Retainer Ad-Venture Contest (EU) - Entry Thread

[Jimboselecta]

Verma hastily took the Venture Coin from Jeuno's moist palm and glanced at it for a moment, it had lost its shine and was defaced on both sides with small claw like scratches and it was...wet. She looked up, gazing longingly into Jeuno's eyes and smiled, through gritted teeth... "Anything else?" Jeuno shook her head, turned away and proceeded to stomp down the Rosewood Stalls, knocking over a Lalafell disturbing his 99.9% HQ craft... SMASH! as the crystal imploded showering him in smoke. The smile faded quickly, she pushed the venture into her breast pocket and turned away before quickly turning back, clutching the small silver bell and yanking the pin from the top "no distractions this time!" Verma took off towards the Aetheryte Plaza.

Several hours later she stumbled out of the Drowning Wench, her purse lighter, head foggy and in one hand, a small pouch that wiggled constantly "Whooooo shays I needs to go outs there to complete a Woodshlands Exporations!" Surely Jeuno would have returned by now and would be eager to see the results of her endeavor. Upon returning to the Stalls she gazed up and down the stalls "obvioushly out shaving the world again...hic!" She replaced the pin into the bell and then slouched against a wooden beam as a haze came across her, suddenly she realised she was very, very tired, she fell to the floor, the pouch hit the floor with a thud and a squeek!

Several hours later she awoke to see Jeuno towering over her with an awkward grimace across her face, she snatched the bag from Verma's grasp, squatted and tipped the bag upside down, spilling the contents across the floor, with military precision she tossed aside almost all of the contents and snatched at anything with the slightest shine "Wait there was...." Verma paused, whatever was inside had obviously escaped during her nap and was no doubt terrorizing the local Lalafells "nevermind..." she sighed. Jeuno rose to her feet, towering above her again, her height made Verma feel dizzy and rather ill, Jeuno reached round into her back pocket, pulled out another venture coin and tossed it in Verma's direction, nodded and then stomped off down the halls. "Why me......!" Verma cried out and began to sob into her hands...

Name: Jeuno Maru
Realm: Shiva
Prize: Mandragora Choker

[Fanghelsing]

Character name: Fanghelsing
World name: Ultors
Choice: Ahriman Choker

"Oh, I'll get busy, I'll get very busy, indeed" Neltharion replied as his miqo'te master handed the venture tokens over.
4 hours have passed and Neltharion has ventured all over the flourishing forest that is the black shroud looking for that tiny tapir his master really wants, but to no avail.
Another 4 hours have passed, and Neltharion has searched all over the scorching and ever changing lands of Thanalan for that minion, and yet it eluded him.
Neltharion was starting to get annoyed, he just wanted to quit right now, but his master was expecting him to return with the minion and the minion he was going to get.
Yet another 4 hours, and Neltharion has travelled to the furthest corners of Mor Dhona, Corethas, Dravania and the Abalathia's Spine, yet this minion his masters wants hasn't appeared.
Neltharion at this point was almost on the verge of raging and slaughtering everything around him.
He had 1 more area to cover, and that was La Noscea, but after searching for about 2 hours, it was obvious that he wasn't going to find this tiny tapir.
"Screw this, I'm going to go and relax for awhile" he said angrily as he treaded off to his 'chill' place, which just so happened to be in OuterLa Noscea.
Neltharion has been relaxing at the hermit's hovel for about 3 hours now, just sitting in the hot springs without a care in the world, when he looked at his watch and cursed under his breath.
"Well, it's about time I get off my ass and started heading back" he said as he stood up, got dressed and started his journey back to his master's side.
As he was leaving Outer La Noscea, Neltharion sensed something was behind him, but shrugged it off as just the wind.
As he was passing through Central Thanalan, he sensed something again, but brushed it off yet again.
Just as he entered the Central Shroud, Neltharion sensed something yet again, this time turning around and see 4 coeurls right behind him.
"What the...... did these damn coeurls follow me all the way from Outer Noscea?! Well, looks like I have to get dirty"
Half an hour has gone, and Neltharion, all battered up and bloody, is now surrounded by 4 dead coeurls.
"At least i now have something to give my master, I dread what she would do if I returned empty handed" he said with a sigh of relief.
When Neltharion finally returns, his armour was bloody and torn in places, with something bloody in his hands and a slight frown on his face.
"I renew my objections to that pointless endeavour. Informally now and by affidavit later" he said as he handed over the coeurl meat.
"Not the item I was hoping for, but I guess that will have to do", his master replied, and sent him on the same venture, hoping for that tiny tapir.

