that?” 

She nodded, fixing her satchel full of raw tail meat. “Yeah. And I ran away. I blamed...no I still blame myself for what happened there. The Empire had been looking for me but Minfillia...she and everyone there were protecting me. They gave themselves up, and watched their own friends get killed. I went into hiding because I was afraid the Empire would try and attack my other friends.” She stopped in her tracks, bringing out her linkpearl from her side pocket. “I know I’m worrying them—but I can’t put them into more danger if the Empire is determined to get me.” 

Mjnt listened intently, gazing down to her face with an incomprehensible expression. 

“So I remained hidden. I attempted to work through my emotions—they were raw and open—like a wound that had been poured over with salt. I had many nights of insomnia—still do actually. I went back to the scene helping carry the dead to the lichyard, and I brought another to her home in Little Solace. I grieved—I’m still grieving over the losses, and I don’t think it’s something I’ll ever forget.” 

The Viera reached out, clasping a hand to her shoulder. “It isn’t something you have to relive. Remember them for what they were. Not what they became to be.” 

Azlyn nodded. “It’s hard when I’m burning with anger. All I want to do is storm into the Empire’s strongholds in each of the regions and set it ablaze. However I would die in the first with bullet holes if I attempted it.” She sighed, resuming her walk back to Whitebrim Front. “I’m not so dumb as to let my emotions run my actions—however sometimes I wish I could just give them a piece of the pain—of the suffering they’ve given to the many countries they’ve assaulted.” 

“History has shown us through numerous times that even great nations have fallen over time. The Empire will see their end—whether we live to see it is something different.” 

Azlyn remembered about the previous civilizations she’d studied—from Nymian, Mhachi, to Allagan... each did fall after a time. 

“I’m sure those knights must be hungry for dinner. Let’s not keep them waiting anymore.” 

They ran back to Whitebrim Front, delivering the fresh raw meat for Haustefort to cook into steaks. The heavenly smell of the grill, the sizzling of the meat, and the sight of the cook flipping the steaks brought the entire platoon of knights from all around. Azlyn and Mjnt sat to the side, remembering that they were still hesitant to trust them. 

After the steaks had been passed around, and the grilling had been complete many of the knights thanked the cook for the rare meal. 

Haustefort laughed loudly, walking over to the pair sitting to the side talking between one another. He clapped Azlyn’s back as he said, “You should thank these two for hunting those mudpuppies down—getting such a wonderful amount of tail for you all to eat.” 

The knights went bug-eyed at the sight of Azlyn—and then to Mjnt before awkwardly rubbing the backs of their necks, face, or arms. 

However they all bowed their heads in thanks and shouted to her. “Thank you very much!” 

The Au Ra beamed at the appreciation. “You’re welcome.” 

After earning some faith back from the knights, the girls were asked favors in killing monsters, gathering ingredients, and delivering objects for the people in Whitebrim Front. It went well into the evening, as the weather grew colder the darker it became.

Drawing a close on their evening activities, both Mjnt and Azlyn returned to the infirmary where Cid had fixed all the light fixtures, repaired their kits, and cleaned the tools that had available. Many of the chirugeons were pleased by the help, which gave Cid confidence to propose a new tool for them to use in their work.

“If it would be of help, I can make you an alembic for your work. I noticed you are sufficiently lacking them in your inventory.”

The chirugeon, Astidien, frowned at the truth. “Yes—we are missing some tools due to wear and tear, or they just go missing. Would you know how to create an alembic Cid?”

The man with spiky white hair and beard nodded. “I would require a bit of time, and a few of your resources. I can use the broken equipment and craft a more advanced alembic—both as a gesture of goodwill, and as a means to help me recover my memories. Working with my heads kindles familiar feelings.”

Astidien smiled to the Hyur. “We understand—please use anything that we have at your disposal. For the Ice Sprite Cores, someone skilled in fighting would have to go out into the field.”

Azlyn smiled, popping her hand up to volunteer. “If it’s something that’ll help the infirmary I’ll gladly go out to gather the cores.”

Mjnt nodded. “I will also join her.”

Cid looked to the pair of them. “Make sure to get cores that are not badly damaged. Commonly, the cores are used to reduce the temperature of alchemical mixtures, there is a way to alter their properties so that they draw the cold within rather than radiate it without.”

