Final Fantasy XIV: The Winter Calamity

It was still mid-day in the Black Shroud. I was calmly ignoring the Moogles who continued to swarm me as I chatted with the administrator for the Lavender Beds.

The Lavender Beds were a detached village near the Central Shroud. A small island town that sat next to, and partially upon, the roots of a truly gargantuan tree. Its size was primordial, easily the same, if not bigger, than a castle.

It was likely that the island's cliffs were stubbornly held in place by the tree's roots. I wasn't sure how long the tree had been growing, but for its size, it likely had to have been here since the Black Shroud came into being.

The island sat square within the middle a ravine's river. To each side of the isolated mass of land, smooth mossy cliffs climbed skyward and sprouted even more of those insanely gigantic trees. The waters of the river were deep, but lazy and slow.

I had assumed it to be a lake without the correction of the administrator. 

laughter

Numerous small waterfalls were a part of the village's landscape, and a grand waterfall, as big as one of the trees, cascaded into the languid river, off across the way. 

Children danced, sang, and played around while colorful petals from the bespoke lavender fields glided on the air.

In-game, the most desirable housing was in Limsa Lominsa. A beach-side district called the Mist. Beautiful white stone cliffs stacked on top of one another creating a dense weave of pearly rock. The deep and ever alive ocean that was dyed a sparkling cerulean.

The second most popular was the Goblet. A town that sat high up on a thick pillar of sandstone. It was surrounded on all sides by canyons. Massive foundations and handcrafted waterfalls gingerly echoed off the polished marble tiles and soaked their sound into the fruit trees. The riches of Ul'dah reached far enough for anywhere to become a mini-City of Gold.

If I was playing and not living, I likely also would have wanted to live in the Mist or Goblet. Although the most highly valued plot in the game was usually in this very town, I didn't have an affinity for the forest. But as I was here, in the flesh, I had to factor in not just the Calamity and where the housing district was in relation to the impact site of Dalamud, but I also needed to know the conditions of where I would live. 

The most dangerous thing about the Calamity was not truly Bahamut, though the moon sized Primal truly was terrifying, but the massive shards of forbidden steel that composed his prison. When Bahamut broke out, shards of the false moon shot across the whole realm.

The land was sundered. The oceans quaked. The skies tore open. I didn't believe that there was a way to truly convey just how big that prison was, or how much force was used in breaking it. Could one even imagine? The entire sky being covered in hellfire? Dalamud was the size of a fucking moon. But despite those words being accurate, cutscenes simply couldn't match the scale of the lore.

So wherever I was to end up, I needed to be in a place that was not in the direct trajectory of the explosion.

Ishgard was under a strict and high handed fist of theological corruption. 

Othard was fully occupied by an Empire still in their prime. 

The Syndicate within Ul'dah could have their eyes and ears everywhere and would cease at no point if they had strong cause. 

Limsa and her surrounding waters were still infested with Pirates and Privateers. The shores of the Mists were no different than any other port.

Everywhere was dangerous or inconvenient except for Gridania. Poachers would arrive, animals and Sylphs would run wild, but the Lavender Bed would stay tranquil despite it all.

"How about this one?"

"Hmm..."

I was choosing a plot of land to pick up. Astral Eras were times of abundance. I may not have hoarded millions of gil, but I had saved up quite a lot. With it, I could purchase any plot of land as the times were good and the value was low. 

Most citizens of the Twelveswood would be choosing to live within Gridania proper. There was a gated part of the city for the most notable and important families. It was where the Senna family stayed. Padjal, oddly enough, tended to not live within the city itself. Most enjoyed living within the forest. Perhaps it helped their affinity for the elements.

The peoples of Gridania loved their woods, but they were still mortals with mortal desires. Being right next to the shops was a convenience. Who would want to live out here in what effectively amounted to "the countryside"? Especially when walking within the city was already a pain in the- ugh, I felt sick just thinking about it. But that isolation was exactly why I came. 

Gridania was wrecked by the Calamity in a way that the other two city-states could not claim. The entire geography of the city changed. It would be the most dangerous place to spend your time during the apocalypse. 

"No thank you. Can we keep looking?"

"Of course."

But the Lavender Beds were okay. If I was interested in making enemies and putting a target on my back, I'd buy up every piece of property and sell them at the highest price.

"Oh, what about this one?"

"Hmm. Let me check the records..."

But I was not a psychopath. I just needed somewhere that me and mine would be safe. Somewhere to ride out those 5 years.

My eyes were obsessively discerning. My women had to be safe here. That meant I couldn't get a house that hugged a cliff face.

Rockfalls. 

Can't be too close to the rivers. If that flow were to suddenly accelerate, the house would be washed off the island by rising tides. And if monsters were washed in by the rapids, guess whose house they'd crash into? 

Mine.

