A Shadowy Warehouse, Limsa Lominsa ~ A Moonless Evening
Perspective - ???
FWOOSH.
That was the sixth time in a row, and now they were getting more frequent. A gust of wind, the clatter of materiel, then a deathly silence echoed throughout the warehouse. This time I was close enough that I had to brace against the impact, and the few loyal hounds, our proudly-trained men, around me were sent tumbling in surprise.
The first one was dismissed by my colleagues as someone carelessly-piled materials shuffling into a more stable configuration, given how messily-strewn about things were sometimes. I don't know if people were just lazy or denial, but already I was starting to feel wary.
The second one was far more suspicious. Sure, we may not be the cleanliest of operations, but we are not that disorganized. And when given a second look, it seemed more like someone had set off a weak explosive of sort. I brought it up to the others, who seemed either too deep in their cups or halfway asleep to care.
The third one was when we noticed something...someone missing. A headcount found us three persons short. And those there were handlers and trainers. A few who doubted me before were starting to turn around, at least those who were still within sobriety's reach. One even took the initiative to go on patrol.
By the fourth burst, it was clear: something, someone, was attacking us, and doing so in a very precise manner. But the question was who.
The Upright Thieves don't like us, sure, but we're not cloying nothing here, and besides they'd leave a very obvious trail as a message. The Maelstrom and Yellowjackets, sure, do-gooders got to do-good. But this kind of subterfuge isn't their style. The only other people who were probably able to be all sneaky-peeky like this were the Domans, but I know what ninjutsu sounds like, and this wasn't ninjutsu.
By the time the fifth burst came about, we already figured to stay together and watch each other's backs. It was time for us to turn the tables, to chase out, if not capture, whoever was screwing with us. One trainer, and at least one hound, working in concert to sniff out whoever was hunting us. Pragmatic sensibilities kicked in - even if one of the group was lost, the others would still be a witness. At least, that was the plan. Another rush, and as if magically plucked from thin air, the handler disappeared, and the hounds surrounding him scattered in the burst.
For the sixth, I was nearby enough to feel the wind pressure from the blast. Turning the corner, I found the ground strewn with the bodies of young men writhing in pain amidst the clutter. I kneeled down to check on one of them, a stocky and well-built Highlander. And finally, bloody finally, we he had a clue.
"S-string...blue strings..." he weakly whispered.
"Right, right...blue strings, and then...?" I asked trying to keep a calm and soothing tone. My hands did the opposite, ordering my pack to take up a defensive position around me. Obediently, orderly, they formed a wall around us.
"...b-blue...blue mist." The boy stammered, and I nodded again.
"Someone came to you in the form of blue mist?"
The boy shook his head and his eyes grew with fear. Fear that he was not supposed to have. "No...h-e turned...into blue mist...then..."
I sighed as the boy's mouth opened and closed uselessly and wordlessly. Shaking my head I pulled him up and directed him to stand guard around me. Luckly, he seemed to still have enough fight left in him to comply. Blue mist and blue string was barely anything but it was at least something to keep note of. I put my hand up to my ear to activated my linkpearl, only for it to be stopped by some strange force in mid-air.
"What in the seven hel-?"
My muttering was cut short by a sudden crushing force around my neck. From the corner of my eye, I could see thin strands of blue tying up my arm, holding it in an awkward pose. But even my short cry pull the attention of my guard, who looked to me for orders.
But no orders came. I was unable to move. Frantically, my eyes darted around, and I could more, more of the blue strands wrapping around me, wrapping around the boys too. Then...the wind. It began to pick up, and my eyes were filled with a shimmering blue. I looked down to find myself, starting to shimmer blue as my body tingled with a strange sensation.
No, it wasn't strange. It was familiar. I recognized this sensation, this...pull. Every time I teleported to an Aetheryte, I felt this. But how is this possible?!
I'm not casting a teleportation spel-
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