The Furball

Blessed by the Aurora

There was snow as far as the eye could see, and a chilly wind swept over the glacier as adventurers trudged through the new snow tirelessly. The wind was the least of their worries, as some had brought extra sweaters under their sturdy armors. Everyone were breathing heavy as they traversed the snowy plains, making their way toward the ancient city of Fei’Yin. The sky was dark green, and a radiant aurora shone in the sky. It was quite a spectacular show, and many adventurers were lost in admiration of the scenery.

Teraamhia, a good linkshell friend of mine, sneezed. Her nose was running, and I felt rather sorry for her. I walked over to her and patted her comfortingly on the shoulder. Altana bless you, I said to her while looking through my bag. There we are, I said, pulling out a muffler made of silk. I wrapped it around Teraamhia’s neck, telling her she could borrow it for as long as she wanted. Truth be told, I was quite happy that the silken garment I made just last winter could finally be put to good use. Teraamhia blushed at the unexpected gesture; thanking me for letting borrow it as she had completely forgotten to bring her own.

A wave of yagudo warriors charged toward us as we all gathered up around one of the towers in the west. I had been dedicated to Sparroweye’s party this afternoon, and I worked diligently to keep our party strong and healthy. With good help from Chicora, I was able to heal everyone’s wounds and keep everyone out of harms way. Sparroweye is kind to his fellow adventurers and constantly giving his all, which is more than I can say about the average tank. I’m inclined to question some of his choices of armor though. But although he may have looked like Mr. Lobsterman™, he did an awesome job parrying the yagudos’ attacks with his sword, striking back at every chance. The yagudos didn’t stand a chance against our linkshell as we overwhelmed their forces completely.

Our leaders had decided to dedicate today’s run to farming instead of just going for the win and losing valuable time fighting the Angra. We were all dazzled by the number of relic armors salvaged during the run, and everyone seemed eager to fight on, hoping that they would eventually get a piece of their own.

We slowly but surely made our way toward the entrances of Fei’Yin, defeating the continuous attacks by the kindred forces. The deep crevasses of the glacier made the trip long and tiring, and we had to take a few breaks to catch our breaths. I was eating on some of Chicora’s delicious roasted mackerels with apple sauce, and I wished more people would get to taste Chicora’s wonderful cooking as her cooking is nothing short of spectacular.

The kindred forces showed both skill and cunning in their last stand to defend the ruins of Fei’Yin, but had to retreat in the end. Our linkshell, counting no less than thirty six, showed the monsters no mercy. And just as everyone had finally made their way to the little pond, just short of Fei’Yin, the leaders ordered us to fall back toward the Xarcabard entrance where we would use the remaining time to fight the Hydra forces. I heard some people grumble, as some were tired from all the running. Their dissatisfaction was unwarranted though, as we had still an hour and a half to farm and everyone was eager to see if their shiney~ would drop.

Our trip back to the top of the glacier was long, and the weary adventurers were relieved to learn that we would basically be using the same camp from now on. Some of the people that had been groaning earlier cheered, happy that there wouldn’t be any more running. Sadly, there wouldn’t be too many more relic pieces either, as they were too badly damaged to be salvaged once their former owner fell dead to the ground.

Toward the end of our long journey through the glacier, I saw a familiar piece that I had been hoping would drop. As a Scholar, I had prayed to Altana that she would grant me an Argute Gown. I really didn’t expect to get one, though, as I had only just begun my studies of the ancient texts of Grimoire. I cheered, as the leaders told me it was mine. (O.O;)

A Crossroad, and a Wonderful Moment

Deep within the frozen valleys of Xarcabard lies the entrance to a shadow world: Dynamis. A world engulfed in darkness, forever banished from the grace of light, and the scene of a dreadful incident. Adventurers gather here, and other entrances, to battle against the shadow army.

Nyaa~, I said to Chicora, excited to see her again. Chicora was sitting in the snow, eating on an orange kuchen—her favorite dish. I smiled to her and sat down besides her. May I have some, I asked her, hoping that she would share. And what if I say no, she asked me, obviously teasing me. I’d cry… a lot. She smiled and gave me a slice of her orange cake. You are the best, I told her, giving her a hug in appreciation. I know, she grinned.