The Au Ra had a general idea why he was using the cores in that way—it made sense given the parameters he was trying to meet. “It should take more than ten to fifteen minutes to gather the cores then. We’ll be back in a jiffy!”

Mjnt gazed around the room, noting that their Elezen companion was not present. “Is Alphinaud still out and about?”

Cid placed his hand on his hip. “He said he would be back soon—however I don’t know the boy’s definition of soon.”

“If we see him outside, we’ll remind him to head back to the room. He doesn’t need to catch a cold gathering information.” Azlyn reasoned as she stretched. “Well, stay warm—we’ll be back in no time.”

Once more the fighting pair, Azlyn using her bows and arrows and Mjnt with her lance set out to gather and retrieve six ice cores. The weather made it easy to locate the sprites—as the night continued to drop in temperature—the more the ice sprites appeared in the outskirts of Whitebrim.

After the designated time of retrieval, the girls made their way back to the infirmary—their satchels full of ice cores undamaged. It took some extra tries for them to avoid hitting the cores with their piercing weapons, but they managed it after the seventh one.

“You mentioned before of your friends.” Mjnt started the conversation halfway back to Whitebrim Front. “Do you think they would be searching for you?”

Azlyn hadn’t thought too much on that, as she vaguely remembered seeing four of them briefly in Camp Drybone a day or two after the attack. She knew they were worried—but she kept herself from going to them.

“I don’t know. Maybe? I remember some were asking for me in Camp Drybone. But that was about three to four days ago. They could be busy dealing with Garuda since the Scions aren’t around.” She spoke aloud, staring up to the massive brick fort in the far reach of Coerthas. “What brought this one all of a sudden?”

The Viera paused in her walk, before she gave the girl a sad smile. “If I were them, I wouldn’t be able to sleep—I’d be searching everywhere for my precious friend.”

She widened her purple eyes at the thought—and then squeezed them shut. Her heart clenched in pain. “I’m a pretty terrible friend—aren’t I?”

“What is stopping you from reaching out to them?”

“I guess I’m fearful. I’m afraid the Empire will be listening to the linkpearls—and taking advantage. Who knows, maybe they’ll attack them when I’m not there.” Azlyn looked to her hands, gazing at the fingerless gloves. She clenched her hands into tight balls. “Maybe when we find the airship I’ll gather the courage to call them. I can’t keep them away forever. I’m going to have to reach out at some point.”

“When you do—you best give an apology for worrying them. I’m sure they are just as upset and fearful of what happened.”

“I will.” Azlyn responded at last and directed her attention to their last task for the night. “Let’s deliver these cores to Cid. I’m sure the chirugeons will benefit greatly with new equipment at their disposal.”

Together the girls returned to Whitebrim Front—the knights had made their rounds, changing rotations for the evening. They were gingerly accepted into the fort and escorted straight over to the infirmary where the guard dropped them off at the front door.

They were still as distrustful as ever.

That didn’t deter them from completing their task—making their way to the second story of the building to find Cid at work at a table in the corner. He had been tinkering with the unfinished Alembics when Azlyn brought out the six to eight ice cores they managed to find undamaged.

“Here you go Cid—Ice cores for the Alembics.”

The man stopped in his work to briefly smile. “This will be perfect.” He summoned the two chirugeons Astidien and Cenota over so that he could show them what he finished for them. “If you use this Alembic for your patients, you’ll need to power it on using this button—and then operate using this.”

After his demonstration, Cenota gleefully cheered. She was a Midlander Hyur with blonde hair. “What an amazing device! But—is it truly an alembic, sir? I’ve never seen its like before.”

Astidien nodded, examining the device with great care. “I too am unsure what to make of this machine. While certainly impressive, I would have no idea how to make use of it without your earlier demonstration.”

Azlyn could see it had more of a garlean touch to it—but just because it looked similar to magitek didn’t make it bad. However, it would be hard to explain to them given the Empire was at war with quite literally anyone who went against their standard.

Cenota waved off her mentor’s concern. “Nevertheless, if it is as effective as he claims, it will be great boon to the infirmary! Think of the medicines we could create, the lives we could save!”

