For we are adventurers

[Lionx]

Story was originally written in Japanese. All credits given to the person who wrote this and Jomachine of Sylph who translated it.


http://www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown-Domino/6394/meetingagain.swf

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First time came to Valkurm Dunes, I saw a Taru White Mage among the group of strangers.
I was a Warrior, at a time I didn't even know what SkillChain was.
Competition for Subjob item was very intense, and it was common that Ghouls at Dunes were claimed immediately once they had spawned.
Every night, we searched for the items endlessly. Without knowing too much, we had a static party settled down.
War, War, Mnk, Whm, Blm, Rdm.
And finally, we had gathered complete subjob items for all.
Already with each other for so long, we decided to level all our subjob together also.


First time went to Jeuno, twice, we had all died on the road.
I still remember clearly the sound of our cheers when we got to Jeuno after all the obstacles we went through.
In order to celebrate the moment, we sold everything we had for some money to buy a LinkShell.
The leader was assigned to the Taru White Mage who lost on the /random dice.


We had such a good time...
Hoping it could always stay that way, never changed...


But. When was this starting to change? Maybe it's when the Taru White Mage learned the Teleport magic.
Gradually, everyone drifted away.
Taru White Mage was the reason.
Always quiet and calm, she started to avoid daily repetitive, killing, mad leveling partying.
To those members who wanted to get strong, powerful, high-level faster, she began to have troubles to get along with them.
The level difference was too wide.
One day, she suddenly told us her decision....
"I am so sorry. I have no use to everyone anymore. Please find another White Mage...."
Actually before she even made her announcement, our members already started to fall apart.
Secretly competing with each other by outleveling, again and again.
Now as I recall, I still don't understand why I was so desperate to level.
Maybe, it's because of the burning desire to persuade greater power, I think.
Two people left the LS, and later on I joined other LS.


........



........



At last, I maxed my warrior in levels. It was still quite some time before the release of Rise of Zilart expansion.
Having completed my initial goal, I started leveling THF in order to make more money.
As soon as the Rise of Zilart has released, my THF already reached lvl 58.
Thinking to explore the new zones and considering THF had the ability to flee from dangerous situation, I decided to go as THF.


Coming back to hometown Bastok, went through the Korroloka Tunnel, I arrived at Altepa Desert.
No map. No direction. I had no idea what to expect.
I just wondered around and see what would happen.
Suddenly, I saw the Telepoint-Altepa.
At the sametime, there is something next to it.


Yes, it's the long forgotten Taru White Mage.
She was in complete AF, sitting there alone quietly.
Next to her name, is a very familiar LS color.
Not possible.... there are too many LS with similar colors.
But somehow, my intuition told me it's the one we had long ago.
She saw me, and smiled.
Then, used /tell and said.....

"Haven't seen you in a long time. You look good ^^"

Maybe she found the awkwardness in the air, she did a /cry emote.

"I was so sorry that time, I wished I could apologize to everyone. One day, if we meet again. But I need to tell you something. "

Bathing in the purple light from Telepoint-Crystal, she started to tell her story slowly.
What happen after that. What she was thinking that time.



She, was an "adventurer" to the land of Vana'Diel, she said.
Of course, samething to me, I thought.
But the way she understood about adventure seemed to be different than mine.


"It was really fun when we were at Dunes. In a world we had no sense of where to go, we found our path together."
"But ever since we came to Jeuno, we were doing samething over and over again everyday. We didn't have any spare time."
"After I learned the Teleport magic, I always thought we could go someplace interesting as one. But everyone was only into leveling......"


"I, I just want to hang around in this world. I know, maybe at somewhere, there must be a great scenery I have yet to see. If we could all share that moment, would be so wonderful. At least, that's what I thought."
"Remember the first time we saw the rainbow at LaTheine Plateau? I still remembered how excited we were, never forgot. I wished we could all did this once again, just like the old times..."


At this point, I am shocked...


