//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: A New Venture // Story: Final Fantasy XIV: Equestria // by Drakinor //------------------------------// Inside an ancient aetherochemical reactor, a legendary battle was taking place. A miqo'te archer, donning a fancy green ball suit, was fighting eleven gigantic knights and their equally large 'god-emperor'. The knights ganged up on her, casting large spells that engulf the area in fire and ice, swings from their axes that tore up the ground, and sword slashes that stretched across the entire arena with the intent of eviscerating their opponent. But the archer dodged, countered, and even weakened their attempts to annihilate her. It was inconceivable that this one individual was giving them a fight they did not expect with their godly powers. A fight that seemed like they were about to lose. After an attempt at crushing her with the might of an incantation that summoned meteors, they all withdrew to the side of their king. The knights teleported next to their king, and every one that was summoned, a blast of magic smacked their opponent, pushing her back while also charring her skin and fur. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by all eleven knights plus their king. The leader of the 'Knights of the Round', Thordan, brought his blade up, raising it towards the heavens. A blue planet lit up behind the 'God King', shining with the King's sword as the knights sent all of their power into him. Thordan looked down at his small opponent and from behind his helmet, he shouted with a crazed smile. "By my right, you shall meet your end! Warrior of Light!" And with that, he brought his sword down, unleashing a torrent of holy energy. This was the Ultimate End. No mortal could survive a blast that can shatter dimensions. The arena lit up in a glorious light that blinded even the knights. King Thordan knew that he had won the battle and was prepared to make a speech at the end. With a wave of his hand, the light of his holy attack shattered so he could speak to his knights proper. But as soon as he did that, his body was struck with fear. Before him was the miqo'te, now donning a full suit of armor with shield and sword in hand. Her body was enveloped in a brilliant golden light that matched the color of his 'ultimate end'. The Warrior of Light looked up at Thordan with an intense glare in her eyes. "Impossible!" Shouted one of his knights, Sir Zephyr, as he began to take steps away from their small but powerful opponent. "She still lives? What sort of trick is this?!" Ser Charibert shouts while pointing his finger at the miqo'te accusingly. Without uttering a single word, the Warrior of Light's body glowed for a second, changing her armor into something that resembled the iconic armor set of Ishgard's dragoons. She pointed her lance directly at their king. "This is for Haurchefant you pious bastards." Her body was suddenly surrounded by a blue flame. The spirit of the wyrmking, Midgardsormr, erupted behind her and aimed his hatred at King Thordan. Before the knights could jump in, the miqo'te leaped high into the air, carried by the spirit of Midgardsormr, and crashed down upon their 'God Emperor' with an explosive impact. The flames that erupted from her attack spread across the entire arena, striking a fatal blow to the already weakened knights of the round. But their king took the brunt of the blast, now having a giant hole in his chest with the dragoon crouching down behind him. The king, with all of his might, turned around and raised his sword at her, ready to strike her while she was recovering. But he couldn't. The sword slipped out of his hands and landed behind him as he fell on his knees. His knights collapsed onto their backs and disappeared in a flash of light, noting their demise. King Thordan's form shrank down and reverted back into his original form: The Archbishop of Ishgard, Thordan the VII. He knelt down, keeping himself up with his hands as he bled profusely from his chest where the Warrior of Light struck him. "How... how can this be? A millennium of prayer and the Eye's power... and still you stand!" Thordan stated has his fingers clenched towards his palm, attempting to dig into the metal of the floor he was bleeding on. He looked up at the miqo'te, who reverted back to her archer outfit, glaring down at him with anger that can set a man on fire. He stared at her face and felt a deathly chill come over him. "Who-what are you!?" He questioned his adversary, only to finally give in to his wounds and collapse on the floor, disintegrating into aether. The miqo'te looked on, satisfied that the realm is safe once more and that she managed to avenge a very dear friend of hers. But before she departed, she heard a familiar voice. "Hear....Feel....Think." She turned around and saw herself floating in the aetherial void, surrounded by nothing but space. The miqo'te looked around for any signs of the Mother Crystal, but she didn't. Instead, she saw 6 floating objects that looked like gems carved into a certain shape: An apple, a butterfly, a lightning bolt, a set of diamonds, balloons, and a purple star. A female voice, one that she didn't recognize, echoed around her as she gazed at each object, "Honesty. Kindness. Loyalty. Generosity. Laughter. Magic." As soon as whatever entity finished speaking, something caught the corner of Warrior's eye. A familiar hooded figure floated in the abyss. An Ascian, a near immortal being that has been plaguing Hydaelyn since the beginning, stood before her in a similar fashion Lahabrea did when she first arrived in Eorzea. 