The male Elezen seemed perplexed but didn’t seem to dislike the idea. He did have his reservations since it was something new to their clinic. Azlyn noted the door below opening suddenly, and a pair of feet coming up the stairs alerted her that someone was heading up to the second floor. Thinking that it was Alphinaud, she didn’t think much on the arrival.

“Cenota is correct—I would say a patient’s likelihood of survival will exponentially increase with this device. That’s not even a guess, but a guarantee that it would.” Azlyn smiled over to Cid who appreciated her approach to explain the benefits.

Mjnt stiffened up as their new guest appeared, and Cid’s face hardened at the sight. Azlyn looked over her shoulder to see not the familiar face of Alphinaud—but the face of Inquisitor Guillaime. Azlyn let her face wrinkle in distaste as he pointed to the contraption on the floor.

“Ware thee the kindly stranger, bearer of gifts, wondrous and strange, for his generosity comes at a cost.”

Azlyn questioned his wording. “At what cost? This is an Alembic—an advanced one, but it will save more ishgardian lives with the medicine these chirugeons make. What is your problem inquisitor?”

The man with black hair and the black goatee ignored her, and instead spoke directly to Astidien. “Their earnest efforts are but a means to an as-yet-unknown end. Moreover, you should be wary of associating with individuals who have interfered with the questioning of a suspected heretic. Given this girl’s racial disposition, it is only fair to assume that she will bring ruin to all ishgardians who fight against the Dravanian forces.”

“How dare you…” Azlyn felt Mjnt wrap a warm greave over her mouth to prevent her from further outburst. No matter what she said, the inquisitor’s words rung true in the chirugeons eyes. Cenota awkwardly looked between them, the device and Astidien—and was stuck in the middle. She looked ready to bolt.

Astidien glared openly to the three of them. “They interfered…? Bless you Inquisitor, for coming along when you did! We almost succumbed to the temptation proffered by these—by their tainted unbelievers.”

Azlyn could feel Mjnt’s hand gripping harder against her mouth—as the girl wanted to argue. The Viera knew that she would not hold back her tongue with this new development. In a way, Azlyn was grateful for the dragoon to have stopped her. Although she wanted to rip the greasy goatee off that smug inquisitor’s face.

The man returned her glare with an equally hostile gaze. Then turned on his heel to leave. She hoped the Twelve and Halone would give that man the righteous course of action he deserved—and a good butt-kicking.

 “You paid for this room in advance—but after tonight you will leave this infirmary. We do not want your kind here.” The chirugeons both left the room, glaring openly and keeping to themselves.

When the three of them were left alone, Mjnt finally released Azlyn. The girl once granted her freedom paced the room, her anger evident as she huffed.

“How dare he! How dare he…” She fluctuated her intonations, and then shifted through multiple tongues—she had been so tempered that her mind jumped to the first words that came forth. The languages were all different, intermixed, and equally dissonant compared to the last as she called that inquisitor every single bad word in her repertoire.

It helped alleviate her frustration, but it didn’t solve the problem.

Mjnt sat upon one of the cots, keeping a ruby eye trained on the girl pacing in circles.

Cid glared to the door they left from, speaking at last to the room when Azlyn stopped her cursing. “Why does that man detest us so? Is it all because we interrupted Lord Francel’s trial?”

Azlyn muttered darkly in her circle she walked. “I think he’s just a racist. And a power mongrel.”

“Whatever his reasons,” Mjnt spoke softly from the cot. “He clearly means to oppose us all at every turn.” The Viera started to unstrap her armor, taking off the guards around her legs, arms, and chest. Under the pieces she had on a simple two piece for comfort.

“If we’re to convince Lord Drillemont to help us, it would seem we will need to change the opinion Inquisitor Guillaime has of us. But how might we go about doing that?”

Azlyn plopped down on the cot beside Mjnt’s, kicking off her boots with haste. “Systemic racism is something one cannot change overnight. That guy is gunning for me.”

“Maybe so—but there might be a way to work around this civilly. We’ll just have to convince him we are not his enemy.” Cid answered back, reaching down to the alembic to stow away for the time. He placed the device on the work desk in the back of the room as Azlyn growled.

