Chapter Text
The day of your attack on Dormont's House went from perfect to awful way too quickly. Your role was simple. Get in, find the Head Housemaiden, soften her up, or freeze her if possible. It would be hard, of course. She's supposed to be one of the strongest crafters in Vaugarde, the only person who could stop the King. Be he gave you this mission! He wouldn't order you to do something you're incapable of doing. So that's what you are going to do.
You slipped inside with relative ease. You've done this once before when stealing the orbs to hide them away. The House is filled with a nervous energy. It will be replaced with complete stillness soon enough. You carefully go from floor to floor looking for the Head Housemaiden until you reach a large, open room on the fourth floor. Awful for sneaking up on her. Luckily, she's distracted by someone else letting you slip inside and hide behind a pillar. You wait for them to leave. No reason to make an already difficult task any harder. She isn't giving you any good openings... You'll have to rely on your speed and hope you're faster.
You snap your fingers, "Pick up the Pace." Your body lightens and you feel faster. You unsheathe your dagger and dash at her from behind when she turns and hits you with a burst of paper craft that sends you into the wall.
"Oh my, you must be the King's follower. Would you mind telling me what your plan is exactly?" You almost mistake her tone for kindness, but you're enemies. You get to your feet and ready yourself. That paper attack hit a lot harder than it should have. You don't want to see what she could do with rock craft. "It isn't too late to stop working for him. I'm sure if we just talk, we can come to an agreement that both sides will appreciate."
She says that without even knowing what you're fighting against. She couldn't know. "You can't give us what we want, you can't protect Vaugarde." You circle around her. She's much stronger than you, you already knew that. You can't beat her. But you don't have to! Just paralyze her for the King! You can do that at least. You breathe in, and out. Hit her once. Just once. You can't completely freeze someone like the King, but just one strike will world of difference.
The next several minutes were honestly embarrassing for you. The Head Housemaiden never let you get close, batting you away while trying to trick you into surrendering. You were out of tonics and probably couldn't take another hit.
"Bright one... I see that you've failed..."
"M-my King! Sorry..."
"Ah, it's nice to meet you in person, King. I must be pretty important for the both of you to make your way to see me."
"Yes... You are the only one... capable of preventing my gift of eternity....
"You can't possibly blame me for wanting to protect my country."
"You couldn't possibly understand what is necessary to protect Vaugarde."
"Maybe if you explained what you're trying to protect against, we can work together to find a solution that won't imprison all of Vaugarde."
"...I have no need for your assistance. Your eternal silence will do just fine."
The King's Time Craft spreads across the room, turning the room lightless. It crawls up the Head Housemaiden's leg. She takes a deep breath and puts her hands together, "Who is... Mirabelle? Wonderful. May my blessing protect you from our foes who threaten our country. I'm sorry, and good l--" The craft reaches her mouth as a strong craft shakes the room and flies off into nowhere and then she's gone.
"Ooooohhh.... That spell....... That blessing..... Bright one, do you understand what this means...?"
"It's just one person. How much could they do?"
"Bright one! They are a threat to our eternity! A threat to all of Vaugarde!" You can feel the boom of his voice in your bones. He is looking down at you like a livid parent standing over their unruly child, "Find them. Ensure that they won't doom Vaugarde. By any means necessary."
"Y-yes, my King." You rush out of the room only to find that the door you entered through is sealed. You run to the opposite exit, the King's eyes boring through you. The exit leads outside onto a long bridge.
You look out past the horizon until your headache forces you to look away. You will save Vaugarde. Save its people, its culture, its memories... It will all be preserved in stillness for eternity. You climb onto the railing and hold onto your hat and take the leap and glide your way down.
Your new mission is simple. Stop the Housemaiden. You learned that she's heading to Jouvente so that is where you're going.
Your mission really was simple at first. Sure, she was still progressing and you could never beat her, but you were slowing her down. But then she met the fighter. A two-on-one fight would've been hard by itself, but he uses rock craft. But who cares if you can't win a fair fight? You're the King's assassin, you're supposed to work from the shadows. So that's what you do.