'This is a vision.' The warrior thought to herself as she glared at this new Ascian. And like Lahabrea, it revealed its sigil to her, one she has not encountered yet. Just then, the six gems floated beside the warrior and 'stood' next to her as if they were allies. She felt many different emotions running through her soul before she drew her bow and let out a battle cry. The Ascian charged her while the warrior and the gems stood their ground, ready to strike. Everything faded to white. "Hey old girl, are you awake yet?" A familiar but slightly aggravating voice was heard. "Hey, Colleen old girl, it's time to get up." A miqo'te lying in a fancy bed, covering herself with a big comfy red blanket, struggled to wake up from her already comfortable position. She lazily opened her eyes, her vision blurred for the moment before everything became clear. The first thing she saw was a young elezen man with a coy smile. "Emmanellain?" "Ah, so the old girl is finally awake!" He happily replied to her stating his name. Colleen rubbed her eyes for a moment before she realized that Emmanellain, one of Count Edmont de Fortemps' sons, was in her room while she was half naked. Her face turned beet red as she realized this, letting out a shrill scream that caused the young lord to fall onto his butt in shock. The Fortemps house guard ran inside, along with the eldest son of the Count, Artoirel, to see what the commotion was. "Lady Noriko, are you al- oh Seven Hells Emmanellain! We asked you to wake her, not bed her!" "I did nothing of the sort! I knocked on the door and she wouldn't stir! So I undid the lock and tried to wake her again until she screamed like a Siren laying an egg!" Before Emmanellain could continue, Artoirel picked him up by the collar and tossed him out of the room. "You buffoon. I apologize Lady Noriko for the rude awakening." With a wave of his hand, the guards followed him out of the room. "By the way, Master Alphinaud and Lady Tataru left you a letter in the foyer. It seemed urgent. Again, our apologies." He stated as he closed the door behind him. Colleen could hear Artoirel pulling his brother by the ear as they walked down the hall. She let out a sigh before getting herself ready. It only took a second for her to put on her gear. Within a flash of light, she donned her green bard armor, the same one she wore on the day she slew the corrupt leader of Ishgard. She took the time to wash her face, brush her teeth, comb her hair, and fluff her tail. She let out satisfied yawn as she stretched. Colleen made her way out of her room and towards the foyer. Ever since she was allowed into Ishgard, Count Edmont de Fortemps, one of the high houses of Ishgard, opened the doors to his home for her and her allies. A friend of hers, Haurchefant de Fortemps, said many good things about her that swayed his father. Even after the tragic events that transpired within the Vault, the Archbishop's own castle, Colleen and her friends were welcomed into their home. How could they chase away someone who has given their own life for a country that isn't even their homeland. Colleen bled for the people of Ishgard and Dravania to put an end to a thousand year long war. It wouldn't end immediately with Thordan's death and the revelation that it was Ishgard that incurred Nidhogg's, one of Midgardsormr's children, wrath, but it was the beginning of a long road to peace between the two nations. She has earned her title as the 'Hero of Ishgard', not just Eorzea. As she entered, she saw the Count's butler laying out a tea set for everyone's morning. Emmanellain was sitting on the couch, rubbing his ear with Artoirel sitting across from him. "Ah, good morning Lady Noriko. A letter for you." The butler said as he handed her a rolled up letter. "I've heard. Thank you very much." The butler respectfully bowed to her as she took the paper out of his hands. She opened it up and gazed upon its contents. "Well, what does it say, old girl?" Emmanellain's coy smile returned, attempting to start a friendly conversation with the Warrior of Light after this morning's disaster, which attracted an annoyed look from his brother. "I have to go." Colleen said plainly. "Is something the matter?" Artoirel turned his attention towards her. "Mmm. Y'shtola's master sensed something in the Hinterlands. An 'aetherical disturbance'. They're not sure if it's another primal, but they need me just in case it is." "Another primal? You're already dealing with that mechanical titan that the goblins summoned, aren't you?" Emmanellain piped up. "I was. Even after we dealt with it, Alexander hasn't disappeared yet so we're still working things out. Still, if another primal has shown up there, I have to leave right away." Artoirel nodded understandingly, "Well then, let's not keep the Hero of Ishgard from her duty. Best of luck to you." Colleen gave him a reassuring smile and nod. She