Character

I arrive in Limsa Lominsa and... forgot to ask who was issuing a request. This storm in my head isn't helping my concentration. Maybe I should focus my mind on the arcane writings in my book... As soon as I try however, I'm snapped out of it by the proprietor of the Drowning Wench. However I got here...

'Oi! you okay there lass?'

'Ah, yes- no? I don't know anymore.' This might actually be a good time. 'Say, would you know about certain jobs that can be done in this area?'

'Jobs? Aye, I have one.' He sounds rough, but seems to mean well. 'Just so yer fairly warned, though, this ain't no job fer the faint of 'eart. Things're liable to get downright bleedin' 'airy. But if ye think yer still interested, let me know, an' I'll fill ye in on the details.'

'Yes, I am.' Maybe this'll get my head out of the gutter, even if it's for just a spell...

'Ah, I havn't introduced meself yet. Me name's Baderon and I serve customers as well as 'venturers.'

'Izene Fortanceste.'

'Ah, the 'venturer from Ul'dah, aye? I've 'eard the story. 'owever, I'm sure yer a busy bugger, so I'll get straight to the point. Word 'as it some suspicious lookin' buggers 'ave been sneakin' in an' out o' the Sastasha Seagrot, an' I need a trustworthy sort to 'ead up north of Aleport an' find out who they are an' what they're up to. Don't sound like much, I know... But it weren't so long ago as the fishbacks' pet pirates paid us an unwelcome visit, an' folk are feelin' a bit nervous.'

Fishbacks? What is he on about? Before I could ask, someone else enters to explain the situation.

'If you would permit me, Master Baderon, I should be happy to elaborate.' A man dressed in what I admittedly find a silly outfit and hat. He certainly looks like a man the girls would swoon over. He also has a curious thing at his side... Unlike Baderon, he is speaking rather clearly and plainly.

'Well, well, if it ain't the chief Yellowjacket 'imself. To what do I owe this rare honor, Commodore Reyner? Come to make sure me patrons are behavin'—or just thirsty?'

'Neither, in fact. I was informed that you had requested an adventurer to assist in my investigation, and I came to offer what information I could sift from recent reports.' He reports that over the past moon, an unknown vessel had been sighted off the coast of Aleport, near the Umbral Isles during a regular patrol. The Sastasha Seagrot had become a home to Coeurls, which isn't anything they concern themselves about. Yet, considering what Baderon has said, it warrants investigation. I still had two questions.

'What are 'fishbacks' or Sahagins? And who are the Serpent Reavers?'

'Ah, you are from Gridania are you not? Sahagins are a beast tribe we have a constant watch over, much like Gridania is contending with the Ixali. Suffice it to say, they are a threat to us. More over, the Serpent Reavers work for these Sahagin.'

I guess this paints a clearer picture of what the situation is like. Having a base near Aleport could prove disastrous if my earlier outings to Western La Noscea are anything to go by. Commodore Reyner tells me speak to V'mellpa, to move to Aleport. She, in turn, tells me to look for the Novice Hall nearby, as it has information necessary to continue on my adventures. I do so and it doesn't take me longer than a bell to come out with new clothes and jewelry. The clothes are quite nice, but I do wish it came with pants...

I speak to the Yellowjacket outside of the Sastasha Seagrot, he seems to be rather thankful. Since they sighted the suspicious vessel, they've been keeping an eye on the Seagrot to make sure nothing is in there, but haven't seen anything concrete yet. They are worried that if they find out that Reavers live in the Seagrot, it'll cause mass panic due to their recent kidnapping activity.

Outside, I see 7 adventurers altogether. A group of 4 seem to be talking rather lively about one another. More like bullying one. One man is name Avere, a woman is named Edda. The other two I wouldn't know about. I ignore them, as I just heard those names in passing. Once I pass them, a rather small Roegadyn asks for my attention.

His voice sounds throaty, Ala mhigan even. He is rather polite however and tries his best to make himself clear. As in, he annoyingly enunciates every word that he does, painfully slowly. 'Madam, may I ask for a bit of your time?'

'Yes, and could you not speak to me as if I were very thick-skulled?' I frown and cross my arms.

'My apologies, but we wish to make sure we don't blunder into danger without proper allies. And it almost seemed like you would go in there, as a fresh faced adventurer.'

'Is that why I was sent to that hall?'

'Yes. Certainly you understand you can not do this alone.' Really? I haven't had many issues up to now, but...

'Very well. But can I decide on a strategy?'