And if hellfire were to fall from above, to have the branches of a tree overhead was actually more terrifying than one would think. A branch's limb could be burnt and the massive arm of torching wood would crush whose house? 

Once again. Mine. 

Every angle of attack, direct or otherwise, was considered. It wasn't easy to up and move. Even after A Realm Reborn. Even after the Waking Sands are invaded and we moved to the new headquarters, this place would still be home. This place wasn't perfect, no where was, but I estimated it to be our best chance.

"Yes, it is available. However, it is somewhat isolated sir..."

And that's how I decided upon Plot #28.

---

Plot #28 was unique in that it was an island on the island. It sat upon the same kind of hardstone pillar that the Goblet did. The difference being that it was simply a large tract of land and not a whole town.

To reach it, you would need to cross an ornate hardwood bridge on foot. Of course, once I got an Aetheryte setup here, I didn't mind tearing the bridge down. On 3 sides, the plot of land was surrounded by beautiful views of the river below and a large waterfall that sounded in the distance. 

"Can these be torn down?"

The blight of the Lavender Beds. Ugly as sin, brown granite walls that had no pattern or style. Tap the top of an egg with a hammer. The smashed yolk is the plot. The shell that stands half broken but unfettered is the wall. 

FFXIV players could be divided to different types. Casual Sprouts, Raiders, Lore Nerds, Crafters, Glamour Enthusiasts and Home Designers. If one wanted to, they could spend almost all their time playing like so and not once touching the other content. 

What was that? PVP? Falsities that would get one burned at the stake for mentioning. They didn't exist. XIV has no PVP. And one would be smart to keep their mouths shut.

It'd be a mistake to assume players took their niche lightly. One could not find a more impassioned community if they tried. Entire websites were dedicated to showcasing and educating. I spent thousands of hours scrolling through ff14housing while sipping coffee. Oohing and Aahing at the talents on display. I spent even more on the eorzea-collection. These crazy bastards wear bold outfits and strut around like nothing else!

It's only because I frequently visited these places, lurking in the shadows while dragging on a disgusting cigarette, that I knew, if the Home Designers could point a gun and make a demand of the developers, knocking these stupid ass walls down would be high on the list. There were only so many places to buy a home in XIV. An entire town was blighted with these god forsaken walls. With just a bit of polish the Lavender Beds could be great.

Make the Lavender Beds Great Again!

"I'm afraid not sir. The waterfall's spray tend to degrade the foundations. Blocking the moisture is essential."

'It's MLBGA till I'm dead, you nerd!'

Then I punched him off the cliff.

"I see. Perchance, could they be carved into something a bit more aesthetically pleasing? Perhaps a persistent property line wall?"

"Hmm... Indeed, I shall inform the Carpenters of your wish."

I walked back with the administrator to pay for the plot, permits, and inspections, then I proceeded to lock into a property tax cap contract. I did this because once Dalamud made itself obvious and heralded the surprise 7th Umbral Era, I wasn't interested in having my prices suddenly jacked up out of no where. 

The Administrator fought me on this for a while, but I used my best contact, my beloved Kan-E, as a cudgel to make him bend the knee to my demands. The massive tree on the edge of the island was literally named Senna's Pride. If he didn't obey after that, why bother working here? Did he not want to feed his family? Was his job worth losing over one strange client?

In total I paid just under 500,000 gil. Every 10 years I was supposed to pay another 20k in land tax, however I got it bundled into the land purchase. Players would drool for land at such a low price. Even I rubbed my eyes to see if I had missed 3 extra zeroes.

The economy in XIV was atrocious when it came to housing. There was an entire strategy surrounding server-hopping, timed buys, waiting rotations, and god knows how much more.

Plot #16 [EX] was a joke that wasn't a joke.

Next I would need to begin construction on the house. Utilities. Landscaping. Quite a lot actually. 

Transporting materials across that bridge might have been to be troublesome. The further the distance and the heavier the load, the higher the price. Perhaps I needed the Aetheryte constructed first? 

Whenever I was, prior to 1.0, there were no Aetheryte to help you traverse within a city. However the housing plots had no such restrictions. I'd need an engineer to set it up, but soon we'd have a Lalafell sized floating blue crystal to move those construction materials over. Hopefully saving me a handful of Gil.

Then I could set it as a home point and use the Hearthstone I designed to tap into it's flow from a distance. I had to make a new stone for each Aetheryte, but something was better than nothing.

Teleport and Return were 2 skills available as common Magicks for anyone to use, however they had a massive cooldown that varied based on how in-tuned you were with Aether. In addition, the MP cost varied as well. While it didn't cost anything for the protagonist, for the common NPC, Teleport and Return were impossible to use. I was no different in that aspect. It was still difficult for me to create a Teleport runestone, but Return was something Thancred and I collaborated to create. With his help, we managed it somehow.