You know Mirabelle can locate the orbs somehow, and that fighting alone just leads to worse injuries, so you have to work smarter! You're faster so you run ahead to the orb to set up. Traps, ambush spots, you even lured a strong sadness to guard the entrance. But despite your preparations, they got the orb. And the next one. And the next one. Until they collected all of them. Even picked up a researcher and a kid along the way. Scheme after scheme, they just barrel through it all.
And now you're just a week away from Dormont and have no plans for how to slow the saviors. But that's fine! Yes, you failed (again) to stop them, but that must mean that the universe wants them to lose to the King. A final showdown before the King saves all of Vaugarde. But for now, you can't stop trying. There's still time. And there will still be time after you take a nap.
✦✧✦✧✦
Sif's probably still napping. As much as you like to let them rest, you know they'd probably nap the day away if you let them. "Hey, Sif? You up?" You see him bolt up at the sound of your voice. You hope that you didn't scare him. "There you are! Had a good... nap...?" You notice something very off. Sif isn't wearing his eyepatch and he clearly doesn't need it because he has both eyes?!?
You're both just staring for a bit, until a smirk grows on his face. You're still stunned as Sif rushes at you and snaps in your face, "Picture perfect." Everything below your neck is suddenly numb and won't listen to you. "Silly fighter. I don't know how you knew to find me, but you should have known better than to come after me alone. Then again, you are about as sharp as a bag of hammers. I'll be seeing you."
He leaves you there alone with your thoughts. Right, so you're stuck. Because Sif(???) attacked you with some kind of craft? And he has his missing eye back?? But why? How? Questions for later. You have to warn the others about Sif's evil twin. Change! Sif has an evil twin! Then where's Sif?! Did his twin get him? "Sif?! Are you out here?! Siffrin?!" There's no response. Maybe you just got the wrong cleaning and Sif's peacefully napping somewhere else. You can find them later. If you can ever get free from what craft they used. It has to be Time Craft, but you're not completely frozen. Are you stuck like this forever? Will it spread?
You get your answer quickly as you regain feeling in your fingers. You try to shake off the craft with middling results. Regardless, you're eventually freed and rush back to Mauviter to warn the others.
"Za, why are you running?"
"Bonnie, M'dame! Have you seen someone who looks like Siffrin?"
"Someone who looks like Siffrin? No, I can't say that I have."
"Why would someone dress up like Frin?"
"They're more like Sif's identical twin. Not the point. They attacked me when I went to wake up Sif."
"...Evil twin..."
"Did our copycat mention their intentions?"
"No, but I think they're working with the King. I think he used Time Craft to freeze me for a few minutes."
"That's very concerning. Boniface, go get Mirabelle. Isabeau, we're checking on the orbs."
"Right!" Bonnie runs off towards the library as you and m'dame head for the inn. By the time you get to Mira's room, the imposter is trying to sneak out the window with a bag over their shoulder, but quickly turns around and sits on the sill to face you both.
"Hahaha! You were too slow, Saviors. After countless attempts, you finally lowered your guard and now I've stolen the orbs back!"
"...Siffrin, why are you doing this?"
"Why? To stop you from dooming Vaugarde. Haven't we been over this before?" You hear footsteps behind you, "Oh, looks like we're all here. I best be on my way. I hope we never meet again, saviors!" He snaps his fingers as he falls out the window, "Pick up the Pace."
You rush to the window to see the imposter running off. You all just stand there, unsure of what to do. Mira's the first to speak up, "That... That couldn't have been Siffrin, right? He... He wouldn't..."
"...Unless we find the Siffrin we're familiar with, we have no reason to believe that who we just saw isn't them."
"I disagree, m'dame. I think we have plenty of reasons to believe that they were just a fake."
"Isa--"
"Respectfully, m'dame, I don't think you know what you're talking about."
"Za's right! Frin's not stupid! He isn't a tray-tor!"
"Right. Let's go look for them, Bonnie." You walk out of there and don't look back.