Haurchefant Fortemps stood in front of Minfilia, naked. His gaze was focused - he did not seem to notice the Ixal fighting the others who arrived.

No, he looked upon Minfilia, with a warm welcoming expresson. Feathers covered his body, covering any extremities - his clawed hands twitched. “I’ve not had visitors for quite some time,” Haurchefant stated, smiling warmly. Welcoming. “Perhaps the Dravanian threat has risen further then I thought?”

Madness. Madness had taken the man, Minfilia realised. Garuda was known as a mad woman of a Primal… he approached Minfilia, and she did not move. Not yet. The arena itself would make for a good place to seal him - but she did not want to fight him. “They are not simply fighting the Dravanian threat. There are new threats awakening.” Minfilia replied, cautiously, as the bird-esque Elezen walked around her. Inspected her. He stopped as he noticed her tail, curiously.

Haurchefant then grinned. “Oh, how splendid… you’ve been reborn as well?”

“Is that what you call this?” Minfilia asked, and Haurchefant nodded enthusiastically. Minfilia gulped. “My own… rebirth has been a lot slower.”

Best to go along with his madness then to debate it. At least, for now. “Do you feel the warm wind? Why, I thought it’d never return after the Calamity!” What did he see this place as? Minfilia dare not ask. “Come, rest with me, adventurer. It’s been so long since I’ve seen an adventurer…”

Minfilia was still flinching, and Haurchefant pulled away slightly. Eyes gleaming. Concern entering his face. “My dear friend, what is wrong? Are you not used to this openness from Ishgardians?”

Her tiny nod was all that Haurchefant needed to snarl a little, one of his claws raising - right behind her head. “They are ignorant, my new friend! The world has changed, as it should have long ago! Do you not see my followers? My new followers do not hold the disdain those others did!”

“I did not hear disdain in Camp Dragonhead,” Minfilia finally replied, her courage returning. “I heard men longing for their Lord back. I saw men who would rather die then live without you.”

Haurchefant froze. His expression still gleeful, mad. “They’re good at lying, then, now aren’t they? None of them could have truly loved me before. Could have they?”

Garudas’ mind had twisted his own feelings, Minfilia was realising - as she began to move, using her tail to brush the sealing marks into the ground. The ground was soft. Perhaps this would be enough, as a slight dust fell from her bag. What had Ishgard done to this man? Haurchefant focused on her again. “Who would die for me? Tell me, adventurer, who’d bother to spill blood for a bastard!”

“Francel.”

The single word stilled everything. Even the winds began to slow, the sounds of fighting filling the arena. And yet, Haurchefant did not show any changes in his stance, in his body. Perhaps it was due to the power of the Blessing, but Haurchefant believed her. His claw lingered at the back of her head, blade-like claws hovering just over her neck.

“Francel…?”

A sigh. Haurchefant smiled kindly for a moment. “I had nearly— he is to join me! It’d be splendid, wouldn’t it? Two men discarded by their families, bringing everlasting peace to Ishgard!” The winds were building again - Minfilia could feel it cutting though her skin, though her soul. Were the others safe? Minfilia bit her tongue, letting the Primal continue. As long as they continued to pace, as long as Haurchefant was distracted, she could stop him.

It was a pity she was distracted, as well. Else she might have noticed glimpses of black. None of them seemed to, however. Haurchefant then, without warning, swiped at Minfilia. Not at her neck, but at her arm. Her dagger fell to the ground. “Now, my dear friend, we don’t need those here. Come, would you like to feed?”

“What… are you offering?” Minfilia replied, suddenly a horrific fear in the back of her throat. Haurchefant soared upwards, landing again with a bowl filled with bloodied Ixal bits.

Part of the sacrifice to summon Garuda, Minfilia reasoned, but she could still see bones and eyes, and the meat looked far too rotten to be edible. “My dear new friends brought me this, and, well, I’ve been waiting for adventurers to come eat with me!”

Just what was his delusion…? Minfilia took the bowl, trying to hold her lunch in. “My apologies, but I ate before arriving. May we save it for later?”