Before I went any further, I wanted to see my women and show them the location.

---

"Wow..."

"...Mm. I may have been a bit..."

"Extreme?"

"...well, you know! You know how it feels...I wasn't really thinking much...it feels so good."

"I-Mm. I... I understand."

Kan-E was awkwardly standing with Minfilia in the doorway of her dorm room and fiddling with her fingers. It were as if an impish storm of juices and cum had blown through. There was even some on the ceiling! What were those two doing?!

The smell of her darling's seed was pungent. It stung her nose and made her smallclothes a bit sticky. She could relate to Minfilia's words. When Winter was tenderizing her pussy just yesterday, they had made a crazy mess of the Lotus Stand. 

She couldn't hear the Elements complaining at the time. Only the sounds of sweet sex and her darling's sultry voice echoed in her ears, but she definitely got an earful of nonsense in the morning. 

Kan-E channeled her Aether into a spell that she was familiar with. 

[Purify]

A shining blue light erupted and seemingly consumed the room before it faded, revealing the sparking clean dorm that it previously was. 

"Woooow~"

Minfilia's surprise filled Kan-E's breast with a small amount of pride. It wasn't an advanced spell, but its effects spoke for themselves. 

step - step - step

"Oh?"

A familiar voice stroked her ears and made her heart beat fast.

"Winter Winter~"

Winter had just climbed up the stairs and found them in the doorway. Minfilia ran into his embrace and-

Sluuuuurp kiss bite shlurrp

Started making out. It was so vulgar. Their mouths fought with their tongues and they sucked and swallowed each other's saliva as if they had been in a desert, yet found fresh water.

Minfilia wrapped her arms around Winter's manly frame and ran her fingers through his heavenly cloud of hair. Winter used one of his hands to squeeze Minfilia's ass and stroke her thighs. The other hand grabbed ahold of her breasts and pulled them around lewdly.

kiss mmnmph slurp ehmm slurp bite kiss

Winter's eyes made contact with Kan-E and she swallowed her saliva.

pop

"Kan-E, come here."

While still grabbing a handful of Minfilia's rump, her beloved demanded she approach. Kan-E wasted no time walking up to greet her darling. As soon as she was within arms reach, Winter had seemingly lost his patience and pulled her into him for a sloppy bout of kisses. 

SLUUUURP kiss pop sluuuuurp kiss kissssss slurp

Heaven had come for Kan-E once more. She could hear Minfilia panting and biting their Winter's neck. Winter's manly hand ended up on it's favorite place. Her ass. He squeezed her tight while continuing to greet the insides of her mouth. It brought back memories of just yesterday when he deemed it of most importance to breed her with his rugged manhood over and over again. Combined with the pungent scent she inhaled greedily not too long ago and Kan-E could firmly identify this feeling inside her. Desire. 

pop

Winter ended his greeting, but he kept his hand squeezing and groping her behind. Kan-E leaned in and mimicked her new sister, planting kisses on his neck and collar. She finally understood the appeal. She felt like she was marking territory. Claiming her Winter. It filled her heart and mind with even more love. 

Minfilia was a truly inspiring woman...

---

"So, what were you two up to today?"

We sat on the bed with Minfilia straddling my left leg and Kan-E straddling my right. My Minfilia's short skirt naturally folded up seductively and my Kan-E had rolled up her long dress to mount my knee comfortably.

I encouraged their behavior by holding their huge asses, groping and comparing their size and softness. Kan-E had Minfilia decidedly beat in this area. If I had to measure her hips, perhaps they'd be at 55 inches. Minfilia's heavy ass would sit at 45 perhaps?

I could feel their warm and sticky caves grinding slowly along my thighs as they bit on my neck and ears. They both pushed their full weight onto me, covering my body with their soft feminine forms.

In this contest the results were easily reversed. For men, we communicated sizes with relative cups rather than bust size. A beautiful and efficient code of shorthand spat out it's results.

Minfilia won by a landslide with her generous L-Cup pair. Kan-E trailed with a still very respectable H-Cup. I gave both contestants strong squeezes for their love of the game. I loved my women equally and appreciated their different strengths. At moments like this, they complimented each other very well.

And it turned up the temperature. 

grrrrrrrriiind pop hump grind pop thrust

Their sweet honey pots started to audibly pop and suction upon my thigh. Kan-E in particular was grinding intensely and producing an immense amount of sweet syrup. 

I was rock hard, but I wanted to show them the plot of land today, not have a threesome. 

I was somewhat proud of my purchase and wanted to start architecting and thinking up designs for our home. But my women disagreed. Their soppy sexes communicated strongly to me. We weren't going anywhere until I had smashed into their wombs and packed them full of cum. 

I glanced out the window and noticed the sun was entering into the afternoon. We might have needed to take a late dinner, but that was okay.

It was good to be home.