Indeed, first time went to Jeuno, it was very excited. But after that, everytime I saw new zones, did I still have the same feeling?
Even if I arrived at a new place, it's just another hunting place to me.
Those Momument Stones detailed the story of each zone, to me, is just another cumbersome obstacle to obtain map of the Crawler's Nest.
Since when, I have lost the enthusiasm to adventure?


The original LS we created, BLM was the one insisted would stay untill the end.
But now, she is the only one left, alone by herslef.
Even though, she said she still wanted to keep it equipped.


"Because, this is a special LS"
"Although there were many invites to other LS, but I all politely rejected them. One day if someone come back, I can say welcome home to him."


I felt ashamed. Until now, I never even thought of her once, already forgot about her in memory. Not to mention other members. I even dropped the Link Pearl long ago.


"Walking around in this world by myself. Everytime I saw something new, I always typed in what I discovered in LS chat, even though it ended up talking to myself only. w"

"I discovered many many stories. Like the history of Davoi, Magic Towers at Beaucedine Glacier and Sarutabaruta......"
The Taru White Mage kept talking to me the stories that perhaps no one would even pay attention to until now.
In the chat window, red texts of her /tells started to fill up slowly.
At the sametime, I felt I was very envied of her.
Her expression was so real and whole-hearted.
I already lost the sense of adventure, but she still kept it in her heart.


Nervously, I asked her.
If it's alright, could you once again, give me a Link Pearl? I asked.
Next time if you go travel around, please take me with you.
I know it is a very shameful, selfish request.


She smiled, and request to Trade.


It's a pearl with the most memorable color. I equipped it right away.
In the chat window, a green line of text slowly flowed in.


"Welcome back. And welcome to the adventure world of Vana'Diel"

[UltimateSpamGrover]

I just saw this yesterday on Allakhazam, its a small world after all

[Rostum]

I just saw this yesterday on Allakhazam, its a small world after all

Thanks for ruining it with your irrelevant crap.

I still remember the days when I was level 4 and Cronin was level 6 and we were fighting our way through East. Saru. and getting to Tarhongi Canyon after dying from some hard Tinkers near the rivers. Ah it was such an accomplishment and we soon found out that we were too low leveled to party in that place. =D It was so fun and we made some friends with some Taru's while we were there so it was even better.

I do think though... that the feeling of this game has changed for me ever since I reached level 25 for some reason. Just wasn't the same when the PS2ers came I guess. (no offence to you guys really)

Things like what I mentioned above really made this game so much better; not just getting up to level 40 or level 50 or even level 75 to say you have a high level. Being a newb was more fun than what I put up with now. Sometimes I hope that I will get a nice group of friends to level up and adventure everywhere with, find some new places and not get powerleveled or helped in missions/quests from high leveled, that kind of ruins the spirit of the game.

Anyways, just my 2 gils.

[Jalbrean]

I remember the time my friends and I made our first trip to Bastok. We weren't quite sure where to go, but it didn't matter. When we hit the highlands and I saw the huge windmills. I was in awe and took a thousand pictures.

Our first trip on the Selbina boat where we met a very unfriendly Sea Horror and most of us died, but we didn't care or give up. Our sights were set on seeing the wilderness of Windurst. The Heavens Tower tree was a sight to see then, and to this day when i'm there. I stop and look at it for a moment.

I remember when the only reason I went anywhere at all was to see new things.

I haven't journeyed in such a long time.

[UltimateSpamGrover]

Thanks for ruining it with your irrelevant crap.

.


I'm not irrelevant, however I am a piece of crap.

[Mikztsu]

That was kinda beautiful and what this game is about.

[Rostum]

That was kinda beautiful and what this game is about.

Defenatly, I wish I could have experienced a time like what Lionx posted. I noticed when I started leveling THF again (new character so it's back to level 1) to sub for my WAR, that alot of PS2 newbies that are leveling the same level really just don't want to communicate with anyone, they just want to level.

I think IMO that maybe they still think it's one of them standard FF games where no one else exists apart from them... but each to their own.


I'm not irrelevant, however I am a piece of crap.

Eitherway you are ruining this thread with meaningless ramblings that makes you look like a fool, and no that's not 'cool' either.