turned around and made her way towards the doors to the hallway. "Tell the Count I'm sorry I couldn't stay for this morning's tea." She said before she closed the doors behind her. The young men heard the sound of an aetherical teleport spell going off, suggesting that Colleen is now gone. "I was kind of hoping on asking the old girl out for an evening stroll." Emmanellain said has he relaxed on his couch, putting his hands behind his head. "She's too good for you." Artoirel replied coldly. "And what about you? You think you can sway the old girl?" "First of all, she's about three years older than you, not some wizened maid. Second of all, I most likely can." "Pah, dragon's ass." "Squonk." "Now that's just low." It only took half a minute for Colleen to reach the Dravanian Hinterlands goblin outpost known as Idyllshire. She found herself within a crowd of happy go lucky adventurers, goblins, and a few people messing around with their fat chocobos. Nothing out of the ordinary, overall. She made her way out the crowd and walked towards the outpost's entrance, catching the eye of a friendly lalafell. "Colleen! Over here!" Colleen turned her attention towards the voice and let out a bright smile. "Tataru, good morning!" She approached her adorable lalafell friend, who was wearing her now iconic pink tunic and red beret. Next to her was a young elezen in his teens who wore a blue leather coat that complimented his eyes, a miqo'te like Colleen but had darker skin than she did and was wearing a white robe that matched the silver staff on her back, and a young woman with horns and scales that matched the color of her pale skin, jet black hair, and a purple ninja-esque armor. "Alphinaud, Y'shtola, and... Yugiri?" The Au'ra looked at Colleen with a warm smile. "I'm guessing you didn't expect me to show up?" "Lady Yugiri has volunteered to assist us with this investigation. I'm hoping you don't mind, Colleen." The young elezen, Alphinaud, spoke next. "Not at all. But is it okay to bring her close to a primal? She doesn't have the echo like Y'shtola and I do." "We're not certain if it is a primal." The dark-skinned miqo'te, Y'shtola spoke next. "Master Matoya informed me that it was more akin to a rift." "A rift? Then, is it voidsent?" Colleen looked at her with a worried gaze. "A possibility, but Master Matoya didn't say. I think she's about as clueless as we are." "So in other words, we're going in blind." Colleen crossed her arms with a disapproving look on her face. "We've worked with less before Colleen, and it's not like we're going to engage whatever horrors may actually lurk there, if there are any." Alphinaud replied, attempting to reassure her. "So where is this rift?" "It's to the west, in the mountains past Sharlayan. Master Matoya has told me that it may be coming from some old ruins that have dated back before Sharlayan was built. Probably as old as the Dravanian ruins in Sohm Al." Y'shtola said to Colleen as she fetched a document from her bag. She placed it on the bench next to them all and laid it out. "We'll be needing an airship to reach our destination, which Master Garlond will personally pilot for us. We're unable to reach our objective on foot and there are no aetherical currents that we know of in the area that will allow you and Midgardsormr to use." "It's uncharted territory as far as we know." Alphinaud chimes in. "We don't know what lies ahead, but with you, Yugiri, Y'shtola, Tataru, and myself, we should be able to overcome most creatures barring from primals and powerful voidsents." "Yeah, we certainly won't have a pro- wait a second, Tataru is coming with us?" Colleen looked at Alphinaud, shocked that he even suggested that Tataru, who was known for getting into trouble and couldn't even control her carbuncle when she tried to be an arcanist, come along for the journey. "I'm not going to be on the frontlines, Colleen. Master Alphinaud took it upon himself to help me learn some of the basics of being an arcanist, to the point where I can cast physick without tiring myself out too fast. But, um, I'm only backup." Tataru reassured her powerful friend, who let out a relieved sigh. "I see the hero of the day has arrived." A man with white hair, a beard, a pair of goggles that covered up his third eye, and a white leather shirt that leaves his chest slightly exposed, approached them from Idyllshire's entrance. Cid Garlond, a man who left his country, the imperial nation of Garlemald, the biggest threat to Eorzea next to the primals, gave them a salute. "The Enterprise Excelsior is primed and ready, everyone." "Excellent! We should depart immediately then." Alphinaud said with a smile, walking past Cid who followed him immediately. The Warrior of Light's party boarded the airship, which also contained Cid's trusted engineers: Biggs and Wedge. Wedge, like Colleen, was shocked when he discovered Tataru would be joining them. Before he could even utter a word, Cid spoke loud enough to get the engineer's attention. "Biggs! Wedge! Prepare for takeoff!" "Aye captain!" They both responded and began to prime up the engines, checking all systems and so on. It didn't take long for the Enterprise Excelsior to lift off of the ground and begin its journey towards the mountains