Written December 4th 2022

They came from the sky.

Amid the demons, Ailith could just make out a giant eagle with a rider on its back. Behind them, a Pegasus swooped through the sky, its rider whooping in delight. The First and Last watched as the newcomers descended towards them, weapons raised and muscles tense.

The eagle landed, its rider sliding off its back gracefully. They were an Elven woman with flaming red hair streaked through with silver, a longbow slung over her shoulder. She reminded Ailith so much of Feyra that for a brief moment Feyra’s future was standing in front of her. But where Feyra’s eyes were piercing green, this woman’s eyes were grey and cloudy. She murmured something to the eagle, stepping back from it.

Before their eyes, the eagle transformed, and in its place stood Ceradwynn. She raised her arm to the Pegasus and it stayed in the air, circling them. Ceradwynn took the Elven woman’s arm and led her to where The First and Last stood, mouths agape.

“The First and Last.” Ceradwynn greeted them with a nod, her companion doing the same. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of how far you’ve come. Perhaps this time, Graz’zt will fail.”

The redhead seemed to survey the group, but Ailith had an inkling that she wasn’t actually seeing them.

“Oh, my apologies. First and Last, this is Caoimhe Redmayne.” The redhead raised a hand in greeting. “The one in the sky is Dath. He prefers to keep watch.”

Caoimhe and Dath? Ailith whipped her head around to stare at Xiv, who was already nodding like they had pieced it together themselves. Knowing Xiv, they probably had.

Ceradwynn had told them the story of Caoimhe and Dath. Ailith remembered the sorrow she had felt, knowing that their fate could be shared by her and her companions. But here they were—alive.

“Yes, I neglected to tell you the whole story,” Ceradwynn admitted, a bit sheepish. “But I needed to keep them safe. Graz’zt doesn’t know they survived, and so their involvement is something he won’t have planned for,” she explained.

“We’re happy to have the help,” Ailith assured her. She could feel Caoimhe’s cloudy eyes on her, her stare blank and unblinking. Part of the story, it seemed, had been true.

“And we’re happy to give it. Now,” Ceradwynn nodded, stepping back from the group, “you have somewhere to be. Good luck, First and Last.”

With a twist of her arms Ceradwynn transformed once more into a giant eagle, and she crouched down, waiting for Caoimhe to mount her.

Caoimhe approached Ailith and snapped her fingers. A daisy appeared in her hands, pristine white petals almost shining in the evening light. She reached out, uncannily finding Ailith’s face with her callused fingers.

Caoimhe smoothed back a strand of Ailith’s hair, tucking it and the flower behind her ear. “For luck,” she murmured in a soft, gravelly voice.

Inexplicably, Ailith felt her eyes well with tears. She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. Instead, she just nodded, touching the flower reverently.

With a nod of her own, Caoimhe turned and leapt into Ceradwynn’s back. With a mighty screech and a couple powerful flaps of her wings, Ceradwynn took flight, circling the group once before following Dath towards the demons on the ground.

Ailith wiped a tear away and cleared her throat. “Come on,” she said, standing up a little straighter. “We’ve got a job to do.”

Written December 1st 2022

The battle for Halophell was over.

The First and Last stood at the top of Graz’zt’s tower, battered and bruised, but not beaten.

Far below them, the sounds of battle carried on, but they were growing fainter with every passing minute. With the portal closed, the remaining creatures would be easy enough to round up and eliminate. They were only lesser demons, a distraction while Graz’zt toyed with The First and Last.

“Is everyone good?” Ailith watched Ace press one last bit of healing magic to Talus’s shoulder, and the rest of the group nodded in assent. “Okay, great. We should get down there, see what they need from us.”

A collective murmur of agreement followed her words, and Ailith wrapped her arm tighter around Feyra’s waist. The adrenaline was starting to fade, and Ailith was starting to feel the fatigue in her muscles and the ache in her bones. She couldn’t wait for this day to be over; she was in dire need of a bath.

As one, they moved towards the stairs. All but one of them.

Ailith watched out of the corner of her eye as Xiv walked instead to the edge of the tower, their tall frame dark against the setting sun.

Ailith stopped, nodding her head in Xiv’s direction when Feyra looked at her quizzically. A sense of dread churned in Ailith’s stomach. Something wasn’t right.

“Xiv?” She asked warily, “You okay?”

They all watched as Xiv nodded, pulling something out of their pocket and fiddling with it. Xiv turned back to them, a tiny capsule grasped between their fingers.

No one said a word as Xiv slowly undid their utility belt, dropping it to the floor in front of them. Their Bag of Holding, weapons, and magical items joined the growing heap on the floor as Xiv unloaded everything on their person.

Understanding hit Ailith like a bolt of lightning. She knew what this was. “Xiv…” She pleaded. It wasn’t time yet. They couldn’t just leave, not right after Graz’zt’s defeat, not before celebrating. Not before she had a chance to say goodbye.

Xiv looked up from their task, dropping their Helm of Teleportation with a sense of finality. Ailith met their eyes and shook her head. Not yet. Xiv just looked back at the sunset and nodded again, before turning back to the rest of The First and Last.

“I was Xiv,” they rasped, and bit into the capsule in their hand. Ailith heard gasps from the group as Xiv’s form began disintegrating, pieces of them being carried away by the wind.

“Are they…?” Talus’s question hung in the air.

“They’re gone, buddy,” Ailith whispered, half in awe. “The crazy bastard actually did it.”

High above them, the moon peeked out from behind a cloud as the sun finished setting. Xiv was gone, and sadness mingled with pride in Ailith’s chest. They did it.