Chicora has been a friend of mine since I was but a kitten, and she is almost like a sister to me. We were both sitting there, happily purrring as we ate our cake. Our linkshell was still gathering, and our group grew bigger. I told Chicora how happy I am to finally be able to do Dynamis – Xarcabard since we have been working so hard in the cities lately. She nodded to me, hoping that it would be a good night.

Hello girls, Darrius said as he walked up to us. Would you like to team up, he asked us, bowing gallantly. Me and Chicora looked at each other, nodded and accepted Darrius’ offer. I knew Sparroweye would be a little upset as he prefers to have me as his White Mage, but right now I really wanted to party with Chicora. She is not only a good friend, but also my favorite Red Mage by far. We make an excellent team, and she does a great job whenever we party.

When the leaders finally gave the order to enter Dynamis, we were all filled with excitement and hope. Xarcabard holds a great many excellent relic armor pieces, and we were all eager to see what was in store for us. Our parties lined up in their designated spots, fending off the kindred army’s wave of attacks. Ravenclaw, my linkshell leader and a good friend, did a great job pulling, and he knows the zone very well.

The sky was cloudy, and the moon had a red shade to it, and the valley was engulfed in an bone-chilling darkness. The air was dry, and it was at times outright creepy to be there.

We were left in awe, though. as relic piece after relic piece dropped, and we were all excited about getting so many so quickly. I kept praying inside myself that a Black Mage would drop, but I didn’t get my hopes up as I’m like number four or five on the list. I was in a good mood though, and I didn’t let the drop list bother me as Dynamis is my favorite event of the week.

Some of our attacks proved futile, sometimes leaving us eating a dirt sandwich after being overrun by the kindred forces. But we were determined to go on, raising everyone quickly to get the most out of the time allotted.

Chicora did an awesome job, keeping me refreshed at all times, providing cures and debuffing the monsters when needed. Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed by Altana, as a rare item finally dropped—an item my friend Chicora has been longing for, for months:

Congratulations, I said cheeringly to Chicora, hugging her to show how happy I was for her. Now, please, please, burn that Vermillion Cloak of yours, I told her jokingly. Chicora was speechless, as all her hard work had finally paid off. Now, let us see you try it on, Darrius plead. I nodded, excited to see how it looked on her. Chicora was holding her new hat in her hands, looking carefully at it, crying with joy. I patted Chicora on the back and congratulated her again, before I slowly took the hat and put it on her head. How prrrettyful~, I cheered.

Chicora began to dance in joy, which brought back a lot of fond memories from our childhood. Chicora is an excellent dancer, and I’ve always been a little jealous of her. I guess I’m just too clumsy to dance well.

As the time was about to run out, a pair of Cleric’s Mitts dropped. Fladnag, our Dynamis leader, announced that my friend Nicia was the lucky owner of the mitts. Nicia shook her head and told Fladnag she wanted someone else to have it, and moments later he congratulated me through the linkshell so everyone could hear: Congratulations, kitten, the mitts are yours.

I jumped for joy, even though I quite frankly don’t have a need for them. It is nice to be able to store the relic armor set with the Armor Depository Service, but I’m most excited about finally being 5/5. Actually, that is my second 5/5 as I also have a complete Paladin set.

In the Northlands

Dynamis is by far my most favorite event of the week, and I look forward to each and every run. The items you can gain is one thing, but honestly, I’m there for the people. I love to be around friends, and work toward a common goal. Lately, I’ve been taking care of attendance, and from time to time I’m also allowed to take care of the droplist which is my favorite thing!

Yawn… I’m bored, my friend Renomus told me. I comforted him through a whisper. It’s so nice how friends can talk with each other magically, even over long distances. My taru friend had just wrapped up a campaign battle and were heading to bed. I wished him a good night’s sleep before he passed out. Watch out! someone suddenly cried. Wham! I could feel a sudden pain in my chest before everything went black and I lost consciousness.