in the west. Colleen stood at the front of the bow, staring ahead at the mountains. She began to let her mind wander, thinking about the vision she saw. She remembered the last time she had a vision like that, she confronted Lahabrea, the leader of the Ascians, and struck him down, relinquishing his hold on her friend and fellow scion, Thancred. She is glad that Lahabrea finally met his end, even though ultimately it was done by Thordan and not her own hands. He had a lot to answer for and she's content that he's no longer a threat to anyone. It was his fault that Haurchefant was killed by a Heaven's Ward Knight, taught on how to become a primal themselves. It worries her that this new Ascian that appeared in her vision might cause a similar tragedy to happen. Who would be next? Alphinaud? Tataru? Yugiri? The thought of them or any of her friends perishing sent shivers down her spine. Even with the power to strike down gods and demons, she could not save a life. No, she failed to save three. The deaths of Ysayle, Haurchefant, and Estinien haunt her mind. Although there may be a chance to save Estinien from Nidhogg's grasp, she doesn't want to hold onto hope. She doesn't want to be hurt again. "Is something amiss, Colleen?" Colleen's ears perked up as she turn around and saw Y'shtola and her silver eyes. "You looked like as if you had witnessed the death of a family member. What's wrong?" Colleen smiled at Y'shtola. "It's nothing. Just, tired. I had Emmanellain wake me up while also calling me 'old girl' again." She reassured her friend. "Ah, the young lord of House Fortemps. I heard about his carefree attitude. I'm surprised why the Vanu Vanu even kidnapped him in the first place." "Well he was trespassing on their land. But I figured we were going to have an issue with them sooner or later, considering they had a whale of a primal." "Ladies, I'd appreciate it if you never mentioned that beast. I still have nightmares of that thing just coming out of the clouds and swallowing my ship whole." Cid joined in on the conversation while keeping his eyes on the mountains ahead. "You have fought worse. Honestly, Bismarck isn't even your most threatening primal to date. You slew twelve of them on Azys Lla from what I heard from Master Alphinaud. I could hardly imagine a primal that acts more like a monster than a man could be your most threatening foe to date." Yugiri chimed in. "Sorry Colleen, that one was a slip of the tongue." Alphinaud apologizes to her while scratching the back of his head. 'At least he didn't tell them I took on Bahamut. He was more of a threat than Thordan was.' Colleen thought to herself as she turned her head back towards the front. As she did, she noticed a small circular opening in the mountains. "Hey, I see something over there!" Y'shtola stood next to Colleen and looked down where she pointed. "That's it! That's our destination. Cid!" "I'm on it." And with that, Cid turned the wheel and began the Enterprise Excelsior's descent into the mountains. Their destination looked like a valley with a small set of ruins lying around. It was only until they got a closer look that the ruins looked more like a ruined town. Cid parked the ship in the center of the "town's" square. Everyone got a good look at their new discovery. The town had ancient looking buildings made of stone with carvings that don't resemble anything on Eorzea. No one, but Colleen could make out what these words meant. The power of the echo allowed Colleen to recognize writing and languages of different races without putting in much effort to actually learn the language. She could even 'speak' in their tongue, which proved to be incredibly valuable when making friends among the Beastman Tribes. "This architecture, it's not like anything I've ever seen." Y'shtola spoke first as she gazed around their surroundings. "They're not Sharlayan, Amdapori, Nymian, or even Dravanian!" "Maybe we came across a lost civilization?" Tataru spoke, slightly nervous about the situation. "It's possible. Eorzea still has many secrets within its borders." Alphinaud spoke next. "But this doesn't look like a civilization. More like a settlement." "Then pray, what drove them out? And who were they?" Yugiri questioned Alphinaud, her hand ready to grab her dagger should anything attack them. "Well, we're not going to find out by just sitting here. Colleen, I think you know what to do." Cid spoke up, looking at Eorzea's champion. Colleen looked back at everyone and gave them all her 'famous' stoic nods before hopping out. But as soon as her feet touched the ground, a red light erupted beneath all of them. Everyone, drew their weapons and looked around in shock, wondering what's happening. Before anyone else could say anything, a loud cackle echoed throughout the valley. Colleen looked around to see where the laugh came from, and she found it as soon as she looked up at one of the buildings that looked like a small house. A small puddle of darkness erupted in the air and withdrew, leaving behind a cloaked figure with a sinister smile. "I didn't think it would have been so easy! You all have such perfect timing!" "An Ascian!" Y'shtola alerted the party and crew of the Enterpise Excelsior. Her grip on her staff tightened. "Seven Hells, I thought I felt something wrong." "And yet you couldn't tell what it was. Tsk tsk, a shame for you. But all the better for me." The Ascian replied, still smiling like a lunatic. Colleen didn't waste any time and readied a shot. Her arrow was enveloped in a blood red glow before she released it, only for it to hit a barrier that wasn't even close to where the Ascian stood. 