[ZephyStar]

Rora's link pearl rang as she ducked into an alley off of the Sapphire Exchange. After looking around to make sure that no one had spotted her, she answered the call. “Hello,” she said exasperated.

“This is the retainer's guild, you have been summoned to Ishgard – in the Jeweled Crozier district.”

Rora sighed, “Can't you just tell her to come to Ul'dah? Why do I always have to travel to her?”

“I don't make the rules, I just am the messenger,” came the disembodied voice from the link pearl. With that everything went silent. Rora glanced around to make sure that no guards were watching her before she used the aetherial current to travel the hundreds of malms to Ishgard in less than a moment's time.

It took the petite and under clad Au Ra even less time to feel the difference between the two city states as it had taken her to travel between them. The bitter cold wind of Ishgard sent a chill through her bones, quickly taking any warmth she retained from the burning Ul'dahn sun. Rora changed into a heavier robe before going to find her mistress in the market.

Her mistress, the esteemed mi'qote adventurer, Zephyra, stood waiting impatiently. She waved to Rora as soon as she saw her, “There you are! I already met with the other two, what do you have for me? Please tell me it is not a fish.”

I went through so much trouble to steal this fish, Rora thought as she quickly searched her pockets for something that was not a fish. She found a potion that she had on her and handed it to Zephyra who took it with a confused look on her face.

“Ummm,” Zephyra said, “Did you buy this from a shop?”

“No,” Rora said, “of course not.” I stole it from one. “I got it from the Aurum Vale or... Yeah.”

“Mhmm.” Zephyra shook her head, “Okay, well I already have alchemist, fisher, and culinarian leveled up so please no more potions or fish.”

“Leveled up?”

“Nevermind,” Zephyra's tail twitched. “I'll be back in an hour, please have something better by then.”

Rora nodded and went on her way. She was not sure how she was going to find something of worth in an hour, especially with only 115 words left. This was the Jewled Crossier, there had to be something here, she thought just as she spotted the most delicious looking pie.

Quickly she drew her grimoire and called out her carbuncle. She petted it, “Carby, go distract that person.” Carbuncle blew a wind into the pie cart knocking it over and causing the surveyor to chase it. Meanwhile, Rora grabbed a pie and disappeared into the crowd.

That was easy.

Soon enough Zephyra showed up again. “What do you have for me?”

Rora presented her with the pie. Zephyra inspected it before frowning, “It's a fish pie.”

“Well,” Rora smiled and shrugged, “At least it's not a fish, right?”

Zephyra Aurora
Shiva
Ahriman Choker

[-Mira-]

Character name: Mira Amariyo
World name: Malboro
Choice of Prize: Mandragora Choker
------------------------------------------

Exploring is the best way to learn. That is probably why this is what I do most. From the first, “Here you go, your first bow. Start out on some small critters first and one day you’ll travel every corner of Eorzea just like me,” to the real work. I explore every corner now...
I loved the look on Mira's face when I’d return home with something odd like a roof or something else. “Where did you get that!?” A joking rumour has it that we take a roof or door from another house… off course this isn’t true. I actually visited the alchemist guild one day and on the way back to Gridania it was raining, so I had a little roof constructed as an umbrella. Quite the brilliant idea if you ask me, I didn’t have an umbrella after all.
Sometimes, and this is the most fun, I team up with other retainers. We go to dungeons or hunt for treasure. We also, although this is a bit boring in comparison, simply trade all sorts of random things we get our hands on.

New warm clothes, “We’re going to Ishgard.” I will never really get used to this, or so I thought. I was born and raised in the Thanalan area before I became a retainer. After a road through Coerthas CH arriving shivering in front of a hot fire at The Forgotten Knight. Suddenly I feel a woollen blanket draped on my shoulders. “Poor boy,” the familiar voice of Mira, “You know one way to endure the cold weather up here is returning here for a cosy warm blanket… and…” she handed me a mug with a good smelling brown drink, “Hot Chocolate, be careful not to burn your mouth while drinking.”
Guess what happened on the first sip? Still, if Mira treats me this drink every time I’m needed here… Yes, I think I can get used to this.

