As they reached the end of the Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak (was it called that because of all the bugs? It was probably called that because of all the bugs) Dawrik felt a pall of evil fall over him. Black and purple smoke swirled around the chamber, and suddenly a masked, robed man stood before them.
He was just like the masked man Dawrik had seen back when the Sultana's crown had been stolen!
Vyra bared her axe as the masked man smirked at them.
“Slayers of Ifrit, we meet at last. I am Lahabrea of the Ascians, servant of the one true god.”
Dawrik felt the power of the echo stir in him, the voice of Hydaelyn warning him against this darkness. Lahabrea intoned that the echo was all that stood between him and darkness engulfing the world. And then he tried to kill them. Because of course he did.
At least they found the old sylph, caught in a web. It seemed like the sylphs would hold off on summoning Ramuh for the moment, but indications suggested the Garleans were trying to provoke them. Dawrik guessed the Garleans had something to gain the chaos a primal would leave in its wake.
Garleans, Primals, Ascians. It seemed everyone wanted Eorzea.