meanwhile in ????

[moderni]

WHO: Maxima and whoever shows up
WHERE: Maxima's labyrinth
WHEN: late July
WHAT: Welcoming a very lost Garlean rebel
WARNINGS: Aftermath of war, possible references to civil war and refugees


[This rift leads to a city, or at least what's left of one. Paved streets are torn up, buildings of brick and wood and concrete alike now twisted and wrecked until once-orderly blocks have become a maze of rubble. Remnants of artillery fire are evident in places, and scattered along the streets are wrecked warmachina, armored mechanized weaponry, some independent, some clearly designed to be piloted. All nonfunctional, much of it with evidence of having been scavenged.

The air is bitterly cold. A layer of frost coats nearly everything, and snow drifts softly down from a bleak white sky. What little vegetation has been able to hold on through the conflict is thin and tough, clearly adapted to the frigid climate of the region. Eorzeans will recognize the setting without a shadow of a doubt: this is what was left of Garlemald when the Ilsabard Contingent arrived to aid survivors.

Wandering lost through the ruins is a familiar face. Maxima isn't exactly sure anymore how long he's been out here - even adapted to the climate of his homeland as he is, he's starting to shiver, but he can't seem to find his way back to camp. He tries in vain to trigger the deadened linkpearl in his ear once again.]

Calling Camp Broken Glass. This is Maxima. ...Can anyone hear me?

Comments

[sunforging]

[With the whole rest of the city gone up and down and all around all seven hells, someone had to keep an eye on the day-to-day disasters. Scintilla couldn't honestly say she minded being on the back lines for once; it was actually a welcome change of pace. She could handle a labyrinth or two while everyone else's attention was elsewhere--that was easy.]

[...Or that was what she thought, until she stepped through one such gate and found herself somewhere very cold and very familiar.]

[Byregot's fucking hammer. Whose labyrinth could this have been? She quickly ran through as many immediate possibilities in her head; Jullus, Gaius, Nero, Cid--no, been in Cid's head, that ain't right. Gods, please don't be Zenos. Nobody wants dealin' with that shite today.]

[Pulling her coat a little closer with one hand, the other rested uneasily on the hilt of her rapier as she started walking destroyed streets.]

Oi--anyone out here?

[hoshikiri]

[Takame had stayed behind to mind the defense of the city. Things seem to have winded down on the frontlines, but he was still vigilant. Especially of any labyrinths that have popped up.

He'd just wished that this one didn't trigger so many bad memories at once in him. The bone-chilling cold, the knowledge of ceruleum under his feet, the infrastructure used in castrums that he spent of his life in and out of while Doma was still occupied by the Empire.

When he fought in their name.

He prayed that was behind him... the last thing Takame needed was for his past to be brought to the forefront of his heart when tension was so high.

But that did not matter. This was a Labyrinth. Someone inside was trapped. Kami forbid it was an enemy... but he would not know until he ventured forward. He did so Gunblade in hand even as he heard half of someone's voice asking if someone can hear.]

Who is there? Are you hurt?

[moderni]

[A voice, thank goodness there was a voice. For a moment he didn't recognize it, and then he did, and relief washed through him. The Warrior of Light was here, he was safe. He wasn't going to freeze to death because he'd stupidly wandered off without the right equipment (how did he end up out here in no more gear than he would have worn at camp, anyway? the memory seemed to have shivered away), Scintilla could help him get back to safety.]

Over here!

[What was she doing back here, anyway? The remnants of Garlemald had settled into a day-to-day routine that doesn't include much adventurer work, and most of the Ilsabard Contingent had returned to warmer lands, Warrior of Light included. Well, he wasn't going to complain, as he rounded a pile of rubble and came face to face with his once-again savior.]

Thank goodness it's you. I...can't seem to find my way back to camp, and my linkpearl has failed...

[sunforging]

Huh-?

[That was miles from her expectation, but certainly not unwelcome. Maxima was trustworthy, and also not a disaster besides. (sorry, Nero.) Stumbling her way through the start of an explanation in her usual heavy Lominsan accent, she lowered her hand from her weapon.]

Aye, that ain't too surprisin', but...uh...well, ain't many easy ways t' explain this. What's the last thing you remember before windin' up out here?

[moderni]

[Immediately he turned toward the voice, making his way around yet another broken armor. It couldn't be...]

Takame?

[But it was, as he managed to catch sight of the Warrior of Light, obviously on edge. And who could blame him, given the man's history? Frankly he was surprised that Takame had returned to Garlemald at all after the crisis had passed.]

I'm not hurt, just...lost. I don't know how I wound up so far from camp.

[moderni]

The last thing...?

[He still didn't know how he'd gotten so lost in the ruins. Focus, Maxima.] We've been making progress with setting up trade agreements with Radz-at-Han and Sharlayan. And the Loporrits have been visiting more frequently as well, which caused a bit of a stir at first.

[Direct access to the moon was had through the Tower of Babil, after all, but that didn't make the average Garlean citizen any more prepared to deal with tiny intelligent rabbits, no matter how helpful they were.]