“Why do I have to go out of my way to make him treat me better. It’s one thing to be respectful to the people around you—but it’s completely different when the person is actively trying to be an asshole.” She stopped mid speech, apologizing. “Sorry. I’ve known some like him who just don’t think Au Ra—or any race that’s different from theirs to be an equal. I’m sick and tired of having to cater to individuals who think they’re superior—and think it’s alright to call those of us inferior for our differences.” She opened her mouth to say it wasn’t fair, only for someone else to say it in her stead.

“It’s not fair.” A new voice popped in from the doorway—and the three stopped to see Alphinaud nonchalantly walk in. He dusted the snow off his clothes before settling over to the adjacent cot by Cid. “And you shouldn’t have to ever experience something like that. Nor do you have to cater to them.”

Azlyn let out a shaky breath. “Thanks, Alphinaud.”

The boy nodded. “I’ve done some asking around—talked with several individuals about their opinions and what they know about our mutual friend. One of the knights shooed me away—apparently your deeds to stop Lord Francel’s trial reached her ears and refused to speak to me about him. I spoke with the cook, who said they had to listen to the inquisitors and give them respect. A man who had been injured on duty reported that Inquisitor Guillaime saved him when they went out to save him…. This man is held in high regard. No surprise given the devotion he’s received. Even so, I am beginning to suspect he has other reasons for hindering us now.”

Azlyn agreed. “He keenly advised us to find our airship and leave—but when we mentioned going to Whitebrim Front—I think that’s when he started to actively follow and try to stop our progress. Maybe there’s something out here that he doesn’t want us to find.”

Mjnt stretched out on the bed, with both of her arms lain underneath her head. “Alphinaud, could you go over what you’ve heard from all the witnesses. I’m interested to hear their testimonials.”

Cid sat upon his own cot, removing his boots as he went to lay down. “It could give us some insight into Inquisitor Guillaime’s motivations at the very least.”

Alphinaud went into detail about each account he retrieved. The four people he spoke to each had something succinctly good to say about the Inquisitor, but Azlyn caught several infractions in one of the retellings, as did Mjnt.

“Something troubles me about the wounded’s knight’s account.” Azlyn offered, crossing her arms over her chest. “He claims he fell chasing a figure in the darkness that he saw outside the eastern gate, yes?”

Mjnt nodded. “Indeed. Doesn’t the main road lead out from the southwestern gate? Even from my time here as a resident, when I’ve come to Whitebrim Front I have not seen travelers coming or arriving by the eastern gate.”

“Glad we’re on the same page Mjnt.”

She curled her lips upward in a smile.

Alphinaud agreed with both of their suppositions. “As am I. He said that he glimpsed a ‘silhouette illuminated by the light of the city,’ which would imply that the inquisitor came from north of the eastern gate, not south.”

Azlyn let her foot bounce in anticipation. “Does anyone have a map of this area?”

“I do. It’s in my bag.” The Viera announced, getting up without embarrassment. Alphinaud gawked at the semi-naked lady who strolled over to her belongings to grab what Azlyn requested. The boy covered his eyes with a hand, while Cid looked away. He had been nervously looking up to the ceiling to avoid seeing her body.

The girls stepped over to the work desk, as Mjnt unrolled the map under the light. Azlyn stared at the eastern gate intently, and then tapped it with her finger. “Alphinaud—come here and confirm my thoughts.”

The boy jumped at the call and keeping his hand over his eyes—he slowly walked over to the desk. Mjnt chuckled playfully as Alphinaud purposely ignored her at his side. “What do you see?”

Azlyn tapped the map at the entrance of the east gate. “Isn’t this a chasm right here?”

Alphinaud blinked several times, seeing at last the etchings. “That looks to be a very deep chasm too.”

“Wouldn’t that make the Inquisitor’s behavior that night nonsensical to anyone who stopped to think about it?”

“Assuming Ser Joellaut is not misremembering, it would indeed by odd for the inquisitor to come from that way—at least to me. Mayhap retracing his steps will shed light on this mystery.” Alphinaud finally offered, to which Azlyn ran back to her cot. She slipped her boots back on and brought out a handheld lantern to light.