Wake up kitten, a voice told me. I slowly opened my eye, blinking several times. I looked around disorientated, I could see several faces looking at me. I was flustered to say the least, and sat up. I was still pretty shaken up, and my chest still hurt. The pain was immense, but I felt that I had to push forward. I looked through my pouch for a flask of water I had picked up in Aht Urghan Whitegate earlier that day. The water felt so relaxing as I poured it over my head. We were in Dynamis – Beaucedine and it was quite cold. I shook off the water so it wouldn’t freeze and turn into a solid block of ice in my fur.

Chicora gave me her hand, helping me get back on my feet. Thank you, my kitten, I told her, expressing my gratitude. Silly cat! You gave us all quite the scare, being out cold for several minutes, she told me. I told everyone I was sorry for getting everyone worried and picked up my staff from the snow. The dryad staff had gotten really cold, and I was still shaking from what had happened. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, concentrating on drawing some of mother nature’s power of fire. My hands started glowing, and steam was rising into the air. I made sure the heat wasn’t too strong so I wouldn’t damage the staff—or myself for that matter.

Okay, let’s head up north, Ravenclaw suggested, leading the way up the ramp toward the Xarcabard area. We will be pulling two rounds of hydras today, he explained, making sure everyone was on the same page. As our linkshell receives new members regularly, we have to explain how things work from time to time. Monsters were lurking in the background, and we made sure we wouldn’t draw their attention by getting too close to them. The northlands are filled with vicious monsters, and can’t be emptied like our linkshell does in a city like Bastok.

Ravenclaw had insisted on me helping out the mage and puller alliance as he didn’t want me to get in harms way again. I usually help the primary or secondary tank in our alliance, so this was a bit unfamiliar for me, but still a task I took seriously. I made sure Ravenclaw’s health was okay as he was the puller, and I also helped out the black mages when they got caught in the crossfire.

The Black Mages welcomed me to their party with open arms, I even received a comforting hug from one of them—a gesture I really appreciated. The Black Mages are always friendly to me, and explains things well when I am allowed to come as a Black Mage myself. I don’t have much experience in Dynamis as a Black Mage, so every bit of help makes things more straightforward.

Our battle with the hydras went well, and although we didn’t see any relic armors drop, it was still a good experience as they can quite easily slap people senseless if one gets careless. We proceeded back down toward the south, but quickly realized that one of our people had been left behind. I was asked by Ravenclaw to go on a hunting mission to get him out of harms way. The route had already been memorized, and with good sense of smell I could easily pick up his scent. I bought his hourglass and bid him farewell, before proceeding back toward the camps where the linkshell was already busy killing more monsters.

I quickly caught up with the rest of the group, having traversed down the mountain range at great speed. I was huffing and puffing as I reached them, and everyone laughed. Hey! It’s not easy to run in this snow, I argued. To be honest, my feet were getting cold, as I were wearing my River Gaiters which is in no way meant to be worn in snowy mountains. Fortunately we mithras are not very prone to catching a cold thanks to our fur, but we still find the snow to be discomforting.

After numerous battles with the beastmen of the north, we finally made it to the final staging area, the entrance to Fei’Yin where the Angra Mainyu were waiting. Mainyu is guarded by four dragons that can easily kill a whole linkshell. I have yet to successfully kill a single one of them, although a linkshell I was previously in almost made it.

Me and Sparroweye were appointed to hold Mainyu as our thief would distract the guardian dragons for as long as he possibly could. Chicora joined me, and provided me and Sparroweye with the necessary help to keep Mainyu busy. After about five minutes, we were given the order to begin attacking Mainyu. Mainyu cast a powerful spell that made it really hard to move around before he disappeared into thin air. Thanks to Carbuncle, we were able to quickly track him down and continue attacking him.

Feeble adventurers, you may have won this time, but I will return— the Mainyu uttered before it passed out. Our group cheered on our new members as they picked up their Hydra Corps Insignia from the remains of the defeated monster. Everyone broke their hourglasses, quickly escaping the dragons that were now about to charge at us.