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

[CelestialHealer]

We've been fighting for what feels like forever.. The dravanian thralls seem endless while our own forces fade faster by the moment. The furious keening of my allies is unintelligible over roaring flames and thunderous dragon-song.. My hair whips wildly around my face as another volcanic blast from the Dragon-Primal surges through our ranks like a molten behemoth. I'm thrown backward by the concussive force as flaming tendrils collide and coil around the barrier spell I'd prepared before. I yelp a quick "Thank you!" to the Bole arcanum for the warning and protection as I scramble to my feet a few fulms away from the edge of the bridge. Sweat stings my eyes as I scan the steps of faith for survivors. The battle falls suddenly silent as the bridge is bathed in bloody light. A cruel and twisted form stands at the center of the carnage.. The shade of the great wyrm now resembles the dragoon.. He's mocking us.. He's mocking.. Me? It's then that I realize everyone else is dead. He's walking toward me now.. but I can sense he's weak, possibly near death, but I can't do this alone.. Damn it!! Fury and shame explode within me. we fought too hard and long for it to end this way! I can't let them down now! In a moment of desperate prayer I raise my starglobe toward the heavens and begin weaving celestial aether into a spell that may give me the chance to take him down with me. As quickly as I begin, I panic and lose control of the aether.. Swept into an invisible current by the wishes and determination of my fallen comrades. The collectives aether burns through my veins like lightning as I'm lifted into the night sky amid a silver storm of celestial energy. I close my eyes, accepting my fate, only wishing I weren't alone in the end... I opened my eyes with the strangest sense of Deja Vu as I'm thrown backward by the concussive force as flaming tendrils collide and coil around the barrier spell I'd prepared before. I yelp a quick "Thank you!" to the Bole arcanum for the warning and protection as I scramble to my feet a few fulms away from the edge of the bridge. My heart swells with hope and pride as it all comes flooding back to me, We've been given another chance, through time! I look around to see all of my friends alive and better than before the astral stasis.. but somethings wrong, The bloody light washes over us again and we're all dead.

( No one was prepared for astral stasis and afk'd while we wiped at that crucial moment.

( If considered a winner, I'd like the scarf of wonderous wit, please! Thank you for reading! ^^ )

[MeguminMegmin]

I remember Ifrit and Titan crashing to the earth at Garuda's beckoning, their followers turning to dust at their summoning. I remember carrying my comrades in body bags, loading them up like it was some kind of macabre fetch-quest. I remember the poison that kissed the Sultana's lips and the sight of her tumbling unconscious from her chair. I remember Raubahn having an arm and I remember Raubahn losing it as he lost his temper doing what we all wished we could. We thought most of our comrade's lost.

I remember then being a fugitive in the very city I first began my adventures.

I remember making Ishgard my second home. A home nearly speared apart by the Dragonsong War and shielded only by the sacrifices of those who fought alongside us. I remember Estinian screaming as Nidhogg's Rage subsumed him entirely, and Alphinaud's despair at the loss of his mentor and friend.

I remember smiling until my very psyche frayed and rebelled against my tolerance.

It is these failures contracted that punctuate my victories. It is prevailing through the hopelessness that makes me feel truly spectacular. So,

For these expanses...


these eons...


these instants...


Thank you.

Sincerely,

a Warrior of Darkness and Light.

(Gaelicap)

[Zephryn]

There's a weight in my pocket. Miniscule, really. Most days I don't notice. Or care. Then there's other days where I reach inside and knock against it or feel the groves of engraving against my fingertips.

I honestly should throw it away.

Not sure why I kept it.

It's a stupid silly thing--this weight in my pocket. It never meant a thing to me, not even when you first gave it to me.

How long ago was it? How many moons have passed?

It's not like it was special. It became a running joke after awhile. It still is, if I am to be perfectly honest. I’m not sure you remember but I do.

We were so serious at first. So foolish. We knew absolutely nothing about what we were doing. What was expected of us. Not that we cared. We were young. Naive.

Maybe drunk. Who knows.

You showed up in a suit and I in a gown.

And well...

I suppose it was probably my mistake that the intermission ended early and we traded formal wear for the costumes of pirates.

My hat was fabulous; my skirt, too short. Or non-existent. You had an eyepatch, if I recall. Maybe a different version of my shirt. You had pants, that much I was certain. I would've remembered if you had gone without.

I don't think anyone foresaw that turn of events. There was much laughter.

I think I announced it to everyone then and there:

We married for a mount. Well, you did. I just wanted a dress.

Yet despite our selfish reasons and desires for tying the proverbial knot, you and I never really severed ties. Not once everything was said or done. Not even when you left for weeks and days. Leaving me by my lonesome without warning or consideration.

Were we too lazy? Too uninterested in taking that extra step to cut ties?

Or did you just find more enjoyment in keeping the benefits of a free teleport to the Casino and popping out from between my legs before running off?

I may never know. I never asked.

I just remember the day you finally annulled our marriage and “set me free”.

You left me 1 gil.

I still have that bit of mail in mailbox. Read but never redeemed. A reminder of times long gone and a token of appreciation from someone I frivolous attached myself to for material needs.

