Memoirs of Adventure Creative Writing Contest (NA) - Official Entry Thread

[a2colin]

I joined the FFXIV community just before Stormblood. I was a White Mage that took their job seriously. If someone died on my watch, I felt a personal failure.

Ah, Cape Westwind, quite a tale hangs on it. Cape Westwind being the first 8 man content I knew meant that I would need to be at the top of my game. So, I snuck around as I needed to and managed to get the magical message, "Cape Westwind now accessible."

After making sure I had the right food and hyperventilating appropriately, I queued into the Duty Finder. The normal insta-que occurs, well I am a healer, and into the cut scene I go. Coming out of the cut scene I observe everyone heading for the boss. I pop my food and locate a good spot to go to work from. As I arrive at my chosen location and prepare to cast my first spell, the fight ends and seconds later I find myself on an empty battlefield.

'What the hell just happened?' I learned a valuable lesson, things are not always what they seem, not even in Eorzea.

I would like the Gaelicap if I win.

[AlisRinfell]

Fantasia

"So all I have to do is drink ... this?"

She eyed the small vial in her hand, lightly shaking it to watch the blue liquid splash inside. This unremarkable-looking concoction ('Fantasia', an interesting name) was the end result of her search. A dissatisfaction with her current form led her to a tiny shop nestled in the mountains of the Dravanian Hinterlands. Here, she was told, was someone who could help her address these matters.

That someone, in this case, was a very peculiar ... lagomorph? Namingway, he called himself. An odd lalafell-sized creature wrapped up in a red coat, pouches filled to the brim with potions and trinkets. His manner of speaking belied his untold age and otherworldly knowledge. Just where exactly did he come from anyways?

"That's right! It won't taste like much more than water, but rest assured, it'll work wonders. Just drink up and have yourself a little nap over there." He said, gesturing towards the soft bed in the room's corner.
"And then what? Will I ... notice anything happening to me?"
"Nah, it'll knock ya out cold! You'll be sleeping too hard to feel anything."
At least it wasn't going to hurt, not that any amount of pain would discourage her.

Hopping down from his seat, he continued. "It'll all be done by the time you wake up, so don't worry about it. When you're up, just ring this bell and I'll come back to see how everything went, alright?" At this, he gave a few tugs on the chain hanging near the door, creating soft ringing sounds in the workroom nearby.
She nodded, "Alright, I think I'm ready."
"Great! If there are no further questions, I'll leave you to your business. Enjoy!" He bowed, then exited the room, locking the door behind him for her privacy.

Alone in the room, she sat down on the bed and removed the cap from the bottle. "Well, here goes nothing. Over the lips, through the gums..."
In one swift motion, it was down. Watery, just like he said, yet pulsing with an electrical energy. Drowsiness from the drink overtook her almost instantly, and she fell quickly into a deep sleep. A dreamless rest, one marked by a sensation like being adrift in the Lifestream.

Her slumber ended a few hours later. She leapt out of bed as soon as her grogginess wore off, fueled by equal measures of excitement and skepticism, and sprinted over to the mirror to see the results. There, she caught her first glimpses of her new form, the true self she always dreamed about. No amount of stretches or movements betrayed the reflection. It ... it was real!

A silent jump for joy, then a quick effort to make herself presentable. She rang the bell and moments later Namingway entered the room once more, this time sporting a satisfied grin. "And who might this be?"

This was her new beginning, so why not a new name to mark the occasion? She smiled warmly. "The name's Alis. Pleased to make your acquaintance!"

Another satisfied customer.

[Bluebird Earring]