[m4tt]

All he did was say that he saw it earlier. That doesn't give you a reason to call it "crap".

[Garland]

The spirit of adventure dies once a player realizes he exists solely for the benefit of the party. His spirit of adventure is nothing. He is not an individual. He is a tool for producing EXP chains. The sooner creativity and adventure are abandoned for tried and true dogma, the sooner the player can reach level 75. After all, what's the point in playing a game that lasts forever, if you can't rush through it all as fast as possible?

[Lich3636]

the same thing happened to me and my friends we broke apart and i went to a new server and i became a warrior and forgot the greatness of this games environment all i knew was i was a tank and i was there to keep the monster hitting me then i read this story and i remberd the good old times in ifrit im goind back to being a blm and i will stop to smell the flowers

ps
Korematsu,Sira,Dcoy,Nicki we need to get back together if you can see this msg me in game

[Roogle]

My first adventure in Vana'diel began on Halloween. I was lost in a town far too large for me to find anything, and I was completely overwhelmed by everything that I saw. I saw ghosts wandering around town, and I didn't know that they were just people in costumes. People were apparently getting items from them, too. I didn't know what to do, though. I can't even remember what happened, really, but eventually I found myself outside and I met another Black Mage that was dressed in the same clothes as me. We teamed up and explored the town and surrounding areas together. We laughed, we fought, we died, we got stronger, you know? The hours passed by like nothing, but eventually, we had to say goodbye. I was excited that my first day in Vana'diel was an adventurous one like that. I made sure to say goodbye to my new friend.

I never saw him again, though. I didn't know where to begin looking for him, and I couldn't remember anything about him. Was it wrong of me to forget someone that easily?

I met up with some other people that had started at the same time from a community I had previously went to, and I went with them instead. We didn't level together, but instead we explored and fought our way through perils. Those people, luckily, I remember. As time went on, I ruthlessly pushed forward to learn new magic spells and become stronger so that I could see what Vana'diel really had to offer. As I pushed forward, the language barrier began to become stronger and stronger, and eventually there weren't many North Americans my level at all. I had rushed myself so fast that I was still wearing the same robes, barely had any subjob ability, and only wanted EXP. That never really changed. I had no linkshell, and not many friends that were anywhere near as strong as I was. I decided to leave Vana'diel.

But then, one day, someone told me that they needed me. This was many months later after I had left Vana'diel, and I wondered what the point was. Who would need a selfish Black Mage? I wasn't very strong and all I had to show for the level I had attained was the fact that I was that level long ago, and that was all. Reluctantly, he convinced me that I needed to go back, so I did -- he wanted me to join their party. I never met any of those people that he wanted to join at that moment, but rather, met each one of them in time and dealt with them as I had to.

Due to some miscommunications, or maybe something beyond my grasp, I never was able to join their party. I was angry. He pulled me back here, but what was the reason if he was just going to leave me? He was a Dark Knight. I never really liked that class. I would always be in Jeuno and wait for someone to help me or some mission to arise that needed people, so that I could go, but everytime I checked, he was always out there leveling. I couldn't stand that he was only there just for EXP, but, at the same time, I had to commend his progress. When I left Vana'diel, he was just a Warrior with no subjob. When I looked around Jeuno, I saw a lot of familiar names and some of them were stronger than me. It was a little embarrassing, and I felt very out of place. Eventually, I went out to Garlaige Citadel and fought beetles with a random party who was nice enough to let me join, and it started and ended there. I met someone who remembered me and he offered me a linkpearl to his linkshell. They were very helpful and they motivated and helped me to change robes and eventually I became just as trendy as the other mages!

When I think about it again, I wasn't doing anything that different than he was, but I loathed the idea that he had a party that would meet everyday at the same times to do the same things, like work. I wanted to prove to him that you didn't need to do it that way, so I worked to become as powerful as I could once again. Weeks passed, and then months, and eventually, I surpassed him and his party broke up. No longer would I look to see his name and see him in an area, or anything like that, and it wasn't that long before I stopped seeing his name at all. What was I fighting for now? I never wanted the robes, the rings, or anything special for adventuring, but I kept going. I loved the magic of Vana'diel and I wanted to see how good I could get. It paid off, eventually. I made friends, but because we are all adventurers there, it's easy to forget some, and it's easy for them to forget you.

