Oblivious to the distant menace of the rising wave, she continued her protests until she felt her feet swept from the ground. For a scarce second, she believed that the earth had collapsed away, cringing as she expected a fall and her subsequent demise. After gaining some sense of her bearings, she belatedly realized that she was, in fact, being carried.
She could barely believe it, and she certainly couldn't fathom the 'why' behind such an action. Even still, the scourge of Bahamut scattered any further philosophy on the matter, as streaks of fire and crumbling dirt roiled from all directions. Limsa was within sight - standing as a white-walled beacon in defiance of the aetheric torrent.
As the Hyur's eyes lowered, however, a dire visage could be seen clattering toward them. Just as the two were caught within the panicked run across the plains, so too were the animals set into instinct-driven disarray. A living wall had been summoned, the impeding tsunami having likewise threatened a cast of Megalocrabs into a terror-stricken run. There was no time to steer around them, myriad legs scuttling at full speed toward the unwitting victims ahead.
The pincers stampeded about them in a cluster of claws and carapace, swiping and kicking as the beasts struggled for their own survival. The crustaceans climbed over one another in their haste, flipping forward at times and being trampled by their fellows. More fire struck the frenzied collective, wailing croaks preluding the slice of shells as the remnant shards flew past. The steps of the creatures pierced mere inches from Nero's footwear, various forceps snagging his robes during the weave through the inconsistent assemblage of obstacles.
As they broke through the other side of the pod, the city was graciously close. Hastened footfalls crossed the stone threshold of Limsa proper, though the sight within was far less encouraging than it had appeared from a distance. The bombardment had left much of the city in disarray, people darting and scrambling as they tried their best to seek shelter.
Then, just like that, the tremors and terror of the Calamity receded. The ground gave a final shudder beneath them as a few stray embers flicked down to the streets, and the starved dog of death was no longer nipping at their heels. Cries of terror were dying down to wails of sorrow as the populace begin to process all that had happened. Shouts for missing loved ones created a grim backdrop to the barked commands of the nearby Yellow Jackets, trying their best to instill order in the wake of stark confusion.
D'ranmaia felt her feet touch the ground again, eased downward after the danger was established as passed. She knew they were within Limsa Lominsa, although she wasn't certain as to where, particularly since she'd never stepped into the city prior. Her stunned mind was slowly allowing her thoughts to come back into focus, and her consciousness replayed all that had just transpired. The humbling sense of gratitude that followed was overwhelming, to the point that it stifled all of the words she knew she should be speaking. Despite this, her countenance was an open book, standing with a fragile smile and an indiscriminate gaze that sparked with light for the first time in what could have been her entire life.
This individual - this complete stranger - had saved her from a certain and undeniable tragedy. This random Hyur was her first interaction with anyone beyond her tribe, and it flooded her with hope for the future for the first time in all her recollection. D'ranmaia would not know the name of this feeling for quite some time, even though it filled her, in that moment, with such a poignant wellspring of peace and happiness. It would take weeks for her to figure out that she had felt 'trust' for the very first time, though it was a lesson that stayed in her heart for the rest of her days.
She could barely believe it, and she certainly couldn't fathom the 'why' behind such an action. Even still, the scourge of Bahamut scattered any further philosophy on the matter, as streaks of fire and crumbling dirt roiled from all directions. Limsa was within sight - standing as a white-walled beacon in defiance of the aetheric torrent.
As the Hyur's eyes lowered, however, a dire visage could be seen clattering toward them. Just as the two were caught within the panicked run across the plains, so too were the animals set into instinct-driven disarray. A living wall had been summoned, the impeding tsunami having likewise threatened a cast of Megalocrabs into a terror-stricken run. There was no time to steer around them, myriad legs scuttling at full speed toward the unwitting victims ahead.
The pincers stampeded about them in a cluster of claws and carapace, swiping and kicking as the beasts struggled for their own survival. The crustaceans climbed over one another in their haste, flipping forward at times and being trampled by their fellows. More fire struck the frenzied collective, wailing croaks preluding the slice of shells as the remnant shards flew past. The steps of the creatures pierced mere inches from Nero's footwear, various forceps snagging his robes during the weave through the inconsistent assemblage of obstacles.
As they broke through the other side of the pod, the city was graciously close. Hastened footfalls crossed the stone threshold of Limsa proper, though the sight within was far less encouraging than it had appeared from a distance. The bombardment had left much of the city in disarray, people darting and scrambling as they tried their best to seek shelter.
Then, just like that, the tremors and terror of the Calamity receded. The ground gave a final shudder beneath them as a few stray embers flicked down to the streets, and the starved dog of death was no longer nipping at their heels. Cries of terror were dying down to wails of sorrow as the populace begin to process all that had happened. Shouts for missing loved ones created a grim backdrop to the barked commands of the nearby Yellow Jackets, trying their best to instill order in the wake of stark confusion.
D'ranmaia felt her feet touch the ground again, eased downward after the danger was established as passed. She knew they were within Limsa Lominsa, although she wasn't certain as to where, particularly since she'd never stepped into the city prior. Her stunned mind was slowly allowing her thoughts to come back into focus, and her consciousness replayed all that had just transpired. The humbling sense of gratitude that followed was overwhelming, to the point that it stifled all of the words she knew she should be speaking. Despite this, her countenance was an open book, standing with a fragile smile and an indiscriminate gaze that sparked with light for the first time in what could have been her entire life.
This individual - this complete stranger - had saved her from a certain and undeniable tragedy. This random Hyur was her first interaction with anyone beyond her tribe, and it flooded her with hope for the future for the first time in all her recollection. D'ranmaia would not know the name of this feeling for quite some time, even though it filled her, in that moment, with such a poignant wellspring of peace and happiness. It would take weeks for her to figure out that she had felt 'trust' for the very first time, though it was a lesson that stayed in her heart for the rest of her days.