Has something else happened?

[hoshikiri]

... Maxima?

[The sight of him made Takame lower his weapon. An ally, thank the kami. And one from the Populares at that. Truly a best case scenario, save only to seeing Cid. Interestingly, in withdrawing his Gunblade it seemed to disappear into thin air. A glamour to the uninitiated, a hammerspace to Takame.]

I see. I'm relieved that you're unharmed. [He paused, looking around them then back to Maxima. These places only get more cruel, don't they? Takame still remembered his own Labyrinth on his worst nights. All of the ones he's been trapped in.]

... I am afraid you're further from camp than you may realize. [He shook his head.] I should explain, but we must find safety first. I can lead you out of this place.

["Out"?]

[illucesco]

[He’d never seen Kaisou in ruins, after the daemon invasion had been turned back. By the time he’d come back to arrange his father’s funeral in December, the city was well on its way to rebuilding. Any signs of ruins were rapidly being cleaned up.

But Noctis remembers Insomnia, how it glittered in the light before he’d left home. He remembers it in ruins, daemons living in the debris of the home he had known and loved. This isn’t Insomnia, isn’t even Lucis—too damn cold for that—but the sight of the ruins stops him in his tracks. He shivers, pulls up the thick coat he’d been wearing to cosplay Rosinante, and calls the Pride Sword to his hand from his Armiger.

It lights up blue and purple, and he raises it up when he spots someone wandering through this ruined town. The sword, in his opinion, does pretty well as a beacon.]

Hey! Hey, you there! Can you see me?

[moderni]

[There was something increasingly unsettling about this entire situation. Perhaps because Maxima couldn't really remember why he was out in the ruins or how he'd gotten there; perhaps because Takame was there at all. The word 'out' rang ominously in light of these details that didn't add up.

But if he couldn't trust the Warrior of Light, he couldn't trust anyone. He nodded firmly, a little perplexed but determined.]

By all means, lead the way. [If nothing else, he needed to warm up sooner rather than later.]

[moderni]

[Maxima lifts his head at the call, and the light is more than unusual enough for him to track toward its source.]

I see you! Hold position, I'll come to you.

[It doesn't take too long before he's making his way close enough that he doesn't need to raise his voice, and looking this newcomer up and down. A Hyur? He doesn't recognize the man from the Ilsabard Contingent, and that isn't exactly a uniform that he's wearing. Some wandering adventurer, perhaps? Just in case, he isn't approaching too close just yet.]

Hello, there. Have you come from the camp?

[sunforging]

[That lined up with what she knew, so that was a good start. Saved at least a little explaining, and explaining things was not her strong suit.]

Aye--sort of? This is gonna sound right mad, but this ain't Garlemald. Hells, it ain't even the same star.

[illucesco]

[It really isn’t, because he was on his way home from a cosplay convention. It’s a damned lucky thing he’s wearing his selkie pelt like a shawl underneath this giant coat or else he’d be in far more trouble than he is.

Noctis lowers the sword, the point aimed downward. It still glows purple-blue in his hand, easy enough to follow in this cold landscape. He stares at Maxima for a second, the glasses calling up the memory of an old friend, then cracks a tired little smile.]

Not exactly, no. It’s…hard to explain, but where I’m from’s a lot warmer than this. I can lead you there.

[hoshikiri]

Mm. Forgive me for being so abrupt.

[Takame doubted they'd meet with interference on the way out, but he could sense exactly where the rift was. With a nod he gestured for Maxima to follow him.]

Will you tell me the last thing you recall before attempting to contact Camp Broken Glass? It will give me some understanding of the situation and allow me to explain it better.

[moderni]

[Maxima blinked at her, brow furrowing. He looked around demonstratively at the ruins, then back at Scintilla.]

It...certainly looks like the city. ...Are you all right?

[Though honestly, in the past when they'd had disagreements about the basic facts of reality - like Zenos' death in Ala Mhigo or the nature of the Emperor - Scintilla's track record of being correct even when saying unbelievable things was immaculate. So if push really came to shove, he might just have to go along with what she was saying regardless of how plausible it sounded.]

[sunforging]

I'm fine, aye-- [She shook her head with a mildly irritated grumble, obviously searching for the right words.] Sorry, this is why Alphinaud does most'f the talkin'. Just...come with me an' try not to lose your head 'bout it? I'll show you and then explain what I can.

[moderni]

[Maxima's brow furrowed a little as he thought back.] I'd been...finalizing the roster of a small party which was to travel through the gate in the Tower of Babil, and exchange instruction with the Loporrits.

I'm...not exactly certain how I ended up here from the camp at all, truth be told. [It was weird. The more he tried to prod at the gap, the more stubbornly foggy it seemed.]

[poisontippedcure]

[The last thing Rose expects when she walks into a labyrinth is to be spit out in Garlemald. "It won't be as bad as the fortress," she tells herself. And it's largely correct, because at least she knows how to deal with the machina here.]