'Damn!' She thought to herself. "Way to take the initiative, Warrior of Light, but I'm afraid you're too late. You see..." The Ascian hopped off the building and hovered over the grass, circling around them with her arms behind her back. "You have become a problem for us. Too much that even our most prestigious members are afraid of you. You struck down not just Nabriales and Igeyorhm, but Lord Lahabrea! Our leader! I actually WANT to thank you for doing so." "This one likes to talk." Yugiri quietly noted. "Let her." Alphinaud replied. "I was actually hoping you would come alone so that I could actually test your strength, considering you need this new material, 'white auracite' I believe it is called, in order to slay one of us. But, it would be no fun if your friends intervened, so I suppose it's time to cut to the chase. I'm the one who attracted your old master's attention, Scions." "For what purpose? To monologue us to death?" Y'shtola replied with a snark remark. "Cute. But no, to say goodbye." Colleen raised an eyebrow at that last statement before she realized what she meant. The red light formed a circle around them and it began to light up even brighter. She looked at the Ascian and glared at her, firing off more shots from her bow, only for the arrows to uselessly hit the wall of the circle. 'No no no no!' "Your stay here in Eorzea is long overdue. I think you all deserve a vacation." The Ascian bowed down before her trapped prey. "As they say, it's been a pleasure, Warrior of Light." The Ascian let out a blood curdling cackle as the circle's light enveloped everyone. There was nothing the hero could do that would not endanger her friend's lives. All she could do was watch the Ascian claim victory. .... .... .... .... It was morning in Ponyville. Everypony was going about their day, including a pink pony hopping her way towards the edge of town. Pinkie Pie was on her way to the Castle of the Two Sisters to meet up with everyone for their weekly investigation about the mysterious box that appeared when they restored the Elements to the Tree of Harmony. The castle was located deep in the Everfree Forest, which was an incredibly dangerous area, but thankfully Twilight Sparkle, with the help of Zecora, managed to secure a safe route that leads from Ponyville to the old castle. It didn't take long for Pinkie Pie to reach the castle. She zipped over to the doors and pushed them open while shouting, "Good morning everypony!" She closed the door behind her and approached her friends, who were startled by the sudden entrance. Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were sorting out the books that have fallen over from the door's impact. "Pinkie Pie, darling, you could use a bit more of a delicate touch when making your announcements." Rarity said as she picked up some of the books that fell over when Pinkie Pie slammed the door open. She carried them with her magic and put them in order on the shelf and then dusted them afterwards. "Hehe, my bad. But I brought everypony breakfast. I asked Mr. and Mrs. Cake if I could take some of their cakes with me to the castle, but they thought I meant Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake so I had to explain it them-" she unpacked her saddlebag filled with moist chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and coconut cake slices and placed it on the table. "-that I meant these cakes!" "Awesome! I could definitely use some cake." Rainbow Dash swoops down and takes a bite out of one of the vanilla slices. "All this rereading through old books is exhausting." "We just started, Rainbow" Applejack takes a big chunk out of the coconut cake. "Yeah, but we've looked over these books before and we still haven't figured out anything about that box. I'm cool with reading, we're just going over old stuff now." Dash takes another bite out of her vanilla cake. "We have to be sure we haven't missed anything. I'm certain that one of the books here has something in it." Twilight spoke up, picking up a fork with her levitating magic and picking a piece out of a chocolate cake. Spike sat next to her and dined on the other chocolate slice. "Speaking of something missing, where's Fluttershy? I brought this strawberry slice just for her." Pinkie Pie said as she wraps her tongue around one of the coconut slices and gobbles it up. "Oh she went into the forest with Angel to gather some herbs for Zecora. She's not far from the castle, so she should be just fine." Rarity, just like Twilight, picked up a fork and took a piece out of her vanilla slice. In the forest, not far from the Castle of the Two Sisters, Fluttershy was trotting after Angel, who was helping her sniff out the specific herbs she needs to gather for their friend Zecora. It's been going well so far, with her basket almost full of the flora she's been gathering. "Good work Angel! When