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Chapter LXXVIII: Into the Eye of the Storm
Music: Behind Closed Doors
Taking refuge in The Roost, Gridania was a welcome moment of respite for Aggro. After her quest to reacquire Cid's airship saw her tangled in a web of Ishgardian politics, the warmer climate and ever so slightly less xenophobic people of Gridania was a desired change.
Just outside Aggro's room, Cid paces in front of the Enterprise. He finally had it back. Cid felt like he was finally home. His memories may have not returned, but the Enterprise stirred something in him. He was close to remembering, but at this moment, none of that mattered.
It was quiet. The other passengers were asleep or gone. No more airships were scheduled this evening. As Cid paced, absorbing the intricate details of his past, the silence only broke when the old Gridanian floorboards creaked to each step.
(Soundtrack Ends)
It's as though I've been reuinited with a part of me I never knew was missing...
Alphinaud walks over to the pair and reveals that he's carrying something.
Of course, it would be rank folly to take one moment more than we require. Garuda, lest we forget, grows stronger by the hour. If we are to have any hope of wresting this benighted realm from her talons, it must needs be soon.
As you know, the Howling Eye is encircled by a raging tempest, apt to turn proud trees to matchwood. Our battle will end before it begins if the Enterprise cannot weather the storm.
Given time, I believe I can fully repair her... But if this tempest is as fearsome as you say, even that may not be enough.
<sigh> Confound it. There must be a way... a way to brave the fury of the elements...
...The elements. But of course! That's it! We work upon the element itself! Using the power of a corrupted crystal, we could clear a path through the storm, and spare the Enterprise a battering!
I see! You propose to utilize the properties of a crystal to alter the elemental aspect of the barrier! It seems so childishly simple in retrospect!
Alphinaud turns towards Aggro so he can patronise her instead of explaining it to the player more politely.
Since the Calamity disrupted the land's aetheric currents, such crystals have become comparatively commonplace... Which has been a cause of great woe, as they are known to warp aetheric energies, including those of living organisms.
With certain modifications, the Enterprise should be able to deliver us to the Howling Eye in comfort, however hard Garuda blows...
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. All of this rests upon our ability to procure a crystal with the necessary properties. Have you any idea where we might acquire one?
No. But I know a man who might. A scholar by the name of Lamberteint, who resides in Camp Drybone. Strange as it may sound, I met him during my time at the church. Well, Marques met him, I suppose. Whether out of pity, or for want of a more willing listener, he would talk to me for hours at a time about his aetheric studies, corrupted crystals being his pet subject. It was as a result of these conversations that poor Marques was observed to possess an uncommon knack for theoretical science...
Music: Behind Closed Doors
Aggro stirred in her sleep in The Roost. Even without the sheets on her comfy feather bed, it was uncomfortably warm. Perhaps it was the armour she refused to take off, even in her Gridanian room? Perhaps it was the dream of rather damp, hazy desert? Her quest for the Enterprise was over, but her experiences taught her that nothing is so simple. Surely there were errands left?
(Soundtrack ends.)
The downpour pattered on the mud behind her. Drybone rarely lived up to its name, but that was lucky. The rain washed away the smell of death. Even here, at the doors of the Eternal Sleep, death was unavoidable.
Music: The Gift of Life
Inside is the professor Cid spoke of. Lamberteint remembers Marques, though Aggro deems it irrelevant to share her connection. That would be a distraction. Upon learning that Aggro planned to harvest a corrupted crystal rather than observing it, Lamberteint is immediately thrown off guard. Worried for her safety, he requires her to return with a vessel to be coated in an alchemical sealant. This sealant, of which Lamberteint notes is his own design, would protect Aggro from the effects of the corrupted crystal.
Aggro finds her vessel in a clay pot, handed to her by a Munificent Merchant in the Golden Bazaar to the north—another place in Eastern Thanalan that betrays its name. The neglected settlement was the first place she sought to look, and the reward was a shoddy, poorly crafted pot that the merchant had little success selling. Perhaps this would do? She returns to Lamberteint.
Finally, the skies clear as Aggro approaches Camp Drybone once more. This would prove a false omen.
As Lamberteint receives the earthenware, he remarks on its quality. Regardless, the clay pot suffices. With a liberal application of Lamberteint's sealant the pot becomes—as Lamberteint describes it—a corrupted crystal containment device. Aggro is informed to pray visit Lamberteint's pupil, Hahasako, on the Highbridge. It is from there that she'll receive instructions on harvesting the corrupted crystal.
Music: To The Sun
The corrupted aether of the Burning Wall looms over Highbridge. Aggro's ultimate destination beneath this desert sky is clear. First, she visits Hahasako.
A brief misunderstanding slows progress. Aggro receives a "highly advanced researcher's tool" to crack open a fragment of the cluster that forms the Burning Wall. For a crystal that meets Aggro's presumed standards, only the deepest depths of the Burning Wall will suffice. Aggro takes the advice and departs.
Passing through Wellwick Woods, this would be Aggro's first foray into Eastern Thanalan's gaping wound after Dalamud's devastation. The Burning Wall lies just behind Burgandy Falls.
New Music: Fleeting Rays
In Dalamud's wake, Eastern Thanalan offers home to a forest of dangerous aether, lit as if it were on fire.
Roaming freely are the surprisingly docile Golden Fleece.
Matching the hostile environment that now surrounds Aggro, the Mirrorknights are far less docile. These creatures are chimera that were birthed by Dalamud. Their origin is a mystery as the mechanical door to Dalamud's fangs lies out of reach here in the Burning Wall.
Aggro passes Quarts Doblyns on the way. They're too busy feasting to pay any attention to her.
The path ahead offers confusion for lesser adventurers, but not for Aggro. No, Aggro most definitely did not miss the turn as the road drops into the depths of the Burning Wall.
Aggro looks over the cluster her informant advised her to harvest. Matters have become more complicated. FATE decrees that she must do battle with the infamous Bagoly that has been destroying local farmsteads. It appears that this is the chimera's den.
First, Aggro must separate the other Mirrorknights from Bagoly. She's armed, but she's alone. The god slayer must still fight cautiously.
The battle is rigorous. Aggro fights unrelenting, wounded by the constant barrage of newly formed Mirrorknights protecting Bagoly.
Finally, the free Paladin slays the monster. It collapses and dissolves, as spare metal and debris falls. Aggro lives to fight another day, but it was a hard won battle.
With her trial won, it's time to reap the rewards. Aggro harvests the cluster utilizing the highly advanced researcher's tool and the Warded Pot.
Music: To The Sun
Hahasako approves on Highbridge, affording Aggro little more reason to stay. First, she returns to Lamberteint to appraise the cluster, and then she returns to Cid to enhance the Enterprise.
Alas, adventuring continues to be a folly as Aggro's often mute disposition has resulted in error. The appropriate cluster lies not in Eastern Thanalan.
Music: Saltswept
Aggro must venture westward, to Aleport where another of the professor's student may offer assistance.
Music: Behind Closed Doors
Behind Aggro's slumber lies a pained expression. What nightmare would Aleport be unveiling?
Chapter Summary