Final Fantasy XIV: A World Reborn

Chapter 2: A Not So Friendly Welcome

As before, I do not own Final Fantasy, Square Enix does. ENJOY!

This was hitting Lyllyan hard. After leaving the boat, she met Baderon, the Proprietor of the Adventurer's Guild. There she was signed up. She learned the mechanics like how to take quests, how to open up her menus. It was much so still a game, but a realistic twist on it.

After that she tried questing. She had to go kill monsters and at first she was okay, until she killed the Lost Lambs. She started crying after that.

But then she experienced her first death. She was helping out around Summerford Farms when a FATE popped up. Basically if you complete the objective, you get bonus EXP and who would pass this up?

All she had to do was kill these Mandoragas. When she approached it, a couple had spotted her and started attacking her. Being an arcanist, she was allowed to summon an emerald carbuncle, a cute little creature to aid her in her fight, but the poor guy didn't last long.

Soon she was swarmed, and thousands of sting cuts slashed at her soon they got even more rough, and it felt like her body shattered. She fell to the ground limp.

Her spirit was standing, and she quivered. A pop up popped in front of her, asking her to be raised back at Limsa and she accepted. When she revived, she ran back to the Drowning Wench, where Baderon was attending customers.

As she entered, tears were staining her face. She didn't want to go home, but that feeling she had...she didn't know if she could continue. Baderon noticed her, and the look she had. He waved her over to come to the bar.

"Now, I know that look. This isn't from killing a little lamb..." he said softly.

She started to let out a tiny whimper. He took her hand in his.

"Ya died, lass, didn't ya?"

She nodded.

"Yer thinkin' about quittin'?"

She stayed still, looking down a bit.

"I wouldn't blame ya if ya gave up. But yer different than the rest o' 'em. Ya didn't log out after ya died, ya walked in here. Yer cut from a different cloth."

"It felt...so real..." she muttered.

"Cause ya died. Ya didn't just lose. Ya don't get a game over scene. Lass, ya died."

"But, I'm not supposed to feel this! Not any of it! It was supposed to be a game!"

"To ya, it's a game. To us...lassie, it's life. We may know about the video game things, but that's the program talking. Here, pinch me." He put his hand out towards her.

She looked at him and then his hand. She then pinched him. He recoiled his hand and made a sound.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected it to be gentle." He mutters rubbing his hand.

"You told me to pinch." She retorted.

"I know, I know. Now look." His hand had a red mark where she had pinched him.

"Woah."

"Tell me, if this wasn't real, why would it do this? Lassie, we feel everything too. Have ya done an instance yet?"

Lyllyan shook her head.

"An instance is where it's a special fight usually dictating NPCs fighting along side or against the player. These are like dungeons or scenarios, but only for the player. That said, sometimes you get a specific npc that if they go down, it is a failure. Do you know what this means?"

"That npc....dies?"

"Yes. Death and all."

"But, I can prevent that?"

"Yes, well....some cases you can't help it. But let's hope ya don't get there."

Lyllyan pondered this new info she had gotten. If she was to die, for everyone's sake, then she would. She looked at Baderon and smiled. A Mi'quote waitress hands a slip to Baderon and leaves. He smiles. He pours a drink and hands it Lyllyan.

"Here."

"But I didn't order anything."

Baderon nods his head to a direction behind her, "It's from an admirer, I guess. They saw you were having it rough it seems."

Lyllyan turned and caught a glimpse of the Elezen twin wearing blue. He looked at her, giving her a quick smile and left with his sister. Lyllyan turned back to Baderon and saw the note. It said, "Good luck, adventurer. Perhaps our paths will cross."

With that, a new fire blazed in Lyllyan's heart. She chugged the drink and got up. Baderon looked at her with a shocked expression.

"I'm gonna continue my adventure. I'm going to save Eorzea, but I have to get strong!"

"Well, well, well. I'm glad my lassie, is back. Go get 'em." He smiled.

"Thanks, Baderon." With that she left.

Baderon smiled the entire time until she was gone. His smile faltered, and he slumped a bit. The Mi'quote waitress came up to him, "What's wrong, Baderon?"

"I'm trying to figure out why the mother crystal would choose a last like that. She can't be over more than 16 moons."

"She looks older though."

"Aye, cause the game makes them. I'm talking about the lass. Like her soul. The real her. Why make a girl so young, so kind, go through this? It don't make sense."

"Perhaps, that is her purpose. She is kind, she will help as many people as she wants, as she can."

"And see her heart broken face when the people she tried to save couldn't be saved? It's not right..." Baderon looked down, "Aye, I'm starting to see her as me own daughter at this point."

"Perhaps, but she will be fine. She'll be back with a smile on her face."

With that last words, a sobbing Lyllyan comes in.

"WHAT THE HELL IS UNKTEHI?!"

"Ah...forgot to mention the A Ranks..." Baderon chuckles.

So far, Eorzean Adventure has sucked....but in a good way.