Ping, ping, ring. “Hey, you are needed at the FC-House in Mist.” It wasn’t the usual voice of Mira, but instead the younger miqo’te girl. She is the other retainer in our team in charge of mostly fishing.
I made the quick warp to Mist into the house up to the familiar room...
…Opened the door…
“Happy 16th nameday~!”
*POP!*
Confetti was raining and floating down on me.
… Wow!… never in my life…
A table in the middle of the room with a real Nameday Cake. Am I dreaming?
The rest all went so fast it seemed to happen all at once. The two Miqo’te handed me a wrapped up box while leading me to the cake.
“Make a wish for your new year, and good luck.”
“Thank you both, so much.”

I hope many more good stories come to this…

Being a retainer is the best choice I made in my life.

[RandomMiqote]

"But it is only a ten minute run to the merchant... it will do you the world of good. More than the hi-potion could ever do.", the rather dour and pale Miqo'te retainer muttered through clenched teeth and the dismissive wave from the 'indisposed' Rhaya'li did little to ease the slow and coarse grinding from the retainer's maw.



A further pained groan from Rhaya'li issued forth and the retainer rolled his eyes heavens-ward and stalked from the room with a thunderous expression etched upon his pale features.



The ten minute walk did little to ease the annoyance that had been bubbling up within the retainer's mind, every little grudge and grievance growing exponentially with each 'ding' of that damned bell. Fetch this, fetch that, ding, ding, ding!



The growl that erupted from the pale miqo'te retainer startled a good many about him, including the Lalafel merchant he was standing before. The retainer's bubbling rage escaping with a gnash of teeth and a violent lash of his fluffy white tail before several deep breaths were taken. Each breath causing that fluffy white tail to swish a little less vigorously until finally it settled into a gentle flit of fur.



"I need..." A further deep breath escaped him, his shoulders sagged as he eyed the coins within his pale hand, "One potion and two vials of blood red dye if you please."



The retainer smirked, his sharp teeth bared for an instant as he took his three items stalked but a few yards before dipping into a discreet alley to mix the potion with the dye. It wasn't exactly clean, the colour was certainly a little off and the retainer's hands were adorned with red streaks that almost gave the impression that the retainer had been butchering the local flora and fauna with a vengeance.

The door to the room in the inn creaked open and the loyal retainer was met with a muttered grunt as light dared intrude upon the delicate sensibilities of Rhaya'li, "I've brought a hi-potion, though perhaps if you didn't scoff every last piece of bubble choco..." Again the retainer was cut off by a pained grunt and a trembling hand reached out unceremoniously for the hi-potion.

The retainer smirked and offered across the concoction with barely a hint of remorse, "I'm sure it will do you the world of good, I do hope you feel better. Just ring the bell if you need anything." And with those final words, the retainer nudged the bell a little further away from his dear employer and then slinked from the room just as Rhaya'li began to quaff from the bottle...

Character Name: Rhaya'li Lyegha
World: Siren
Prize: Scarf of Wondrous Wit

[Wu_Tang]

Character Name:Wu Tang
World name: Tonberry
Reward:Mandragora Choker


Retainer’s Log Entry: <22nd Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon>

It’s been 4 weeks since I’d "escaped" from Madam Rowena's House of Splendour’s, and I've yet to find a new master.

Un-employment rates are at an all-time high, now 7% from 5% last year, I blame the Calamity.

I’ve travelled to Limsa Lominsa looking for more employment prospects as the refugee crises in Ul’dha is escalating.

Skipping through the residential district of ‘The Mists’, my attention is drawn to a flyer that has stuck to my sandel.

“Huehuehue! The Great, Wonderful and Charming Master Tang is looking for his 4th Retainer! Do you have what it takes? Are you Dedicated, Upbeat, and Professional? Details below!”

I pray for the best as I hand my application and a Kupo Nut to the delivery moogle and await a reply.

/Cheer

I got the job!

Standing nervously at attention. Master Tang is deciding which venture I’ll receive, I’m hoping for something exciting, like a hunting expedition in the Coerthas Central Highlands, slaying wild beasts in the name of House Fortemps or maybe I’ll be mining for raw diamonds in the U’ghamaro Mines.

Master Tang backflips into his adjoining closet, and returns promptly handing me…

…a <Weathered Fishing Rod>.

Venture: Waterside Exploration.

But I don’t know how to fish!

I begin by looking for advice in Fisherman’s Bottom, there I see a swaying lalafell on a barrel, Guildmaster Wawalago’s was his name and being drunk was the game, apparently.

Sitting on the edge of Aleport pier with my rod, I cast a Goby ball and wait expectantly. After hours with little success one of the locals, Mr. Skribyld and his pet coeurl kitten ‘Chester’ stop by to offer me help.