'No. Because I and Thora are more experienced than you two are.' I take note of the other two adventurers.

One is almost certainly Ala mhigan. A rather... filled out Hyur, with blonde hair braided into locks. she has a tattoo one her front head and a rather long face. Her stance seems imposing, but her smile greets me warmly. The other is a miqo'te, who seems shy. On first glance, he looks like O'yhumeh, but his hair is a different color albeit in the same style as that summoner. I can't get a good look at his face however. Regardless, he doesn't feel nearly as enigmatic and slightly threatening as O'yhumeh. Then there's this Roegadyn, with a very pale skin. He has brown and scruffy hair. He has a scar on his left cheek and looks older than the others here. As for the weaponry, I see an axe on the roegadyn, a staff on the miqo'te and... Nothing on the Hyur? What? I tilt my head slightly, A motion I didn't even notice...

'Do I have something of yours on me?' The Hyur asks, rather straightforward.

'Well... you don't have any weapons on you...'

'Ah, don't worry your head about it. My fists are good enough to slay any creature.' She flipflops between Ala Mhigan and Eorzean. The Roegadyn takes over.

'Now, I suppose introductions are in order, if you are ok with having us on this adventure.'

I nod towards him.

'My name is Wise Boulder. And although I would say I'm a marauder, I've since taken on a new title for it: Warrior. This quiet Miqo'te here is known as Sivuh'a Kauveju, an amnesiac we have found in Coerthas.'

'Nice to meet you...' Sivuh'a says rather absentmindedly. He doesn't turn to face me when speaking and his voice is even harder to hear.

'He's a conjurer for now, although he has most of his talent in Arcanima. I presume you too are studying that.' He says as he points towards my book.

'And I am Thora Striker, nice to meet you. Although I'm supposed to be a pugilist, I have also gained a new title: Monk.'

'Is that why you two are feeling far more vivid to me than most others I have encountered?'

Thora shrugs and Boulder seems to scratch behind his head. Boulder continues. 'I'm not sure if you have heard of it, but...' He pulls out a stone from his pocket and shows it to me. '...these have given us much and more in terms of martial arts.'

Once I gaze upon this stone, I pull out the two I have managed to acquire. 'Like these?' Boulder's eyes widen as does Thora's.

'Where did you get them?' They ask in tandem.

'from another miqo'te, name of O'yhumeh.'

'We haven't heard of him, I'm afraid. I have heard of the bastard, however. We're told to stay away from him.'

I pocket the stones. 'Well, they don't do anything for me as of yet. But we are here for a different sort of business.'

'Right. In any case, I expect you and Sivuh'a will follow our directions for now. Learn from this adventurer as much as you can, as it will become the basis of your adventuring life from here on out.'

At the end of the day, it's the same advice as the novice hall has giving me, but put into practice. Outside of a few other things that were taught to me. Mainly to explore, as it gave us a clue to a hidden passage. This lead us to fight the pirates instead of the wild life, except a lone coeurl before the passage. And a Sahagin. No wonder Baderon calls them fishbacks, which is what they look like. The strategies were sound, if a little basic. Everyone pulled through without so much as a scratch. We've also taken the liberty of relieving them of their precious clothes. Works for me, I suppose.

We move out of the dungeon and Wise Boulder nods. 'Very well done, both of you. Now to report back and divide what rewards they give us. Adventures like these will be more and more common the more prestige you earn, as others might have trouble dealing with it.' He hands me a linkperl. 'Use this. There are a lot of adventurers on there, but they are all recruiting for particular jobs to do. You should be able to make use of it in the future.'

'Amazing, you two are just amazing! Having Wise Boulder invite you to our linkshell means you have great potential. Greater than any other adventurer we have met.' Thora says energetically.

Sivuh'a takes a step towards the Roegadyn and Hyur. 'I would rather not pick up a staff if it's all the same to you.' He sounds more clear now, but is obviously shaking a bit.

'Aye, we know how much you love your book. Don't worry. We just needed to to introduce a new adventurer to this line of work.' Boulder says, with a small smile on his face. He turns to face me. 'As for you, take good care of those stones. Hopefully, you will receive training in some form for their arts.'

I nod. 'So now, I can easily tell these parties what to do, right?'

Boulder sighs. 'We'll see. I'd prefer more experienced adventurers to do that sort of thing.' With that, we chatted about our adventure along the way, with Thora being very excited to have new 'friends'? I wouldn't call these people that. Regardless, having connections is certainly welcoming, considering what I've been through over the past weeks...