#{ epheldene ura }

[soliyl]

Suddenly all the sadness Will just slip away And you will see what I mean If you just follow me in my dreams! 🌠

[nym-ia]

Adroit (#8) - FFXIV Write 2021

Length: 1,298 words

Warnings: Small mention of blood

Time Period: ??? (undetermined for now)

Character(s):

“A’venshi, are you sure we should be doing this?”

The Xaela girl followed extremely close behind her Seeker companion, her large dragon-like tail tucked between her legs as they walked. She nervously scanned the area, every step making her more and more anxious.

A’venshi turned a little, allowing Epheldene to see her hands. “It’s a simple mission, Epheldene,” she signed, her eyes sparkling with reassurance. “Besides, it’s the first mission Red has given to Primi. She wouldn’t put her or us in danger.”

Epheldene averted her gaze, looking out to the sea of the Bloodshore. They’d just recently stepped into the sand, walking along one of the many beaches of Eastern La Noscea. The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon, and the waves were gentle with barely more than a light breeze carrying them to shore. Even in such an atmosphere of relaxation, the Au Ra could hardly find it within herself to feel calm.

“C’mon, c’mon! I heard it was sighted just over this way!” The young blonde Miqo shouted from many yalms away as she’d excitedly run ahead, hoping to find their prey first.

“Shouldn’t we at least have a tank or something? Couldn’t we have invited Sylvian?” The Xaela sank further behind her friend as though she were trying to hide.

“I don’t think this is as scary as you think it is,” she signed with a sigh.

Before long, the group had made it more than halfway across the beach, and it was starting to become apparent that their quarry was missing. Primi began to lose the energy that a new adventure was giving her, and she eventually fell back enough to walk side-by-side with the other two. Epheldene quietly exhaled, relieved that their party may come to an end, hopeful that they won’t try again another day.

“Perhaps we should head back,” A’venshi was slow with her hand movements, showing some remorse as she gently let down the younger Miqo. “I’m sorry, Primi. But there’s always next time.”

The Keeper’s ears drooped, her normally swishing tail lying listless behind her. “Okay…” she didn’t even try to hide her disappointment. The group slowed to a stop, taking in the beach air before they would decide to turn around and head home.

As they stood there, silently enjoying the beach as the civilians who begged they’d take this quest would be doing if not for the supposed monster terrorizing them, the group heard a sudden, extraordinarily loud THUM, a misty shower of seawater falling upon them in the next moment. All three of them slowly turned around, each of their eyes being greeted by a massive, horrifying crab monster - and it appeared to be pissed. It instantly dropped an enormous claw down on the beach, Primi just barely getting out of the way and A’venshi having to jump onto Epheldene to get them both clear of the attack.

“There it is! There it is!” Primi ecstatically jumped up and down, clapping her hands as the monster known as Cancer slowly lifted its claw and drew it back, making its next move apparent.

“Primi, focus!” A’venshi signed urgently before grabbing her chakrams from her waist, Epheldene moaning in fear while still in the sand beside her.

“Don’t worry, I got this!” The Keeper Miqo swiftly took her Summoning book from her hip, flipping it open and calling forth Ifrit as her egi in one smooth motion. She crouched down, focusing on writing some longform spell on the pages as her summon began its assault. Cancer unleashed a horrifying swipe onto the egi, crashing its claw into the beach and sending a wave of sand into the air. Ifrit prevailed, keeping up its fiery onslaught with its talons as Primi finished her command. In a series of explosive attacks, Ifrit unleashed its full power onto the monster before it suddenly disappeared, and just as quickly an enormous creature the likes of which no one had ever seen appeared behind the egi’s conjurer.

An elated smile found its way to the youth’s face as she let loose an unrelenting flurry of attacks, each coming from the dragon-like being floating behind her. Explosive beams of light encompassed the monster, each fantastical burst of energy creating a deafening roar and blinding glow. The ruthless bombardment seemed never-ending and only intensified with each passing moment, the force of her attack blowing back the sea and knocking her friends further and further away. Many minutes of this assault passed before Primi finally lifted her book in front of her, placing her free hand over it and closing her eyes. A circle of light appeared beneath her, lifting her hair and clothing ever so slightly, and when she opened her eyes, they emitted a pure white light. “Hhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!” She began with a growl that evolved into a yell as the ground began ferociously trembling, unleashing a final, impossibly bright beam of light that released an echoing screech before a deep boom as it imploded her target from the inside out.

One last flash of white light, and afterwards all that remained to be seen was billowing smoke surrounding the entire area. Everyone was still as it dissipated, save for Primi who brought her hand to her mouth to cough.

Once it was possible to see again, it was apparent that nothing but a small slab of Cancer’s carapace, located in the center of a decently large crater, remained. A short while later, the water returned to the shore, the waves creating a pool in the rounded blemish in the sand.

A’venshi and Epheldene sat some yalms away, having been thrown to the ground from the beginning of the attack, initiated by the youth they were initially escorting.

“Huh,” The Seeker finally stopped holding her breath. She sat up and turned back towards Epheldene. “This mission was simpler than I thought,” her hands trembled as she signed.

The Xaela sat there, slack-jawed and completely frozen. She thought back to all the times her beloved Ura would pick a fight with that teenager standing victorious before them. She really thought the elder was going easy on her like a mentor, but now she believed it was possible they were equal rivals.

Primi carefully stepped down into the crater to retrieve the carapace as proof that the beach was now safe. She triumphantly lifted it into the air, shouting back to her friends, “See, I told you I had it!”

A’venshi pushed herself up, though her legs felt a bit like jelly. She dusted herself off before offering a hand to Epheldene, who used the help to get up but still appeared completely dumbfounded. The young Miqo’te ran over to them, proudly presenting what she’d earned. A’venshi smiled at her, though her concern still showed on her brow, and she rubbed the top of Primi’s head as a show of her pride in the youth.

The Keeper beamed up at the two of them, and suddenly Epheldene was snapped from her stupor. “Primi, your mouth…”

A’venshi looked from Epheldene back to the hero of the day, and she gasped lightly as they both watched her wipe the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, her expression not changing as she looked at it.

“It’s okay! C’mon, let’s go! I wanna show Red and Nylos what I got!” She turned and started running away from them, but the pair remained standing there still. They looked at each other for a moment, and then back to her as she got further away. The sound of the ocean’s waves became louder as the wind picked up, and they waited a few laps, quiet in contemplation before they resolved to follow her and head home.

It would make for quite the story, after all.