Watcher Watch & The Sicksa Secret

I was passing through Gridania when I was stopped on the street by a member of the Botany Guild. We had never met formally but he had seen me some time ago when I had done some work for the guild (and met a moogle in person!). He'd heard my name lately over the linkpearls as a go to for getting some extra work done. I asked who had mentioned me, but he would not say. Apparently I was building a small reputation for myself outside the Path of the Twelve which I thought to myself was good for business. The Antecedent had recently chastised me for taking work outside of her orders and I wondered if this would get back to her and I'd be in trouble again.

I put those thoughts aside for now and asked this Sandre fellow how I could help him or the guild off the books. He explained to me how lately the paths were dangerous at night for botanists and I had seen an increase in wild boar wandering dangerously close to the city myself. He told me that the lights I see in the wood and city are called Watchers and they are fueled by fire elementals themselves. He handed me a pouch filled with ceruleum compound which acted as a fuel for the fire elemental's light and warmth and asked if I would help light up the forest slightly and make it a safer place.

I'd never heard of this ceruleum compound in my studies as an alchemist and I realized how little I knew about the elementals as a student of conjury, but the task intrigued me on both levels so I accepted readily. I set out to spark some life into the Watchers and he graciously parted with a pair of dodoskin shoes as compensation. I assumed they would look good with the outfit I was slowly building from these side-jobs.

I had lit several Watchers when I was approached by an elezen man who appeared troubled. He noticed me lighting a Watcher and asked if he could sit a while. I offered him some of the mutton stew I'd brought with me but he wasn't interested in eating. He introduced himself as Beli, a member of the leather-working guild which was headquartered in Gridania.  He told me that he'd been recently asked to authenticate a hide to find out if it belonged to a somewhat legendary creature called a Sicksa. He'd believed in the beast since he was a boy, but one had never been seen or caught or killed to his knowledge. It was somewhat of a myth. I'd never heard of it, but I asked him what I could do to help.

He explained that the hide looked rather similar to a bristletail marmot and said he had set out to find some himself when he decided he was too biased by his desire for it to be truly a sicksa hide. He asked if I would do the deed and return with some marmot hides for comparison's sake so he could learn the truth of the matter after he'd cleared his head. I was finishing up with the Watchers and was headed out to Emerald Moss so I decided I'd deliver a few marmot hides for him. Spear in hand, I set out.

You Know Beli, Nimla?

I found and slayed ten or so creatures and met up with Beli at the guild with eight hides in perfect condition. He examined all of them with careful scrutiny and then declared the sicksa hide was in fact authentic. I was surprised by the news (as was he) but he made an important decision on the spot. The sicksa must be rare indeed and thus protected. He would lie and say the hide was a fake and asked me to keep his secret as well. He made me swear on the subligar reward he was offering that I would keep the sicksa secret.