AznxStarrZ

Chapter 1 - Exiled

It was during the darkest hour of night when the most tragic thing happened to me. I was getting ready for bed when I heard a somewhat angry rumbling coming from below the Sharance tree. I assumed it was one of my Buffamoos fighting over which was dominant in the barn. I had merely sighed and reached over to grab my rucksack filled with tools to discipline them. I had slowly trudged down the long flight of stairs of the front entrance. When I reached the bottom, I had noticed an eerie tension in the air. Being half-monster, it was easy for me to distinguish it. What had confused me, was the fact that the strange auras were coming from the villagers. I called out a hesitant "Hello?" thinking that something drastic had happened to them. Then, one by one, they stepped out onto the road at the base of the Sharance tree. I was confused when I saw them. They were all staring at something with.. hatred. At first I had naively thought there was something behind me. I looked around and saw nothing. Then I faced the Mayor with a slight nervousness in my eyes. The Mayor in turn, glared at me with a fierce gaze.

"You..", he had said. "You are a monster! A damned beast. A creature who seeks after the lives of my people!", he had straggled out with malice in every word.

I was frozen in shock. They had found out? When? How? I had been very discreet about my secret. In fact the only time I had ever transformed was in the deepest parts of the dungeon! There was no way any of the villagers could have possibly trailed me and seen me change.

Unless. It was that time before I knew of my other side. The only other time I have ever changed outside of the dungeon.. And even that was unknowingly... Was it when, I had first arrived in Sharance? When Shara had found me? No.. It couldn't possibly be.. I had transformed subconsciously, but no one was around during that time. Shara was also, no offense intended of course, too dumb to piece two and two together. So I looked at her, with a slight fear and question lining my face. She in turn had, just like her father had, glared at me as angrily as he did with the slightest bit of accusing betrayal showing in her eyes. That's when I figured it out. She had discovered my secret and ratted it out. The whole village knew, and all or most hated me for it. I briefly glanced around and saw only fear, hate, anger, and betrayal evident on their faces.

A shadow passed over my face as I began to chuckle at the sheer irony of the situation. All this time, I had feared of this day. Most of the people here were my closest friends. People whom I had once confided secrets in. Beings whom I had helped because I wanted to. It was only yesterday when I was considered a love interest and a friend. Yet only a mere hours later, was considered a monster. How long have I served in this village. How long have I given in to the selfish needs of these people. How long have I been stupidly blinded by the thought that they would understand who I am?

Meanwhile I have still been laughing like a madman. They look so nervous and frightened.

How delightful.

I pull my head up from it slouched position over my chest and stare at them. An icy coldness takes over in my eyes as I gaze at them. They seem shocked to say the least. They never thought that kind little Micah could ever be cruel looking. Why should they be shocked though? After all.

I am just a monster.

I take a slow step forward. They take a hasty step back. I smirk in my mind as I remember how feeble these people were. Calmly I step closer and closer, coming face to face with the Mayor who seems to be attempting to steel his body in order to hide his growing fear. I smirk deviously. He gulps visibly.

"Boo."

That's all I have to say before the villagers have their weapons merely inches from my neck. I turn to the person standing closest to me. It's Karina. Even the lazy little daughter of the village's only general store was willing to actually work to get rid of him. Didn't she want to go to the city? And wasn't I the one who helped her learn skills to survive there? Guess it doesn't matter now does it? Then I turn to see Collette. What happened to all those times when I gave you my lunch because you were 'starved'? What about you Sakuya? I gave you all those precious monster items to help you in your sales. And Pia, you loved my fried squid dish. Carmen, the person whom I had once fondly called master. Evelyn, I let you dress me up in those atrocious things you called clothing. Sofia, I was one of the few that learned how to decipher your way of speaking. Marian, I let you test your dangerous concoctions on me. Raven.

Raven..

