The first anniversary festivities continue to advance and here is the first tale that will delight history buffs. Good reading !
Perfect anniversary source"Cancel all maneuvers in progress by Maelstrom units, I order a general retreat, effective immediately!" "
It was in great distress that Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn had to make this decision. The horrible spectacle that unfolded before her eyes had left this implacable woman no other choice than to command her troops to abandon the plain of Carteneau.
The attempt to stop the fall of the Dalamud satellite through the power of the Twelve Tutelary Deities of Eorzea had failed. A dark and gigantic Primordial had arisen from the bolide, bringing destruction and terror to the battlefield, and although there was one last hope that sage Louisoix could summon the Gods, military strategies were now in vain against the ancient rage. from Bahamut.
“Our units will take care of the rear. Let the adventurers of the special infantry evacuate first! "
Straddling his trusty chocobo Victory, Merlwyb had ordered that the brave warriors who had joined the fight in a selfless outpouring to defend Eorzea and its inhabitants be spared from the terrible massacre.
“Eynzahr! I will stay with the main unit to coordinate our withdrawal! Take charge of leading our men to safety! "
Normally, a subordinate would prevent his superior from taking such risks, but Grand Marshal Eynzahr Slafyrsyn was well aware of the Lady of Steel's determination and he knew from reading the features of her face that she had made this decision with composure. . For this reason, he had accepted the order without flinching. It was because she particularly appreciated this quality that she had made him her right hand.
Carried by her imposing steed, Merlwyb raced across the battlefield. Victoire's eyes betrayed a certain fear, but undoubtedly galvanized by the confidence of his rider, he restrained this feeling which threatened to paralyze his powerful muscles and ran at a gallop.
Despite the auspicious name given to the Admiral's mount, the troops of the Eorzean Alliance were now routed, each fleeing as best they could before the deluge of flame and metal that hit the plain.
Merlwyb was having a hard time redirecting any messy units she came across in her path. It was then that, going up the chaotic flow of folds, she came across a squadron grappling with the Garlemaldese forces. She immediately recognized one of the Maelstrom's infantry corps made up of former pirates.
“I gave the order to fall back! Give up the fight and withdraw! "
This intervention of the Admiral did not have the desired effect on Rhoswen, the leader of one of the three crews of Limsean privateers, the Bloodthirsty Sirens. Brandishing her finely crafted mithril pistol, the beauty retorted sharply in the direction of Merlwyb.
“Do you know how many of our people we lost !? It is out of the question to flee! These Imperial dogs must all die! "
The deaths of many comrades had made Rhoswen lose reason, and she had nothing left but revenge in mind. While she continued this exchange of invectives with the Admiral, Garlemaldais reinforcements had come to join in the battle, making the situation even more difficult for the pirates.
“Curse! "
Without wasting a moment, Merlwyb unsheathed his two signature firearms, Death Penalty and Annihilator, then unleashed a barrage of barrage on the enemy, slaughtering Imperial soldiers one after the other.
Despite the roar of the cataclysm that Primordial Bahamut unleashed in the skies, gunfire echoed in the ears of the Steel Lady and the fighters around her. Nevertheless, the Admiral quickly realized that her adversaries were far too numerous and that she would not overcome them.
In her desperate struggle, she had not seen an imposing mass approaching behind her, the size of which easily exceeded that of Victoire. This steel monster to which the Imperials had given the name of magitek armor exhibited a powerful cannon as it opened its mouth. It was then that Merlwyb realized his recklessness.
« Aaargh !! »
She stamped her feet on the sides of her mount urgently to make him dodge the fire of the Garlemaldese death machine. This sudden movement of the chocobo raised a cloud of dust.
Already blinded, Merlwyb was also deafened by the detonation.
Surrounded by this sudden silence, she saw herself fall slowly, as if she had been detached from all the fury of the battlefield. When she finally hit the ground, she felt blood still warm at her feet, but it wasn't hers. Indeed, the shell fired by the magitek armor had passed through the bard of Victory, inflicting a mortal wound on the bird. It was not until much later that the Admiral found out.
The ceiling of his cabin is the first thing Merlwyb sees when he comes to his senses.
She was aboard the Triumph, the flagship of the Maelstrom's fleet.