“I’m not waiting for morning to figure this out. I’ll be heading down the chasm.” She looked to Mjnt who slowly made her way back to the bed.

“It takes time for me to put my armor back on.” Mjnt reached down to grab her leg armor but Azlyn shook her head.

“You three get some rest—I have some unbent frustration I have to unleash as well. I’ll go down to the chasm, see what I find, and maybe cool down with the help of the chilly weather.”

Alphinaud coughed into his hand, looking away. “Do be careful Azlyn—you are an integral part of our future to face Garuda. That being said…” He covered his eyes with his hand and pointed in Mjnt’s general direction. “How are you not cold? I’m literally shivering from the frigid air in my attire.”

The Viera chuckled, sitting provocatively on the edge of the bed. “Because I’m used to it? Why are you staring?”

The boy’s cheeks were tinged bright red, as he snapped his attention to Cid. “I’m going to bed!” He nervously shouted as Mjnt started to laugh at his outburst.

Cid rolled onto his side, his back facing the room. “I’m going to sleep as well.”

Azlyn stopped by the door, leaning her head into the room once more. “Don’t tease them too much Mjnt.”

The Viera grabbed the blanket on the bed to cover herself. “If you’re not back in a decent hour, I will come after you.”

She nodded. “That’s perfectly fine. Hopefully I don’t find a dead corpse in my search.”

Alphinaud paused by the side of the cot, his head turned to the pillow as if thinking. “I hope not either—but it would explain why the inquisitor wanted us gone.”

“Don’t overthink it. I’ll be back in no time. See you guys in a bit!” The Au Ra raced out from the room, taking the stairs two at a time before running out from the infirmary. She received a glare from Astidien on her way out, but she didn’t care at this point. All that was on her mind was to confirm why the inquisitor would have come from the north side of the eastern gate.

She could feel all eyes on her from the guards as she ran through the main court and out to the east gate. It wasn’t until she was beyond the gate that she felt the feeling of being watched diminish. With her lantern at her side, she walked the path as far as she could take it and noticed another steep path in snow heading downward. She slowly followed that trail, keeping an eye out for any ice that might be hidden under the snow. Azlyn didn’t want to become a fallen corpse in these hate-filled lands.

It took some time to make it to the bottom of the ravine, and the first noticeable thing happened to be the giant dragon corpse covered slightly by a couple inches of snow. She approached the corpse, gazing around it before spying another decent sized mound by the neck. She lifted her lantern up to peer at the snow, and noticed a hand sticking out from underneath.

“…You have got to be kidding me.” Azlyn muttered in shock, kneeling to start shoveling and pushing snow away. Another five minutes went by and she made quite the discovery. A blue robed, and quite familiar looking face. Black hair. Black goatee. His skin pale blue from the cold weather taking its toll on his dead corpse. “Inquisitor…Guillaime? But if this is the real body…who is that person who’s impersonating him?”

She examined his corpse, trying to find something of value that could identify that it was the body of the real inquisitor. Under his robes, where a massive claw tore out his clavicle and sternum, she found a bloody encyclical. A missive that she’d wait to read until everyone was present.

“No wonder that guy didn’t want us here. He must have been trying to keep people from finding the body…and killing them if they did. By the Twelve.” She thought back to Lord Haurchefant’s words of many individuals being sentenced by Inquisitor Guillaime. “So many innocent people…” She grimaced. “We can’t let this continue. We have to stop this person.”

She reached for her lantern and made her way back up the trail. She made sure to follow her tracks all the way to Whitebrim Front’s east gate where the guards gave her a questioning glance.

“What was your reason to go down that way? Causing more trouble?” A guard wanted an answer from her and refused her passage until she answered.

“No… I lost something earlier today. Mjnt and I had come this way looking for Ice Sprites—while doing so I lost my bracelet.” She brought out one of her spares that she had in her pocket. “My mother gave me this, so it’s very important to me. I just thought that this must be the only other place I hadn’t checked.”

The guard glared but seeing as it was enough to answer his question, he let her back into the fort. “Don’t be leaving this late at night again—or else you’ll have to camp out in the wilderness.”

The girl gave him a customary smile, but it didn’t reflect in her eyes. “Of course. Thank you for your patience.”