I wonder where you are sometimes. If you get a laugh or chuckle like I do about our marriage of convenience.

It may not be the fondest memory I have but it really is something. It clearly is something I have not forgotten. Or will ever forget. I don't think I ever will

If you do happen to read this, however, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for the dress, the mount and the memories. And yes, thank you for that 1 gil.

...It’s probably more than I would have given you. Maybe.

You never did give me a chance to repay you in the end. Or compensate, if that is a better word to use for the strange connection between you and I.

Either way, may you walk ever in the light of the Crystal, you cheapskate popoto.

(Reward: Noble Barding, please)

[veregna]

It was a cloudy evening.

The grey skies afforded sight of neither the stars nor moon as the encroaching night wrapped the bright lights of the Crozier in its gentle embrace, causing them to shine ever brighter. I sat on an abandoned bench, waiting. The chatter of the market seemed malms away as the snow drifted lazily down, muffling everything in a cold silence, and I could hear naught but my own thoughts, unwelcome as they were. But they would not be deterred.

The setting sun, washing the immaculate floors in a burning red, had started ebbing away. Gloaming casting darkening shadows that crept toward us, just as the dread beneath the surface of my courage roiled in my gut. I paid it no mind. The Archbishop had to be stopped.

I would have died, were it not for you.

It was a moment that stretched forever, between the hope that you would hold and the dread if you could not, and the relentless regret that I hadn’t the foresight to prevent this from happening.

A sharp ringing filled my ears, the keening growing louder and louder--

And then, silence.

Smile. A simple request, privilege of those who wouldn’t bear the consequences. But a request I had no right to deny, tumultuous emotions burning in my breast.

And then you were gone.

I glanced at my companion, having arrived as I was adrift in my thoughts, and I curled my fingers into a hard grip, seeing the resolve in her eyes that I sought to grasp in my heart. Near imperceptibly, she nodded.

There were things yet to do, that we must do. This was the privilege of those who lived, who had no choice but to accept the consequences. I couldn’t squander the gift you left me, a hope that could not have been known without first having borne despair, and I prayed that I could do for others what you had done for me.

That night, we left the city. City of ash and smoke and bitter solitude, its fleeting lights swallowed by the darkness and ice. And beneath all the fear and pain, a city of hope.

-------------

(prize: Gaelicap)

[Shonah]

Coral eyes twinkled with excitement as a pink-haired miqo’te woman’s gaze flickered across the airship-shaped cake baking within the oven. Creaking the door down, she closed her eyes as the pleasant warmth of the baked good embraced her. Opening her eyes, she brought her face closer to more clearly examine the cake.
Its structural integrity was in tact, a testament to her baking abilities, though her artistic talents were few, as evident by the lack of resemblance its shape actually bore to an airship. She shrugged it off with a light chuckle, attempting to hide her embarrassment, and reached into the blazing oven to retrieve her prize.
“Ow!” Her tail shot up in pain as she flinched back from the extreme temperature of the cake pan, her hands distinctly missing proper oven mitts.
"Everything all right over there, Shona?" A roegadyn's booming voice echoed from the linkshell on the kitchen table.
"Y-yes, Kobito!" The miqo'te blushed with embarrassment, thanking the Twelve her FC members wouldn't be able to see her face through the linkshell.
"Alright," the roegadyn continued, "I'm almost done here in Limsa picking up the coke, then I'll be back at the FC estate." The sound of Maestrom officers roaring with laughter (and most likely enjoying a good ale) was mere static in the background as the voice of Raphtalia Demi cut through the chatter.
"I see the Unspoiled Node up ahead. I'll return to the FC estate once I've mined the last bit of Darksteel we need."
"Okay!" Shona replied with glee. "That leaves... Cortez, Cin, and Draco left," she pondered.
"Hiiii!" chimed in Cortez, the au ra, and Cin, the other Miqo'te. "We've picked up the ceruleum fuel!"
"And the paper work is in order." Draco Cyrancia, leader of the Free Company "The Lost City," spoke.
"Then it's time! Everyone, meet up in the workshop!" Cheered Shona.
The group arrived at the workshop, each with their respective supplies. Raphtalia, the red haired miqo'te and head crafter, pushed the 'Finalize' button.
Their airship was complete! "Hooray!!!" cried the group, and they boarded 'The Fat Catalus' for her maiden voyage.


Gaelicap

[DrWho2010]

A memory that lasts forever...
To whomever reads this - know that your place in my heart is one of bond forever more.
as i recall the days we spent together, it is one of great joy and happiness.
as we travelled the lands of yore together, now that we apart i hope to see you once again, perhaps in another lifetime.

Noble barding

[Sicycre]

The time has come for us to close this entry thread! It's been amazing to see such a wide range of emotion and we are grateful to everyone who took the time to share with us. There's lots of reading ahead for us as there are so many fond memories to choose from!

We hope the Rising was as heartwarming an experience for you all as it was for us. Time is running out, so don't forget that The Rising concludes tomorrow, Tuesday, September 17, at 7:59 a.m. (PDT)! If you haven't had the chance to experience the event, we implore you to do so.

Thank you once more for sharing such important memories from your adventures!