I looked around and finally saw her. She was crouched a ways off from this angry mob looking forlorn. She caught my gaze and stared back with an emotion that can only be deemed as regret and sadness. I saw tears begin to prick at her eyes. For some reason, I couldn't watch. I slowly faced the Mayor again. This time, with less contempt.

"I will leave."

Those three words seemed to calm the crowd by even the tiniest of amounts. They parted slightly and allowed me to quickly leave down to the split road. I sauntered over towards Vale River without sparing even a single glance back.

It wasn't as if I didn't know how to survive in the dungeons, because I did. It was just the fact that I didn't have all the tools I needed. Sure I had all the things I needed to farm, but I didn't have any seeds that would grow in winter. That was the least of my worries though. What I was missing was a weapon. Without a weapon I would be forced to change into my wooly form which would stick out like a sore thumb. I couldn't just go to Sol Terrano either because the weather there would make me suffocate from the heat. That left me with the choice of either using my farming tools as weapons, or sneaking back to the Sharance tree to grab some weapons. I would prefer to choose the latter, but it would include a certain amount of risk. If I were to be caught I could be chased down and killed, not that I was worried since I was the best fighter in the village. Then there is the possibility that the villagers threw out everything in tree with all haste. In that situation, I would probably have to buy a weapon with money I did not possess. Perhaps I could trade for a weapon, but I would still have to disguise myself. That would be a problem because I wasn't good with disguises. Raven and Gaius would definitely find out immediately.

What to do..

After some debating, I decided I might as well see if there is anything useful left in the tree that I could take. That's when I realized that today was a festival day and if I knew that village, which I did, they would not stop any festivities for any reason.

I smirked to myself and quietly snuck towards the split road. I was able to successfully infiltrate the village and scale up the Sharance Tree steps without being caught. It was when I entered the tree that I was discovered.

It surprised me to say the least. I wasn't expecting to see Raven in the tree, even if she hadn't joined the mob in its attempt to forcibly exile me from the village. I really didn't think I would see her sleeping on my bed and cuddling my pillow. I was so shocked I almost forgot I was in enemy territory. I quickly shut the door as quietly as I could.

Apparently that wasn't too quiet because Raven woke up immediately and shot off the bed in a flustered manner. She eyed me with slight confusion clouding her face from just awakening. Taking advantage of this, I glided across the room and pinned her arms above her head. Then I gently trailed a finger down her jawline while tilting her face to face me. The grogginess in her eyes soon dissipated and she struggled involuntarily against my hold. I sighed mentally and bent down towards her face. As expected, she froze at my action. I smirked at her reaction and moved so I was facing her ear. I licked it slightly and blew on it softly. She gasped audibly at this and I relished it with pride. Then I faced her, staring straight into her eyes.

"Why are you here Raven?"

The question seemed to throw her off for a split second, but she quickly made her face stoic.

"Nothing.. I was told to empty your room but fell asleep because I was tired."

She wasn't looking at me as she said this. I couldn't really tell at first if what he said was true or not, but the blush evident on her face made me believe this piece of info was false. Usually I would never let this slide. Nonetheless, I allowed her to slip out of my grasp. She escaped to the farthest side of the room away from me. I didn't really care though, my reason for coming here was five steps away from me. After swiftly picking open the lock, I examined all of the weapons stored inside it. I took the best of every type of weapon in there meaning my best longsword, short sword, dual blades, etc.

I strapped all of these onto my weapon belt that I had specifically made to carry multiple weapons. I had made it to aid me in fighting the boss monsters of the dungeons. Who knew it would help me in this situation. The belt also had several bags and pockets originally meant for random loot items that I find. Now it's stuffed with as much food as I can take without it becoming a burden. I'm currently residing in a gigantic freezer like area so expiring food is the least of my concerns. I was satisfied with the amount of stuff I was able to grab and was walking over to the ladder leading down to the farm under the Sharance tree when I felt a tug at my clothing. I peered over my shoulder and saw Raven gazing at me with a piercing stare. I simply gave her a look that said 'follow me if you dare.' and slid down the ladder smoothly.