Haurchefant agreed with a grin, taking the bowl back. “Of course! I’d not want to overstuff you,” he snarled as he poked at her stomach. Minfilia flinched internally. “Why, you’re nice and strong… oh, your muscles are beautiful. Did you know that?” He switched from violence to kindness so swiftly. Which was him? Which was the Primal?

Was this what happened when one was not eliminated straight away?

Minfilia made the mistake of turning her back a little too much to Garuda. Quite suddenly, Haurchefant had her gripped, examining her back. “You’re injured!” Haurchefant cooed, concerned. “Is that why you’ve come to me? Did you fall onto a campfire?” Concern, now. Perhaps this was why Haurchefant was respected so much. Minfilia relaxed, letting him touch her.

She answered, knowing she had to lie. Oh, how she hated how she’d become such a liar. “Not quite. I was attacked by a dragon, and it burned my flesh away. It— still hurts. However, where I come from, there is a way to aid with such.”

“Oh?” Haurchefant asked, tilting his head. “Let me help, then!”

“If a glyph is drawn in the ground,” Minfilia explained, “it can be used to channel certain types of aether.

It… can be used to help soothe this pain. Could you allow me to do such here?”

A pause. Haurchefant was reading her, and also tossing up if it was best for his people. Until his manic grin returned. “Only if you teach me how to draw it! So many of mine end up burned beyond recognition!”

He would make his own prison, and once he was sealed, they could explain. That was what Minfilia expected, as she traced the outline, and Haurchefant carved it for her. He was so excited, babbling about how a cure for burned away backs could change how the war was going, even more then his new reborn form.

It was cute, in a horrifying way. Minfilia stood with Haurchefant as it was done. Haurchefant tried to step backwards, but Minfilia reached for him. “It won’t hurt if you stay here. Don’t you wish to see how it works?” One last lie, and Haurchefant thankfully fell for it.

It began. Minfilia said the spell, the light began to burn, she felt the familiar feeling—

—and then saw Haurchefant fall, knocked out of the circle by a beam of energy. The winds vanished, as the Primal fell. To her side, the others stilled as well, both the Ixal and her fellow adventurers. (Alphinaud and Cid included.)

Minfilia stared though the magic. Her eyes widened. A black machine stood before her, alongside one man she’d hoped to never see again, weapon raised in her direction.

Gaius van Baelsar.

Even if the spell had been interrupted, Haurchefant had been weakened - and Minfilia felt the stilling magic burning though her body, the alterations. But the half-Primal man stood, the first to react to being shot. He let out a loud scream, a war cry, and charged towards the black machine.

Within a moment, he was grasped by it, and— devoured. Whole. His body turning to aether, poured within. Gaius did not look back. No, instead, he looked to the scene. “…barbaric,” he snarled from beneath his helmet. “That Eorzea would rely on such a small group to destroy their Eikon.”

He did not look to Cid - well, he did for a moment. Perhaps that was why disgust tinged his next words, looking up at his machine. “Like father, like son… disgusting.

What is it your kind mean to accomplish here?” Gaius asked, suddenly pointing his weapon at Minfilia. “A malformed hero who talks down eikon?”

Minfilia did not flinch, as she stood, even with pain coursing though her. “You— you—”

No words could come out. Nor would they, as she heard another screech. This time, one she hadn’t heard for a while. Alisaie had arrived, arrows shot at Gaius. Gaius did not flinch as he used his magitek barrier to block them. He looked to her - another malformed hero - and aimed his gun.

Until he noticed the other. The oddly horse-like, carbuncle-like beast that Nero had reported on. Hm. So it wasn’t just a delusion from his time in this savage land. “Do you truly think the might of the Empire fears your beast, girl!?” he shouted, a bullet shot at Alisaie.

Far worse, however, was that her Alphinaud - the one stilled by Light - was captured and devoured by the beast as well. Alisaie wailed in pain, picking up her bow again - until another bullet ripped though her flesh, though her arm. A third one, and she was down. (Was she bleeding? Was the white liquid pooling under her blood?) Alisaie twitched a few times, and Gaius looked down at what he saw as a beast. He readied his weapon again.

Minfilia had fallen to her knees. Cid was frozen. Alphinaud was torn between rushing to Alisaie and being too terrified to get close.