She ran inside before they could throw her out, and she quickly made her way up the stairs, and into the infirmary. Even with her gone for thirty minutes, her arrival prompted dirty glares from the chirugeons. Azlyn ignored them, heading straight up to their room they rented and closed the door behind her.

Mjnt lifted her head from the pillow, her ears alert upon her arrival. “Welcome back.”

Cid pulled himself up from the cot, waking up from his light nap. “Did you find anything?”

She nodded.

Alphinaud hopped out from the cot and rushed over to her. He nervously looked at her before sighing. “Don’t keep us waiting in suspense. Let’s see it.”

Azlyn walked over to the light at the work desk, where the four of them could see the bloody encyclical. She read aloud the words, “Newly appointed to Whitebrim Front, graduated honors from the Holy Capital of Ishgard. Inquisitor Guillaime will report for duty…” She trailed off picking words here and there.

“Given the contents of this encyclical, I believe you have just made the acquaintance of the real Inquisitor Guillaime.” Alphinaud darkly noted.

“Sad to say but I did find his corpse down there. Which means we have an imposter on our hands.”

Mjnt’s nostrils flared. “That man… that man…”  It was the first time Azlyn had seen her get angry. Out of them all, she was the least likely to get mad. “I shall hunt him down and make him regret his actions.”

Azlyn continued reading to see if she could garner a date of death. “The real inquisitor must have been dead for two weeks—even if it’s been a long time, the weather being as cold as it is would make decomposition longer.”

Cid rubbed his chin. “And it wouldn’t be odd to say that he was a new arrival to Coerthas—and murdered on the day of his arrival. Yes, it would have been a simple thing to assume his identity, for even if he were to behave oddly, who would dare question the wisdom of a papal appointment?”

The four openly grimaced at that. It would make it easy to impersonate someone who was recently brought in. After all, one can’t know a person if one didn’t even know them before.

Alphinaud took the papers from Azlyn, rolled the encyclical back up, and hid it away on his person. “This is incontrovertible proof that the inquisitor is an imposter. But we have yet to discern his true identity, or why he has decided to oppose us.”

Azlyn crossed her arms. “He doesn’t want anyone to find the dead corpse of the person he’s impersonating. Isn’t that enough evidence?”

The boy shook his head. “If that were solely it, why would he go out of his way to Camp Dragonhead and Skyfire Locks? Even to the observatorium? No, I think he has some other motive in mind—and we will need to uncover it. Tomorrow morning, we must needs gather whatever information we can. Since Lord Drillemont has already been turned against us, I fear this encyclical alone will not serve to convince him of our claims.”

Cid let his foot tap in a steady rhythm. “But what might persuade a man so quick to disregard the endorsements of two High Houses?”

“Didn’t the cook say that the lord listens to and respects the opinions of his knights—if a certain knight were to provide testimony that supports our claim we could regain Lord Drillemont’s trust.”

Azlyn agreed with Alphinaud. “Let’s confront Ser Joellaut with the evidence tomorrow morning and see if it helps him to recall the trust of that night.”

Mjnt’s expression darkened once their discussion and planning came to an end. She stared at the door with an uneasy look. “I suggest we have someone take watch. If word gets back to the imposter that Azlyn went out to the chasm this late at night, she’ll likely be targeted.”

Azlyn didn’t think about that. She knew there were tons of knights that saw her leave down there too. “We will need to act quickly then—we’ll have to wake early. I’ll take first watch. You three get some rest. I’ll wake up Mjnt in three hours.”

“Will you be alright?” Cid asked, looking to the girl with a bit of worry. “You haven’t slept well since the attack.”

“I’ll be honest with you all, my insomnia grew over the past week—but I’ll be alright.” She tapped upon her chest three times to prove it. “We’ll stop this guy, and also find a way to get that airship.”

Mjnt frowned at her admission. “Shall I sing you a lullaby?”

“What? No, that’s alright.” The girl could see Mjnt’s serious expression continue to burn into her. “Really it’s fine.”

The Viera didn’t seem convinced by her faltering voice. “We will try it when we shift watches.”

Azlyn let herself drop her head in defeat. She was going to have to accept it whether she wanted it or not. “O-Okay…”