I jumped off the ladder at the last couple of steps and landed on the farm terrain with a dull thud. I looked up slightly and saw Raven climbing down after me. She glanced down at me and I held out my hands, a gesture that said I would catch her. She trusted me to say the least. Else she wouldn't have immediately released her hold on the ladder and allowed her body to plump down into my arms. I caught her without the slightest change in my position before letting her slowly slide out of my hold. As she was dusting herself off, I entered my barn. My tamed monsters must have recognized my presense as soon as I got down the ladder, for they crowded me as soon as the latch to the door was opened. I coaxed them to remain quiet and they obeyed without any trouble. I did my daily chores for my animals in less than half an hour, a new record I guess. Now what to do with the products. I should sell them, but it would seem suspicious if new items were placed in the shipping bin since I was just exiled. Raven must have seen my perplexed face because she nudged my shoulder to get my attention.

"I could say I came and did the chores, or I could place them in my shipping bin. Then they won't be suspicious.", she tells me without the slightest bit of hesitation in her voice.

I looked wearily at Raven. She hadn't pulled anything yet, and I didn't think she would do anything anytime soon. Better safe than sorry though.

"Why are you still talking to me? Shouldn't you be hating instead of helping me?", he asked.

Raven stood in silence, an unclear emotion flashed across her face. I stared at her with an unwavering gaze. We did this for several moments, the sound of the festival echoed into the cavern of the Sharance tree. Finally, she gave in and spoke.

"I do not hate you. I still think of you as a friend. Friends help each other. That's all.", she said.

I looked at her skeptically because it sounded like something from a story about morals. I brushed it off after thinking about it. If Raven wanted to help me then by all means, let her do it. I just won't let her get involved in my personal life. I stole a glance at her again and saw that she meant what she said. I gave her a small nod of acknowledgement. She gave me a small smile. I didn't return the smile, but I pat her softly on the head. She seemed to like it for some reason. I pulled my hand away and readjusted the things strapped on me and began to sneak out of the Sharance tree farm. I peered out of one of the side entrances and saw several of the villagers standing near the staircase. I clicked my tongue in annoyance at the people blocking my way. Then I see Raven walking up to them and drawing them away to somewhere else. She sent me a quick flick of her eyes and I nodded in response before darting out to the bushes of the split road. I peered out silently.

The old witch from the apothecary stood in the middle of the road making it impossible for me to slip by without being noticed. She must have seen me because I was soon dragged out by the collar of my shirt and dumped onto the dusty road. She loomed over me in a way that made me feel oddly submissive. Most likely because she was the woman I had to go to in order to get myself healed.

"Here Micah." Majorie said whilst holding out a small box.

I sat there dumbfounded for a moment before hastily accepting the parcel that was thrown into my arms. It was a first aid kit. I looked at her in confusion.

"I can't be there to help you anymore Micah. You have to learn to patch yourself up on your own. Best get started now. If you need a new one, put the old kit on the road here and I'll bring another the next day."

She said this almost as if yesterday had ever happened. As if reading my mind, she gave a low huff in annoyance.

"I knew you were a half from the moment I saw you. Don't look down upon us witches.", she turned and hobbled down the road back towards the village.

I stared after her, my mouth hanging open. She knew this whole time, and she's going to help me?

I sighed in exhaustion and made my way to Vale River.

So this is my first fanfiction with an actual pairing..

I know this is pretty short, but the next chapters will be longer. I promise.

I've actually had this idea on my mind for awhile now, but I've only just decided to write it down.

I know the story isn't crystal clear and all like, I didn't really explain how the villagers found out about Micah being half monster and all that. I also didn't edit alot of this, I just typed it and posted. I usually forget to check what the chapter looks like before posting it so I always forget that the lines to separate the scenes are missing. I also don't see any of my indents in this chapter either so I'll have to fix that in the later chapters. This is just the beginning so I don't think it matters too much.

Well that's all for now, bye! Hope you enjoyed my fanfic (: -AznxStarrZ