《This Eorzean Life》Forward Unto Dawn
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It had been a couple days since the meeting in Limsa Lominsa, and schedules hadn't lined up the way anyone hoped. Minfilia had to be in Ul'Dah for a hastily arranged meeting with the butting heads of the Monestarists and Royalists in regards to any aid the fledgling group could give the Sultanate. In that time, a young Elezen man had shown up at the Waking Sands, strolling in as if he owned the place. Thancred's mark no doubt, at least in the eyes of Ariana. She had been busy with helping the Adventurers get settled into their temporary position in Vesper Bay, and had no time for the little snob's general rudeness.
Malik started to ask, "So the kid, he..."
"Claims he's Louisoix's grandson. I didn't know the guy, but I've been around enough old dudes to know he'd knock the arrogance off the little prick if he had to. Or maybe that's just my personal history speaking."
Ari had started re-learning her hand-to-hand combat skills, and was in a way 'wishing someone would' . Her grandmother taught her how to fight growing up in Selbina, a coastal port town in the middle of Vana'Diel's Valkurm Dunes, a desert infamous among adventurers for how its heat, elements, and local fauna punished rookies again and again until they either washed out, died, or learned to survive it. She hoped she wouldn't have to, but a part of her was more than willing to give Alphinaud a left hook he'd never forget if he got in her face too much trying to bark orders. Her phone began to ring, it was Tataru.
"Hello? Smith? Yes, it's me, we're on our way back now, terribly sorry for the delay. If I had known this meeting would have been a two-day whirlwind, I'd have denied their request for Minfilia's sake. She is willing to meet as soon as she's settled back in and caught back up. Can you get them wrangled and into the Sands? Oh, they're already in? Excellent. Let them know, see you soon."
"Well, you're in luck, just got off the line with her assistant. Get your people, you're about to meet with the boss. I gotta go find Vael."
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Vael was tense. About to snap a pen in two kind of tense. Headbutt a wall tense. Alphinaud had been everywhere, pestering, prodding, and acting like he was everyone's senior. His reign of terror had reached the Tenth Round and put her on edge. As Ari walked into their office, she spun on her heels, ready to unload some frustration, but stopped as she realized who was there.
"Mom's home. Just thought you'd wanna know. Tats says she's ready to go for the meeting as soon as she's settled back in."
"Oh thank gods it's you. I swear if it was that brat again I would go off. So she's ready then? Good. How's the VIPs?"
"They're alright. Confused a bit, but otherwise fine. How you doing though?" Ari knew her friend wasn't doing well, but was putting on a brave face.
"Functional. Ready to go home though, I need a break from the constant...THAT."
"Not what I mean. Talk to me. What's going on Charlie?"
Vael bristled, Ari didn't call her by her middle name. No one did, so if she was, she was truly concerned. She decided to just let it all out. "I don't know. I really don't. I'm stressing over this job, I'm mildly homesick, I'm reliving last winter in my head over and over again. I've been so busy taking care of everyone else that I can't take care of me. I know, take a break once in a while. Well, maybe once the work is over, since our work pile is about yay-tall and we haven't put as much of a dent in it as I'd liked to."
"Anything else to add?"
"Maybe. I'm just tired. Last couple months have been a whirlwind. Ready to get out into the field, clear my head of the office."
"I get it, and we'll get back out there, there's just stuff we gotta do before that. Get these guys on board and settle them in, be the adults in the room now so we don't have to be later. Now come on, we got a meeting to set up."
Vael sighed, tired and ready for this day to be over, "You're right, let's go."
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Vael walked the group to the Solar, Minfilia's head office at the Waking Sands. "Ma'am, group here to speak with you."
"Thank you Miss Roshan, please, come in." Minfilia's office was professional, but warm and inviting to her guests. A quartet of chairs across from her desk to accommodate, with Louisoix's staff, Tuipsimati hung on the back wall in a place of honor. "I understand that you have questions, and that there isn't a lot of trust between us. You all fought at Carteneau, and represented our former orders with honor and distinction. I implore you to stand with us against the threats that Eorzea faces."
Ifrelle rose to speak for the group. "The more I've listened to and learned from your people, we want the same thing they do, to protect others, to stop the Primals threatening us all. You don't have to beg me to join because I've already decided that I will."
"I thank you, truly, I do. One thing I'd also like to discuss is the "visions" you all noted you've seen when speaking with my Archons. The Echo, as we've termed it, is a supernatural gift that a number of our order share, and is our greatest tool against the Primals."
Vael's eyes drifted across the room, no longer paying attention to Minfilia, she'd heard it before, she got the same speech, just not in those exact words. Her mind wandered to home, to the road, to getting back into the field, she was a wanderer, whether she believed it or not, even if she had a home in Jeuno, she didn't enjoy being stuck at a desk like this. The Archons had entered the room with Alphinaud, his arrogant streak hopefully diminished with the boss home.
She continued to tune out of the conversation until the prospect of field work was brought up, not for herself. No, she still had other duties to attend to. Thancred and Malik were being tasked with a job concerning missing crystal shipments at Camp Drybone, as the meeting ended, she considered why she came here in the first place.
It had been a few days since the meeting, and the group they christened the Dawn Warriors' first job with the Scions. Malik and Ifrelle had been tasked with assisting an Ul'Dahn assault on the Amalj'aa, a race of lizard-men that worship the Primal Ifrit. They were to check in after reaching the rendezvous point, which was a number of hours ago. With no one else available to send, Vael opted to go after them, and take Jarik with her as backup, and a pocket healer. The pair set off for the rendezvous point, when they hear a transmission over their linkpearls.