we get back, I'll be sure to ask Pinkie Pie to make a carrot cake just for you." Angel licked his lips at the prospect of eating one of the cakes Pinkie Pie makes. He happily continued to assist his owner with her task. Angel's nose picked up another herb in the area. Thinking about the cake again, Angel waved at Fluttershy to follow and hopped towards the scent. "Oh dear. Angel, not so fast!" Fluttershy called out to her rabbit, following as quickly as she can without dropping any of the herbs she's gathered so far. Angel's nose brought him to an entrance of a large cavern. His nose tells him that there's an herb inside, but his animal instincts are warning him to not approach. Fluttershy caught up with him shortly. "Is there one inside?" She questioned her little friend. Angel turned towards her and nodded first, but then waved his arms in a manner that was supposed to tell her that it's probably not safe. "Well, let's hurry and grab it. I don't want to keep Zecora and the others waiting." Angel could only facepalm as his owner went in and didn't notice his warnings. He followed after her to make sure that she'll be alright. Fluttershy ventured into the cave, finding herself in a large cavern. She can hear running water nearby, as well as a bunch of bats making noises. She didn't feel that afraid because she believed that this was probably a normal cave. She trotted down, following Angel who reluctantly led the way. Angel followed a path that seemed to curve down towards a large body of water. Near the bottom of the path, she found the last set of herbs she needed. She happily approached them and was about to pick them up, until she saw a flash of red light at the corner of the cave, followed by a crashing sound and a scream so loud it caused all of the bats to fly away. Fluttershy forgot immediately what she needed to do and hid behind the closest rock she could find, cowering behind it. Angel, who was also frightened by the sudden loud noise, hid between his master's front hooves. .... .... .... It felt like hours since they were blinded by the light of the Ascian's spell, only to find themselves, including the Enterpise Excelsior falling towards a pool of water. The sudden drop caused everyone to scream as they hit the soft. wet, moist floor of gods knows where they are. Colleen instinctively rolled on her sides to lessen the impact, while everyone else wasn't so lucky since they were still on the Enterprise when they were transported. The airship landed with a loud crashing sound of metal and wood breaking inward. Thankfully the aether core didn't explode or else they'd all be at Thal's door by now. Everyone was lying on their fronts and their backs, groaning in pain. Alphinaud found himself lying on Yugiri's bosoms, which caused him to hastily get up, much to his body's disagreement. "Agh, I-is everyone alright?" He hastily asked his companions. "Bruised up, but I've been in worse landings." Cid replied, standing up on his legs. He immediately looked over the railing, finding that that the bottom of the Enterprise Excelsior has been smashed. "Blast it! That damned Ascian ruined the ship. Gods know how long it's going to take to fix this." "Where exactly did we land?" Yugiri sat up and rolled her shoulders. "Wherever we are, it's vibrant with aether. This place is thriving with life." Y'shtola commented, scanning their surrondings as she stood up. "Thriving? We're in a blooming cave for Thal's sake!" The lalafell engineer, Wedge, called out as he got himself, Tataru, and Biggs on their feet. "I can sense the aether here. It's like looking at a rainbow." Y'shtola replied, staring at her surroundings with awe. 'I can make everything out clearer than usual.' She thought to herself. Since she's lost her sight, she's had to rely on looking at the aether around her in order to tell who's there and what the area around her is like. This has increased her senses tenfold, but at a price. She hasn't told anyone yet that she is visually blind yet, and she'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible. All everyone knows is that her senses are better. "Well if it was the Ascian's idea to drop in a place that's made of rainbows, this is sure one hell of a way to try and kill us." Colleen commented with snark as she stood up on her feet and, like everyone else, looked around their surroundings. They were definitely in a cave, obviously, but how far inside and where in Eorzea are they? If they are even in Eorzea anymore. The cave they were in was filled with ankle-deep water. There was a small opening up ahead that seemed to be the only way out. If it weren't for the fact that there were glowing mushrooms that lit up the room, she wouldn't have been able to tell unless she summoned an Ifrit-egi. "I'm going to look around. Everyone stay here and take care of your wounds." "What about you, Colleen? You weren't in the ship when that Ascian hit us with that teleportation spell." Alphinaud questioned her with great concern. Colleen looked back and gave him a gentle smile. "Don't worry. Being taught in the methods of the dragoon and arts of the ninja taught me how to recover from long falls. I'll be okay." And with that, Colleen jogged off down the nearest opening she could spot.