Ace knocks on your door the day that your ex-client, Miss ‘Adney Hill,’ is found dead on the docks. He doesn’t suspect you, or at least if he does, he keeps that to himself. You tell him everything you know, and everything you witnessed. His eyes widen when you begin describing the man who wanted to kill Miss Hill, and he lets out a heavy sigh.

He pulls you aside and explains that the man in question has been under investigation by the Rogue’s guild for some time, as the first crime he commited broke the Limsan code of conduct. In the dead of the night a landlord, Yocho, was killed and robbed of all his belongings.

Most of the money can’t be traced, but some of it was discovered in the coffers of the Yellowjackets donation bin, with traces of blood still on it. While Yocho owned land in Wineport, he was ultimately a Limsan citizen, and as such is protected by the code of conduct.

The Yellowjackets have had such a great deal of trouble trying to track the man down that they and the Rogue’s guild had to begin working together to uncover the truth of the matter. Ace makes you promise not to tell anyone, which you do, making it a comically terrible inclusion for your memoir. (Whoops!)

Ace briefly explains what happened to Miss Hill, and how in the dark of the night there were no eyewitnesses or anything of substance to go off of. Based on your testimony, the armored Au Ra becomes the number one suspect. Her stab wounds are also consistent with previous cases, making her another record in a file.

You are questioned by many more officers and rogues alike, but most are doubtful of your story, namely because it’s so rare that the suspect in question ever backs away from a fight. Ace is included in this, though he does a much better job of keeping that to himself than the others who interrogate you. Publicly, many referred to him either as “Halone’s Champion” or “Halone’s Bitch,” depending on who you ask, due to the winged helmet he dons.

The situation is...complex. He is dangerous and must be stopped, but he, time and time again, kills dangerous and corrupt people who, by the day, are harming innocent people for their own gain. Perhaps if you were more suspicious of those around you, you would’ve been able to tie it together yourself, before the answer was dumped on your lap for you.

The following morning, you give a demonstration of your spell, Rejuvenate, to the marauder guildmaster, Axemaster Wyrnzoen, at a sparring session between two of his finer members. While he is moderately impressed with the healing magic itself, he is much more impressed with your ability to switch from healing to an offensive front, a capability which most conjurers struggle with due to a lack of gradual healing magic.

While the fight was far from fair, the two of you are able to overcome your single opponent with relative ease, and your sparring partner walks away with not so much as a scratch. The Axemaster seems satisfied enough with your abilities and writes a review of your performance back to the Admiral herself. Within days, copies of your spell are made and preserved within the Arcanist’s Guild for safekeeping.

Word of your accomplishment is all the buzz for a few days, at least within the Arcanist’s guild itself, making you feel accomplished if just for the moment. You make sure to thank Vincent for his help, as without his findings from Gridania it wouldn’t have been very easy to improve the spell.

You receive a missive from the Admiral, requesting that you visit Gridania in order to further your studies with the conjurer’s guild. You are hesitant to accept, until you receive a handsome sum of gil attached as payment for your ‘contribution to the Limsan military, through exemplary research.’ With what is now enough gil to last you half a year, you suddenly feel very interested in paying The Twelveswood a visit.

You are given a premium airship ticket to pay for your travels between the major cities. Normally, their use is fairly expensive, but with the pass you are given a great discount. While traveling on ‘official’ Limsan business, your voyage is paid for, and you are even given a small pin of the Maelstrom sigil, which you bear on your scarf.

You are set off to leave in 24 hours, so you begin packing. Before you go, you bid farewell to your fellow Arcanists, at which point K’yoko asks you for help on a private matter. She reveals to you that while she is happy to learn arcanistry and enjoys hearing of your research, she envies your capacity to stay cool in the heat of battle, and hopes you can teach her how to remain calm in a fight.

A day is nowhere near enough time to tutor her, but you spend some time going over the basics by fighting the same pests that are required to enter the Arcanist’s guild in the first place. When you ask her how she entered the guild, she tells you that she was given an exception to the trial due to her supreme knowledge of carbuncles.