“G-Grand Marshal! The Admiral woke up !! "
Barely had the caregiver left the cabin when the imposing silhouette of a Roegadyn appeared in his place.
"Don't you think it's high time to get up, Admiral?" "
While Eynzahr was indeed smiling, the mark of fatigue on his soiled face had not escaped Merlwyb.
"How much time has passed?" What has become of our men?
- It's been two days now, Admiral ... The Triumph is currently in the Strait of Merlthor. "
Eynzahr calmly recounted what had happened after the Admiral passed out.
Victoire had been killed by the shot of the magitek armor. In his fall, Merlwyb had hit his head. Luckily, the executioner pirates, who passed by during their strategic withdrawal, found her unconscious and transported to a place of safety.
Rhoswen, who was ready to fight to the end, even if it meant certain death for her, owed her salvation only to the intervention of Carvallain, the leader of the Kraken Horde, a bunch of rival buccaneers. , who had taken her by force on her chocobo. His gesture had been executed with so much skill, his steed driven with such mastery, worthy of the Knights of Ishgard, that the fierce bloodthirsty Siren had not been able to fight against this friendly captor. It was only then that, deeply hurt in her pride, she had sworn on her pirate honor that Carvallain would pay her dearly for this impudence.
The Maelstrom soldiers and officers who had managed to escape the hell of the Plain of Carteneau had regrouped with the other large companies in Thanalan, where they had been able to reform their ranks. They later boarded ships moored in Vespers Bay to return to Limsa Lominsa.
"The Uldian alchemists had advised us not to move in the state you were in ... but you are not the kind of captain who leaves his ship in a storm, are you, Admiral?" "
This phrase from Eynzahr referred to Merlwyb's habit of calling Limsa Lominsa "a huge war ship".
He knew that as a worthy ruler of the city-state, with the culture and the mentality of a navigator, the Admiral would not abandon her people in a situation as tragic and catastrophic as the one they faced.
Merlwyb was once again reassured to have this man as his right hand man, who understood her and knew her so well that no order was necessary for her to act as she wanted.
"By the way, what about these people?" "
For Merlwyb the significance of this question was obvious, but the surprise it elicited in Eynzahr was almost disheartening.
" These people ? Who are you talking about, Admirale? "
However, the Admiral clearly remembered ordering her to evacuate certain elements of their units as a priority when she decided to withdraw from the Maelstrom. How could Eynzahr have forgotten?
This apparent loss of memory of her subordinate surprised her greatly, but she preferred to let him believe that his question was just a passing rambling, due to the blow she had taken on the head while falling.
The following days passed like the waves which tirelessly hit the hull of a ship.
On their way to Vylbrand Island, the Maelstrom squadron passed a number of adrift men lost in the waves and welcomed them aboard their ships. These castaways told how the fall of fragments of Dalamud had caused tidal waves in the bay of Galadion, destroying many coastal villages and scattering goods and men in the vastness of the sea.
What was the amazement of the Limsean sailors either when they saw the great lighthouse of Sirius, symbol of the splendor of their nation, disfigured and pierced by an imposing and sinister crystal with yellow-orange reflections.
They were relieved, however, to find Moraby's shipyard intact, protected as it had been by the natural barrier formed by the cape known as the Gods' Fist. This sign comforted them in their belief that despite the cataclysm they had witnessed, they had not been completely abandoned by heaven.
When all of the Maelstrom's ships had been moored in the shipyard, Merlwyb set up his provisional command post there, already taking the first steps to come to the aid of his people and rebuild what had been destroyed.
Many lives were lost in this terrible disaster.
The Admiral was so committed to rescuing her family and restoring Limsa Lominsa to her glory that she decided to spare no effort, spending many sleepless nights planning reconstruction projects. However, she could not help but regularly have a thought, mixed with concern and regret, for these fighters whom she had lost track of during the Battle of Carteneau.
The frenzy of redevelopment work meant that the years quickly followed one another. Soon the provisional command post having lost its necessity, the staff of the Maelstrom returned to settle in a rebuilt Limsa Lominsa, again ready to "sail".
The Moraby shipyard then returned to its original function, notably receiving the order for a new ship for the great Limsean company, for which Merlwyb readily chose the name of Victoire, wishing never to forget the past defeat, his faithful steed dead in the battlefield, and those adventurers dear to her heart whose memories were apparently to haunt her forever.
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