[Part of her is tempted to turn around and go back, lest she encounter someone she doesn't want to. But it could be a friend, and even if it's not, it could still be a civilian. Curse the part of her that's grown this soft, that wants to help people this much.]

[She treks through the snow, shivering, until she comes upon Maxima. She remembers him, vaguely. He was part of the contingent that went with Alphinaud after they freed Ala Mhigo. And probably a few other things, too, but it's too cold to think properly.]

[She waves her arms from a distance, hoping it's enough.]

I can!

[And then, once she's closer:]

Do you happen to remember me?

[hoshikiri]

Hm... [Takame had no recollection of needing to travel through the Tower of Babil through the Loporrits' instruction. So Maxima... must come from a time after his. Like Scintilla.

What in the kami's name was happening in his realm? That wasn't the priority at the moment, but still on his mind.]

... What I last recall from our star was putting an end to The Final Days.

[Which is a bit of a bomb in and of itself, but better to lead up to the bomb than drop everything at once.]

I'm afraid when I said you are far from the camp, what I meant was you are no longer on our star itself, nor on any aspect of it. This place you are in now is a recreation of the Garlemald we know locked behind a tear in reality's fabric.

[Which they're approaching on themselves, a massive aetherial tear. A Gate.]

Through there is our way out, and I will explain it all when you've seen for yourself. You'll feel a rather shocking difference in the climate. [It is summertime right now after all.]

[moderni]

[Why would it be hard to explain? ...Maybe this man doesn't trust him, either. He is a pureblood Garlean, after all, and that does mean mistrust from the Eorzean races sometimes. If he's guarding a group of refugees who've somehow managed to stay hidden through the end of the Final Days, it would make sense.

That does mean that it could be a trap, with him out here on his own like this. But the cold will definitely kill him eventually, and while he's far from the most skilled combatant, military training means he could probably hold his own against civilian refugees at least long enough to get away, even if they tried an ambush. ...Besides, if there are people still huddled out in the cold, they need to be told that things have changed, and brought in to safety and resources. He has to at least try.

He nods, and moves to follow.] ...My name is Maxima quo Priscus. I'm with a group that call themselves the Ilsabard Contingent, supplied by the Eorzean nations as a relief effort.

[moderni]

It would be difficult to forget you, Miss Qeido.

[Kind of a weird question, actually, but. He smiles anyway, relieved at the familiar face. Traveling at the Warrior of Light's side is far safer than making his way alone, certainly.]

I seem to have lost my way. Do you know how to get back to Camp Broken Glass from here?

[moderni]

[He nodded, confused and concerned but still willing enough.]

Not for the first time, nor for the last, I suspect. I'll follow you.

[Perhaps a day would someday come when he knew more than Scintilla about some important news, but that clearly wasn't today.]

[sunforging]

[Already trying to piece together the best way to explain this (and figuring out who to point him towards that could do so much better than she could), Scintilla looked around and mentally retraced her steps before turning to walk back theway she came.]

It's real hard to put into words, least for me, but th' broadest way of it is that this is sort of...a projection? [That was the right word, right? She wasn't necessarily unintelligent by any means, but explaining things in facts and logic was less her field. Scintilla was more the type to operate on feelings and not thinking about the details. No need to know anything about how the Ragnarok worked, just who to call to fix it.] The real place we're in is a little beyond here, and it ain't much like anywhere on Et--uh, Hydaelyn.

[moderni]

A...recreation...? [He'd have some questions about Takame's questions re: memories and such, but the hole in reality really takes priority over everything else he might think to ask, and serves as additional proof that something here just isn't right. He looks at the Gate, and then at Takame, clearly uncertain.] And the...real world, is through that?

[He can't sense aether, but the presence of the rift in three-dimensional space is unpleasant in a way that he's not sure he could describe to someone without a third eye. But there's nothing else for it. He follows Takame through, and out into a warm sunny day under a bright blue sky, in a living city with more greenery than he's seen since that fateful trip to Doma.]

What in the...?

[moderni]

The Loporrits have acquainted us with the name of the world as Etheirys. [One of the lesser changes they'd dealt with, really - easier than getting Imperial citizens to start calling it by the name of an Eorzean goddess.]

You're telling me that none of this is real. [That was a lot to swallow, even for Warrior of Light shenanigans.] ...How? Why? For how long?

[He could see something strange in the distance. A missing part of the landscape that didn't move right...no, that didn't move at all except for getting larger as they approached.]

[sunforging]

Right--honestly, that's gonna be a hard one t' remember everywhere else. [Can't just go around telling people the planet's had the wrong name.]

Well...for you, probably not long? Since it seems like you just got here. This part- [she gestured around with a clawed hand] -ain't real. They call 'em labyrinths, it's a whole sort of thing around here. This part- [Another gesture, towards the strange anomaly in the landscape]- this bit's the real place we're in. Come on, it's safe enough. [That was a whole other kettle of fish, but they'd get to it.]