Even when Brick subdues pests and holds them down for her, she flinches at the slightest squirm, and is unable to weave aether into her book for the few seconds required to unleash Ruin. When she does finally manage to unleash something, her aim is so sloppy that it spirals and hits the ground instead.

After a few hours of practice, you decide to call it a night. She seems a bit anxious that you’re leaving, and confides that you are the only person in the guild who treats her with respect due to her ineptitude on the field. In order to help reconcile this, you offer her the opportunity to come with you to Gridania, which she accepts.

You had initially intended to ask Erden to come, but ultimately decided this was the better play since he would likely be busy on the farm all the same. She departs to ready her things, while you take a detour to meet up with Ace for a quick meal before you go.

You both get clam chowder-- a Limsan staple, which he has been bugging you about trying since you arrived. It’s pretty good, but you don’t think it’s worth all the fuss he’s been making about it.

“It's no Popoto Salad.” You say smugly, and he gags in response.

The entire time you talk, he has this look in his eye. Without words, he’s trying to ask if you’ve gotten yourself into any trouble, and if you need his help to get out of it, which you haven’t, and you don’t. After a few minutes, you begin to realize that you’re probably both being watched.

You politely thank him for the meal and leave to finish packing. As you go, he reminds you to stay safe, to which you remind him that you’re always safe, unlike him, which gives him a good chuckle.

You wanted to see Erden one last time before you head off, but when you go to the farm his parents tell you that he’d already left that morning. He had offered to go on a trade deal in Gridania, exchanging fresh wine for a wide spread of fruits and vegetables gathered by the city’s botanists. Though it’ll take him a bit longer to reach the city than it will take you by airship, you still hope that you’ll run into each other.

When you return to the guild to retire for the night, you get a bit more attention than you’re accustomed to. Mina seems elated at your return and immediately begins to discuss with you the latest findings that her team has had. The tonberries have gotten dangerous enough that they’ve had to stop the expeditions outright until the water fully drains out. After that, they plan on launching a full team of adventurers to help clear the place out.

She offers you a spot on that team, as both a fledgling adventurer and a researcher, which you conditionally accept so long as you aren’t still out on official business when the time comes. While you would be happy to have the opportunity to scavenge the ancient ruins, you also understand that if the timing doesn’t line up that they will proceed without you.

Vincent thanks you for giving him proper credit when discussing your successes with the Axemaster, as he was also rewarded for his expeditions and given permission to make a new one to Mor Dhona. Though the rugged, war-torn landscape was near uninhabitable, he seems excited at the prospect of potentially finding materials and weapons lost to time.

Many other arcanists whom you fail to commit to memory congratulate you on your new spell, and some even ask you some questions about how you put it together. You start to feel like you’ve made an impact, and in such a short amount of time, that you’re the talk of the town. (At least among the nerds.)

You have difficulty sleeping the night before, but ultimately decide against staying up late to work on more ideas for spells. For once, both of your roommates are in, so you try your best not to make any noise, and it’s all you can think about any time you want to toss or turn.

You wake up rested enough, and you start to see what K’yoko meant when others learn that you’re taking her with you. They kind of give you this odd look, sometimes accompanied by a head tilt. ‘What, her?’ they clearly want to say. Just as often, you get a polite and confused smile, as they don’t have any idea who she is.

Brick rides on your shoulder to the airship landing, but gets skittish enough when you get in the air that you need to dispel him so he doesn’t panic. K’yoko’s carbuncle seems much more relaxed, and has begun to peacefully rest in her lap.

The ride is mostly uneventful, spare a brief skirmish with a flock of Zu migrating toward the far east. K’yoko, as expected, freezes up during the entire ordeal, while you and the few assigned Yellowjackets on board manage to quickly slay the birds before they can do any real damage to the airship.

When you ask K’yoko if she’s alright, she’s too embarrassed to answer, and just buries her head in her hands. The rest of the airship ride is quiet, even as you reach your destination: New Gridania.