But one of them did move. And that was Fordola, forgetting her body for a moment. “Lord Gaius, I—”

Gaius heard that voice, and for a moment, he hesitated. Until anger filled his voice. “You—”

No. He could keep himself composed. A voice of one who had been reported killed in action - even her, of all people - was just a trick of the environment. “—are what they think shall bring their salvation? An eikon, in all but power?”

Gaius shot Fordola. Her body shuddered as the bullet pierced though - and the full Ifrit roared out, suddenly setting the arena ablaze. His machine was not affected. As Minfilia tried to look past the flames, she swore she saw an Ascian laughing about it seated on the shoulder of the machine.

Fordola roared, slamming a claw down by Gaius. “Listen to me, Lord Gaius, I didn’t choose this—”

And Fordola, too, was devoured by the machine. Gaius then rose his voice, looking at the sorrowful scene. “Listen to me, survivors. Scurry back to your masters! To your leaders! If they are as wise as they are reported, they will surrender. The might of Ultima Weapon is unsurpassable!”

Gaius turned, silently, and walked away. The machine followed.

Minfilia passed out.

Minfilia awoke on the Enterprise, the ship already moving. She could barely hear conversation. Alphinaud asking Cid about Gaius. She could not think. Her feet ached most of all, more then her burning back. Weakly, she looked up at them.

“Is Alisaie…?” were the first words out of her mouth. For she knew Fordola wasn’t okay. She had been devoured alive, turned to aether. She was gone.

…Fordola was gone. Yet another who she cherished, gone - this time physically instead of mentally. Alphinaud looked to Minfilia, a frown forming. “Alisaie’s… alive. She got shot though the chest, but— she’s got a lot of fur there?

…I don’t know why she’s like that, Minfilia.” Alphinaud had never sounded this hurt before. But it was not just sorrow - there was anger.

How much did he know? She groaned, looking up at him. She was still half-asleep, her body burning up from pain. “I failed, Alphinaud.”

“You didn’t,” Bolormaa said softly, as she kneeled. “You could not predict him. I could not, either.” The Auri warrior shielded Minfilia from the wind, from the pebbles and other objects flying though the air. Airship travel was still so very dangerous, especially to somebody so injured. “We have also contacted our allies in the snow. Lutia is being returned. Lutia is fine.”

That’s right. She hadn’t seen Lutia since being burned by Belias. Worry she didn’t know she had fell, if only for a few moments. “Fordola— Fordola is—”

Bolormaa frowned. “I am sorry. I know it is not comforting - my beliefs. And it happened so quickly…” Bolormaa had barely gotten to see it. The battle was too swift. But in that moment, Fordola burned bright. All three of the Primal did. Well, she assumed Alisaie had a Primal mount. Which made her pause. “Is Alisaie an Elementalist?”

A pause, and Bolormaa looked back to Alphinaud. “Um. An Elementalist is not connected to Gridiana. In my culture, there are those of the Wood who can channel the power of the land. But my land is not Gridiana, so it is not the Elementals from there.” Even now, Bolormaa loved explaining. “I believe that there are some Elementalists who have learned to harness the leftover energy of Eidolon.” She tapped her finger against her chin. “Oh… but Alisaie is not a Viera. It is the Viera who can listen to the Wood.”

Even now, Bolormaa was able to keep the mood up. Her tail wagged. “Unless Elezen are different?”

Minfilia did could not force herself to remain awake. Once again, she was going to be out cold when she was most needed. Her body shuddered - and Bolormaa looked to Alphinaud. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t fall overboard. Um, what’s next?”

Alphinaud tried to show confidence, his expression dire. “We should— no. We need to rise again. The Scions of the Seventh Dawn must be re-assembled, if we aim to stop Gaius and his new weapon.

Cid, the Ironworks have a home in Mor Dhona, do they not?” Cid looked back, and Alphinaud paused. “They do. Once we land the airship in Gridiana, we shall head there to gather whoever we can. Prastha should have more information, as well, so I’ll be certain to call him.”

“Doesn’t Minfilia tend to go there?” Bolormaa replied. “It’ll be good for her as well. Oh! And I’ll check the Waking Sands again! Not just to see Prashta in-person, I mean.”