“It’s all in the wrist little lady!” he bellows. The help pays off, and I get my first bite! , as I struggle to pull the line-up the damn beast almost takes my hand!

You receive…

A <Merlthor Goby (HQ)>

Disappointment crushes my soul and I toss the Goby into a basket and continue fishing.

Goby’s! It’s the only thing I’ve caught for 3 days straight, I can’t take it anymore! I’ve even lost most of my catch, the seedy underbelly of Aleport strikes again!

As my venture deadline approaches, I prepare to leave Aleport as a complete failure, my reputation in tatters before it’s even begun.

Walking towards the towns Aertheryte empty handed I hear strange noises in a nearby alleyway.

They say curiosity killed the Coeurl, but satisfaction brought it back.

Peering around the corner my eyes widen, it’ll have to do! I tried moving the object with rope, but it wouldn’t budge, I ended up rolling it to the Aetheryte.

Crocodile tears littered my face as the master reaches me after seeing the others, frustration visible on his face, he peers down towards my feet and raises an eye-brow in question.

I gulp and say the following;

“His name is ‘Chester’ Master and he’s…a Fat Cat.”

…Meow~ *Burp*

[Wu_Tang]

I forgot to add my retainers name! It's JuneBug. Gomen.

[KurganLoweena]

Hey there!
Character name: Kurgan Loweena
World: Moogle
Reward: Bluebird earring.

Retainer: Josaluli
(forgive the poor quality image)

___________________________________________________________________________

The Secret Life of Retainers

“Time to Shine! Tee-hee!”

Her master nodded slightly, clearly eager to do other things. Josaluli waved goodbye enthusiastically as he disappeared into the marketplace sighing with relief once he’d gone.

“Can’t believe I need to act like that each time, ugh, adventurers are so demanding.” She moaned reaching up to rub her temples before examining the two small venture tokens in her hand. “Welp time to get to work…” she said with a knowing smile.

Moving through the Pearl Lane walked a familiar route, not even needing to look anymore for the small tiny symbol carved onto one brick in the wall. Stepping up on the strategically-placed pile of boxes, she reached up and rapped on the hidden door. The brick with the symbol on it retracted into the wall as a set of eyes peered out from the dark space behind the wall.

“Hey there friend!” Josaluli pulled out her venture tokens “Got some work to take care of!” she stated holding them up to ensure the eyes could see them.

Nodding in silent recognition, the eyes disappeared as the hidden door opened onto a stairwell. Smiling, Josaluli ventured down into the darkness, until she arrived at another door.

Throwing the door open, Josaluli entered the hidden city of retainers. People running each and every way, waving items of all shapes and sizes. One Lalafell attempted to desperately push a roof, clearly too big for them, across the marketplace. Josaluli grinned as she watched rookie retainers frantically scrambling to help. She waved fondly to them, after all once upon a time she had to work that hard to please her master. The markets down here dwarfed the markets above, each shop containing splendours from all corners of the land.

Finally she arrived at her own house, a grand two-story mansion that far eclipsed her master’s little room. Entering into her house, her own servants bowed low in reverence for their ruler. Settling in onto her comfortable little throne she reached out and rang a small summoning bell as her own retainer ran up to her.

“Milady! I have returned from my mission.” The servant said bowing low and offering their findings. Josaluli’s eyes lit up at the treasure he had returned with. It was worth at least 2 million on the market board, not that she could let her protégé ever catch on to the value of such things. Handing him her ventures, she shook her head.

“FOOL!” she spat, causing the retainer to shrink in fear. “This is never going to please the adventurer!” she roared hiding the treasure away to sell later. “I am profoundly disappointed in you.” She said coldly glaring at the retainer while he grovelled for forgiveness. Josaluli mused over what to do...her master hadn’t seemed especially pleased to see her today. A cruel smile played upon her lips as a wicked idea came to mind.

“Get him a fish from the kitchens! Only the finest quality for my master!”

[Elita-Draconia]

Millythia Solunawing's epic Ad-venture

Millythia was never the cleverest Au Ra in Eorzea. Despite having an unnatural attunement to aether she could never cast the simplest of spells. Some would say she was overqualified to cast the most basic of spells, but those who knew her would say that she was underqualified to even learn them. It wasn’t that she didn’t have the potential, but rather her basic understanding of linguistics was very flawed.
“Right, mistress wants me to bring back a carton, corination…a flower, there, I know flowers. Elita said it was for a hat or something.” Millythia told herself as she walked through the desert following a rumour. She travelled as far south as she could go and ended up somewhere that, by normal means, should be unreachable.