"This is Ifrelle Dreaneaux, Scions of the Seventh Dawn, we are requesting IMMEDIATE assistance! We have a primal inbound, repeat, primal inbound! Anyone that can hear this, rendezvous at Camp Drybone, repeat, Camp Drybone!"
The pair turned around and made a mad dash for the camp, longbow and staff at the ready. When they arrived, they saw Ifrelle and Malik injured and covered in blood.
"My gods, what happened!? Where are the Flames!?" Jarik immediately set to work trying to heal them as much as he could, they weren't badly injured, but they certainly weren't in fighting shape at the moment.
Malik gasped for breath, shaken at what he had seen. "Some...some were paid off, they turned on us. Those that didn't...we got overwhelmed. Too many to fight off at once. When we woke up...a cave...cave in the encampment...southeast. We gotta go back...we gotta save them!"
"One thing at a time, we gotta get down there, but we need to patch you two up." Jarik focused on his healing spells. Needed to give them time to work their way through their systems.
"Any other backup Roshan?" Ifrelle was understandably concerned about their chances staring down a primal, especially with only four people.
"Not that I can spare, I had to dispatch Torvan and Ariana to Copperbell, and none of the rooks are ready for this. The Flames should be able to get us close, but ultimately we'll have to break down the doors. Check your gear, make sure we're as ready as possible."
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Unwillingly Reborn
Raphael Bluescale, a former Japanese world famous athlete, wakes up in the body of an infant after he suffered an awful death. Suicide was the cuase of it, and as such, the prospect of being forced to live yet another life brings him nothing but despair. A world full of magic, swords, fantastic creatures and dangerous monsters awaits him. A world all for him to explore and discorver filled with fights, enemies and encounters with different races. He, born in a normal looking family, will discover to be slightly different that the common. Will this new life be the oportunity to redeem himself and fulfill his dreams? Or will it be the same as his past life, filled with harships, treachery and backstabbing?
8 294DYING DUNGEONS: DEAD KINGS & MAD QUEENS.
A sickness is spreading. Dungeons are dying and crumbling to dust. Monsters that had been residing in them gather in hordes and spill out in waves over the neighboring kingdoms, swallowing them whole. The last of the Heroes are dying out. For some reason, new heroes haven’t been born or summoned into this world for the last century. Oracles have no answers. They are going blind and mute: seeing no futures and telling no prophecies. And while all this is happening, the [Voice], the entity that had been guiding everyone from the very beginning of time, is silent. Leaving humans and others with no guidance to solve this problem. Is this the end of Time? Author's note: Being someone with full-time work and with a rolling schedule, I'll update whenever I have time, so no promises on a consistent schedule. *This is a slow paced story with dungeon building elements showing up later on. *In this world, a dungeon seed first needs to prove its worth and only then it gets the chance to become a dungeon core and grow. *All art is by me
8 111Phenomena the Basic Witch and the Evil Book of Love
What if you could write yourself into a better person? What changes would you make to yourself and would it be worth it? Young sorceress Phenomena Willow had never experienced a true tragedy in her life until now. Having to live with her caretaker, Deidre Love, while she was away from her school—the floating castle of Nightdream Academy, Mena finds her life a lot duller than it used to be. On her thirteenth birthday, she sneaks out against Deidre’s wishes to a magical book festival and learns her favorite author, Melina Penwell has released the latest in a series of romance books: Love Across Dimensions. Mena purchases a copy from a mysterious robed figure before the festival and Deidre’s ranch are both attacked by legions of fiends from Anguish the Blood Siren. Mena is rescued, but Deidre’s fate is unknown, causing grief and self-loathing for the young witch. To distract herself, Mena learns that her Love Across Dimensions book is a magical interactive experience where the reader controls the destiny of the characters within. Not only that, but Fabias the handsome warlock on the cover speaks to Mena, telling her that if she doesn’t like something about herself, or the world around her, she can write within the book to change it. Mena realizes her life isn’t perfect, but it soon can be. All it takes is the touch of a quill. But will her desires to change herself erase the parts that made her who she is? Read on to find out in this slightly darker, but still amusing installment of Phenomena the Basic Witch.
8 132Adopted by Bryce hall :)
A 3 year old girl named Oakley who's old parents abused her got taken to jail so she was in the orphanage for 7 months and then one day......... read and see :)
8 67Dominic The Great
In the world of Semele, thousands of years after the Demon lord. All hegemons have started scheming against one another. He was my brother? so what, he is still in my way. Friends? yeah sure....*stab* *stab* The greed of man does not allow the world to progress. Dominic, a descendant of the hero's bloodline has found himself and his family in a conspiracy by these so called Hegemons. But will the great gods support him like his ancestor or should he fend on his own. well luckily there is one who lends him his aid.....
8 116A lot of Michaels and They all meet Wengie
Ben, the two of us need look no moreWe both found what we were looking forWith a friend to call my ownI'll never be alone, and you, my friend, will seeYou've got a friend in meBen, you're always running here and thereYou feel you're not wanted anywhereIf you ever look behind and don't like what you findThere's something you should know, you've got a place to goI used to say I and me, now it's us, now it's weI used to say I and me, now it's us, now it's weBen most people would turn you awayI don't listen to a word they sayThey don't see you as I doI wish they would try to'I'm sure they'd think again if they had a friend like BenA friend like Ben(Like Ben)Like Ben
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