#au: hearteater shuri | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

unbloomingmoonflower · 2 years

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devourer of hearts [1]

So I oop and made an AU and now I wanna write a thing for it. Gonna has the OG Shuri x Esti ship, but Esti is playing the adventurer role this time.

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The Forgotten Knight was far busier than usual. Civilians, knights, adventurers all intermingled where one could barely be distinguished from another. Ishgard had become far more welcoming when its gates were opened.

It was a good thing, Estinien considered his musings while focused on his tankard, that it was becoming noticeably difficult to determine one’s status in Ishgard ever since he had returned to pay a visit to Aymeric. Ishgard had no need for the Azure Dragoon now that the threat of the horde was no more.

He could wander as he wished and he was taking full advantage of that.

Sharp, blue eyes flickered throughout the tavern, his ears tickling at the mixture of hushed and slurred conversations in the air. One table nearby was a full party of adventurers, trying to huddle to be heard amongst themselves yet still speaking loudly enough to catch the Elezen’s attention.

“Can’t believe we found another one,” muttered the Midlander of the group. “A gapin’ hole right there, heart completely gone...bloody hell, I sure don’t want to risk my neck for this job.”

“We already took this job from Camp Dragonhead, Hethor,” the Dunesfolk Lalafell piped up, sounding resigned. “No wonder they seemed damned pleased to be rid of the responsibility. No one said the suspect was a Hearteater.”

Hearteater. That word piqued Estinien’s interest and in spite of himself, he wanted to hear more of this party’s conversation.

The Hellsguard Roegadyn’s appeared to barely hold back the contempt in his voice. “Even with this job, that makes how many deaths now? Seems to me that these Hearteaters are a growing problem. Oi, Mae, haven’t old mates from Gridania told you something about them?” he barked to the Hyur, whose garb suggested she was the healer of the party and very likely hailing from Gridania. Estinien couldn’t restrain himself from hearing what she had to say.

Under her comrades’ inquisitive stares, did the one called Mae stammer, “O-Only once. They found a body near the old Haukke Manor with the heart removed from the corpse too. I-I don’t know if they found others, Zwynblaet.”

“Whatever the case,” the Roegadyn responded curtly, “we gotta tell them fools back at Dragonhead that we ain’t doing this job. If this thing finds us, who’s to say that it won’t rip our hearts out too.”

“I agree with Zwyn,” the one called Hethor added before he glanced at the Lalafellin companion. “What about you, Rurutomi?”

Rurutomi heaved a sigh. “Guess it’s all but decided, eh? We all aren’t dying to a Hearteater today or any other day.”

It seemed that conversation was what the group converged to have, for once the Lalafell gave his own assent, they rose from the table, chair legs scraping against the scuffed floor before leaving one by one, with Hethor paying the barkeep for the drinks.

This made for quite an interesting evening. Estinien took a long draw of his ale, brows knitted as he considered what he had just heard. “Hearteaters, eh...” he murmured against the rim of his tankard before setting it down. If these rumored creatures were suddenly becoming an epidemic across the realm, with bodies cropping up, then the creatures clearly had no qualms about keeping their habits hidden. Even so, it appeared from what those adventurers spoke of, is that one had yet to be captured and killed.

Were these Hearteaters some sort of voidsent? The void has long since produced a steady stream of creatures, yet not one was documented with such a moniker as this one. It made the Elezen curious enough.

Estinien was in need of a new adventure. Finding one of these creatures may be the start.

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The heart was a delicate thing.

Mismatched irises fixated on the recent acquisition held in her bloodied hand, the body of an Elezen male at her feet. The scent of his heart had been irresistible and finding him wandering alone near the Behemoth’s dominion was just a moment of opportunity. His blood stained the snow beneath him after she had ripped his heart out, her fingers slick with the iron-scented liquid.

Her claws dug into the slick organ, crushing it as she brought it to her lips. Her tongue darted out, catching the droplets of blood. Her countenance twisted in disgust as she dropped the organ, watching it dent into the snow.

“Such an impure heart,” she breathed in disappointment, as she stepped over her victim to disappear into the howling winter winds--leaving only the corpse as a trace of her presence.

#moonie writes #au: hearteater #shuri fontaye #estinien wyrmblood #devourer of hearts pt 1

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