Upon finding the flower, Millythia was surrounded by a sand swimming beast tribe that were previously unknown. Millythia tried to reason with them as they chanted in an unfamiliar language. Suddenly the sand quaked and, where the rose once stood, there now towered a creature covered in a ruby shell. It had two long tendrils for arms, which it promptly buried in the sand. Millythia swung at one of them with her scythe, her unnatural aether flow spreading through the blade as she sliced one clean off. The second tendril smashed upon her then grasped her body to recover its lost aether then regenerated the lost limb.
“You can’t be serious!” Millythia cried out as she was thrown into a crystal that protruded slightly from the sand. The sand then begun to swirl and Milly had to pull herself up onto the crystal for safety.
“Damnit, I need to get that flower for mistress.” Millythia cried out as she punched the crystal in distress. A small crack formed into the crystal followed by an explosion of aether that sent her flying. Millythia’s head snapped around to see the flower as she passed and took a slice at the stem. The flower fell with her and she grabbed it quick before tumbling across the ground. Without hesitation, she pushed herself up and ran off as fast as she could.

Milly reached the edges of civilisation and bumped into a Lalafellian girl carrying a whole bunch of carnations.
“Oh, uh…I’m sorry.” Millythia apologised, helping her pick up the flowers that she’d dropped.
“It’s okay, I think I may have collected a bit too many carnations and couldn’t quite see where I was going.” The girl replied. “Hey, tell you what, if you give me a hand selling them I’ll let you have a bouquet of my flowers and I’ll pay you for your work.”
“Well, I guess mistress would be happy if I brought back more than...wait, where’d it go?” Milly asked herself as she rifled through her clothes. There was no sign of the flower anywhere. At this point she had no other choice but to agree and eventually returned to Elita with flowers in hand.



1 Elita Draconia
2 Shiva
3 Ahriman Choker

[Eirwen]

Sneaking his way past a couple of Illuminati goblins, Jabediah got to the nearest mineral deposit in the Dravanian Hinterlands. He reached for the pickaxe on his back and extended the chisel and pick out from its folded position. With it raised high, his might braced to strike down on the rocky formation with wind crystals, he was interrupted by a familiar chime ringing from his linkpearl.

Jabediah sighed dejectedly. It was but ten minutes ago that his contractor sent him out on this venture. He corrected his Hamlet Digger’s helmet on his head and teleported to the retainer bell in the Goblet.

“You have additional orders, Lady Eir?” He asked his old fellow adventurer in his usual polite fashion while towering over her with his elezen physique.

Eirwen shook her head and craned her neck far back, almost looking straight up, in order to request some clear prisms from his inventory to glamour a new gear piece she recently acquired.

He handed her the items, imagining a disembodied head staring up at him and wondered what new glamour the former model would showcase this time.

Eirwen thanked him and sent him back on his merry way without the barest of hints.

“As you wish. As you wish,” he muttered to himself as he teleported in at Idyllshire, “Why must I be such a nice man?”

Jabediah used a porter chocobo to return to the chocobo statue near the mineral deposits and used his stealth to get past all the enemies again. With his pickaxe ready to slash into the stone, he checked his ears for any signals.

Nothing.

Determined to earn his venture, he slammed his pickaxe in the rock and excavated his first of thirty wind crystals.

Minutes passed, uninterrupted by the locals nor his contractor. He got up to twenty-nine crystals and had one last to dig out, but the crystal wouldn’t budge. He struck the rock again, but nothing happened. Time was ticking and he refused to walk to an easier node. A different chime indicated to him his time was up, but was still one crystal short.

Jabediah hastily looked around for a wind sprite. When he spotted one nearby, he pushed the chisel and pick down and extracted an extension of the hilt from the bottom, creating a lance. Using the pointed ends of his pickaxe, which he kept sharpened for such reasons, he attacked the wind sprite with his dragoon skills and felled it quickly.

He extracted a wind crystal from its remains and teleported to the retainer bell, where his contractor eagerly awaited. This time, he found himself in Idyllshire. Wondering why on Hydaelyn she chose to be in this town now, he crooked up a smile and turned in the crystals. His hyuran friend could be demanding at times, but seeing her in some attractive new shorts with cute rear pockets made it all worthwhile, reminding him of his old days as a dragoon by her side.

Character name: Eirwen Mackenzie
World name: Excalibur
In-game Prize: Ahriman Choker