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

[Saoirse_Argentum]

When Father Wealdtheow requested we reclaim the ice rondel set in the crown sculpture of the Dusk Vigil’s chapel I figured it was a simple enough task for the two of us. We’d surely seen worse…how wrong I’d been.

***

“Saoirse, are you sure about this?” Cassie was hesitant as we passed through the threshold. I could tell by the way she anxiously cracked her knuckles. “You’ve only just begun using a Gunblade…perhaps we should rely on your usual magic and recruit others? You’re a gifted healer after all.”

I rolled out my shoulders with a wide grin. “You’ve got potions, haven’t you? Just stay behind me, and take on what you can. We’ll be in and out in no time!”

“Alright, but I’m telling you, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

***

Clearing the training grounds proved easy, and our battle with the Towering Oliphaunt required little effort. The quest was going smoothly, and my confidence as a Gunbreaker soared, but once inside the barracks…Well, that’s where the trouble began.

***

“It’s oddly quiet, don’t you think?” Cassie was still unnerved despite our earlier success, but she had a point. Something wasn't right.

I stopped just before the next entryway. “Wait here, let me have a look around.” Cassie was nearly as skilled as I was, but as a Monk she couldn’t take much of a beating, so I entered the room alone, prepared to draw the attention of our enemies away from her and the doorway.

Cassie was correct in her caution. A horde of frostbitten soldiers stormed toward me from every direction, but as I aimed to attack, they ran past me without any regard.
I turned toward Cassie and yelled, “Run!”

Cassie screamed and sprinted for all her worth, “Why are they coming after me! I wasn’t even in the room!”

“They know you’re weak!” I called back, chasing after them. “They can smell fear!”

“No, Saoirse, you just suck at your job!” Cassie’s legs gave way, and one of the icy undead—who crawled after her with a speed unlike any I’d ever seen—caught her. By the time I was able to pull the horde away, Cassie was already spent.

She looked up at me, weak, defeated and with one last breath she said, “I told you, this was a bad idea,” before falling unconscious.

***

I gave Cassie the time she needed to recover, and despite our earlier folly, we pressed on and conquered the Vigil as we’d set out to do, returning the ice rondel to Father Wealdtheow.

To this day, Cassie still blames me for the incident, but I don’t mind, because every time I look back on the moment, I buckle over in laughter…which is its own reward.

And that’s how I know, not all treasures are found in chests.

(If chosen, I’d like to receive the Noble Barding. Thanks for reading!)

[fadeddreamss]

It had been a few days since we arrived in Il Mheg, and we still hadn't stopped for a moment to rest. In the rush to complete our mission, we ended up forgetting ourselves, forgetting that we not only need food to nurture our bodies, but also words to nurture our souls. Upon reaching Pla Enni, I realized how much you needed someone to confide in. That talk by the cliff left me thinking, and so I decided to do something to make you feel better. Little did I know that the cooking supplies I usually brought with me would be so useful.

After wandering around, I stumbled upon a wild berry shrub. The little red fruits that grew from it had an interesting shape and after checking that they were edible, I crushed them into a seemingly tasty concoction and produced a few ice shards in my pouch, that I would use to turn the liquid into popsicles. I poured the juice in a small mould I used for chocolates and placed little metal sticks in them. We wouldn’t need to wait long to savor our treats.

The afternoon got to us sooner than we could realize. Of course, the atmosphere, eternally lit by the dense clouds of light-aspected aether, completely disorienting our senses, prevented our bodies from understanding when it was time to rest. We sat down for a moment by the cliff to appreciate the view, although we knew we were running out of time, so I had to make this moment count. I picked up in my pouch the treats I had made earlier that day and offered you one. The surprise in on your face when you realized that it was nothing more than frozen juice on a stick was priceless, but the reaction that came after, when you tried yours, was what made this moment so special. Your face contorted for a moment when the berry flavor took over your mouth and you felt the little sparks exploding on your tongue. Then laughter took over the moment, echoing through the cliff side and making even the shroud of light look like a beautiful aurora. You were such a serious child, the weight of responsibility always on your shoulders… and I knew that feeling all too well. Seeing your face light up like that was the real treat and it gave me strength to keep going, to save this forsaken world. To make this right for you and for many others who, like you, had never experienced the joy of the night, something we took for granted in the Source.

We spent a few minutes eating our popsicles, bonding over something so simple before we needed to get back to our responsibilities. And so we named this little fruit, this fruit that tasted like a rolandberry yet exploded in our mouths and tinted our tongues blue, “Pixieberries”. And it seemed that, not only did the fruit gain a name in that moment, but I gained something as well. A little sister.

I'm really proud of the strong girl you became in our journey, and I look forward to what surprises you're going to show me next.

Your Big Brother,
Galahad

[Item of choice: Noble Barding, please ]