But there are special people you meet that you will never forget. Although I never had a set party, I always traveled with a bard friend that used to be in my other friend's set party. You could say that I took him away from them, but in another way, who wants to have a job in Vana'diel - to do everything at a fast pace, to have the best everything, to do it all at the same time, everyday, as much as you can? That's how it was back then, and I'm glad I never lost myself in that. I can't say that I've had tons of friends, or that I went on great adventures - though there were fun times and dangerous missions. The single most important thing is that certain someone you meet that is always there for you, that can offer you advice, and that help you along. If it wasn't for that bard, the road to anything would have been much longer and difficult, but we were always there, and we prevailed. I made sure that I would not make another mistake, and I kept contact with him always. When he changed his linkshell, I also changed mine. When we lost our linkshells, we did not replace them.

In the end, there will be those who lose themselves in the quest for greatness, and then there will be those who don't know what they're there for. Vana'diel has a spirit of adventure, yes, and I may have lost that somewhere along the line, but I'll never forget the spirit of companionship that the bard and I had. That is the most important thing.

The story of Vana'diel is a rich and wonderful one, but sometimes you can't always drop everything to see it; in that case, then, when you finally get what you want, go see the world when you can with someone - a friend, or maybe alone - and you'll learn something important about the game that you can't get no matter how many levels you gain.

[Rostum]

But there are special people you meet that you will never forget. Although I never had a set party, I always traveled with a bard friend that used to be in my other friend's set party. You could say that I took him away from them, but in another way, who wants to have a job in Vana'diel - to do everything at a fast pace, to have the best everything, to do it all at the same time, everyday, as much as you can? That's how it was back then, and I'm glad I never lost myself in that. I can't say that I've had tons of friends, or that I went on great adventures - though there were fun times and dangerous missions. The single most important thing is that certain someone you meet that is always there for you, that can offer you advice, and that help you along. If it wasn't for that bard, the road to anything would have been much longer and difficult, but we were always there, and we prevailed. I made sure that I would not make another mistake, and I kept contact with him always. When he changed his linkshell, I also changed mine. When we lost our linkshells, we did not replace them.


*sniff* I remember you and your Bard friend. You helped me and my friends fight the Dragoon Quest boss.

I haven't played FFXI in around 4 months, and I got WoW. I finaly realised WoW isn't the game for me and about how many friends I actually do have on FFXI and how much I miss them and the world of Vana'diel. So I've ordered a new copy of the game (australian version with both expansions).

I cannot even remember the reasons why I left FFXI. I know I was level 40 and farming for a lot of WAR gear... maybe that turned me off. It didn't help that a friend convinced me to leave.

When I first played, I will always remember the first person I met and how we (at level 4) decided to travel from Windurst to Tahrongi Canyon. We met a group of Taru's there... that was a moment of my time in FFXI that I cheerish the most, it was the most fun. They were level 8 and we were level 4, but we partied in the Canyon just for fun, not for some 'great' party to get the 'great' amount of exp required.

I kept in contact with one two of the guys from that day, until one of them just kept leveling and leveling (for those who know, it was Cronin on Midgardsormr, and despite his reputation he may have now, he was great fun in those days).

Anyways... I cannot even remember the gameplay and immersion anymore. I am really looking forward to playing once again as either a Tarutaru BRD or BLM. I just can't wait. =)

[Misfit]

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~dokihara/meetingagain-en.swf

^- English version. ^_^

This is one of my favorite FFXI videos. ;_;

[Roogle]

I was trying to say that everyone has a touching story if they think about it, but I think I focused mine in the wrong direction. That friend and I that used to compete always had a spot in Konschtat Highlands that was really far away and very few people would even know about it -- it's not on the map, either. We used to go there when he was done leveling and I would be there waiting for him, kind of like that one part of Suikoden II, you know? Can't go back there, though, more people know about and that friend has since world shifted.