"Go Flik! Get the Young Master to safety! I'll hold these punks back! It'll be no sweat at all!"
The clang of swords filled the air and echoed off the marble walls, drowning out the sound of Viktor's voice. The empire was defeated; the death of Emperor Barbarosa had been the liberation army's final strike in their assault against the corruption that had engulfed the land. But the war itself had not yet been won. The death of their own leader would ensure the rise of a new empire, and they would once again be plunged into a life of poverty and despair.
With his back against Viktor's, Flik swung his long sword hard placing a blow to the head of one of the attacking soldiers. He didn't like the idea of leaving Viktor alone to take out the men that were chasing them, but he knew that they needed to get the Young Master out of this castle alive. As the soldier fell to the ground in a heap Flik turned and placed a hand onto Viktor's shoulder and frowned slightly at his long time companion.
"Whatever you do, don't die Viktor."
"Don't worry about me. Just get him to safety or I'll be forced to kick your ass when this is over."
Flik couldn't help but grin at Viktor's last words to him. No matter the situation, Viktor was always ready with some sort of stupid or sarcastic comment to lighten the mood. It had been a long time coming that the two of them be involved in such a hard battle. They had been original members of the liberation army, and to see everything that they had worked so hard for over the years, fall apart at the last moment was not an option.
"Don't worry about us. We'll be just fine. As long as you do your job and buy us some time." Flik's words became nothing more than muffled grumbles as the castle suddenly jerked beneath them. The battle they had fought with the emperor had caused the building to weaken, and it was beginning to fall apart around them. The tall man reached out a gloved hand and grabbed a hold of the Young Master McDohl's sleeve and tugged him off down the stairs and out of Viktor's view. He still hated the idea of leaving Viktor behind, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Survival was their top priority and Tir McDohl, was their only hope.
"Keep up Tir" This time Flik's voice was loud and clear to the young raven haired boy who was following him. But Tir was growing tired and it was becoming increasingly difficult to travel through the building as it rocked and shook beneath their feet.
"Flik hold on… I need to see which way to go" Tir stated.
Pausing a moment, Flik turned his attention to his young leader and frowned. He had never been in the imperial castle before, and he didn't have any idea which way they needed to go. Tir had been here many times and although Flik could tell that he was having a difficult time determining where to head, he was the only one of the two that had a sense of where they were.
"It all looks the same… I'm not sure where we're supposed to go…" Tir stated with a frustrated frown, as he turned to Flik.
It was no secret that the boy must have been terrified, and who could blame him? His life had been turned upside down in a single night. He was thrown into fighting everything that he was born to protect, forced to fight his own father, losing his home, and even leading an army. It wasn't surprising to Flik to see the fear that was now in the young boy's eyes.
"Relax and take a breath, we'll figure out the right way. We came up a set of stairs." Flik pointed to a nearby staircase and let out a grunt as the castle shuttered again. "Let's head downstairs. Even if they're the wrong ones it's a start"
Tir nodded and took off down the flight that was pointed out to him, and Flik followed. They needed to figure out how to escape this death trap, but he didn't have it in him to push the Young Master too hard. It was becoming too much to ask of the child, and Flik was beginning to regret ever agreeing to let him be the leader in the first place.
"Young Master please be careful!" He shouted out after his young leader in an attempt to stop him from venturing too far forward, and out of the protective watch of the swordsman. The castle gave a jerk under their feet again, and Flik was brought to his knees by the violent thrust of it.
"Flik we have to hurry, Viktor can only hold those soldiers off for so long!" Tir said stopping and turning to face him.
He quickly caught up with the Young Master and stood for a moment looking around. He was beginning to understand why Tir was having such a difficult time finding their way. Every hallway, and every turn seemed to look exactly like the last one. The castle was filled with lefts and rights, and staircases that seemed to lead to nowhere. Even he was beginning to question the path that they were taking.
Pausing a moment to try and check their surroundings, Tir doubled over to catch his breath. With a deep frown placed onto his features he glanced up at Flik and straightened out his back. Meeting the boys gaze Flik ran a hand quickly through his sandy colored locks before rubbing the scruff of his chin in thought. He was trying to see if anything looked familiar to him, and was becoming more and more agitated, when he discovered that it didn't.
He watched Tir straighten, and something behind the boy caught Flik's eye. Tilting his head slightly to the right to get a better look he noticed that down the hallway, half hidden in the darkness was some sort of statue. The flickering candles that had once shown their path had all but gone out with the rocking of the castle, and it was making it difficult for Flik to make out objects. The suit of armor statue had caught Flik's attention though, as the light filtering in through a small window had made it glint slightly.
Tir watched Flik a moment before curiosity got the better of him, and he turned himself to see what was so interesting. Not able to see what Flik was looking back, the raven haired teen turned back to his comrade and frowned again.
"We need to figure out how to get out of he-"
"SHH!" Flik cut the boy off, holding a hand up toward Tir's face. "Quiet…"
That's when Flik really heard it; it was the distinct sound of someone readying a bow and arrow. Flik's azure orbs darted back to the statue and he was hit with the suddenly painful realization that it wasn't a statue at all, it was a soldier. And he had an arrow cocked and ready to fire. With no time to spare Flik dove at Tir tossing him to the floor as the twang of the bow told him that the arrow had been released.
"Look ou- ughh!" Flik looked down at his chest. Blood trickled down his leather armor and white hot pain seared through him as Tir looked up in horror from the floor.
"Flik, are you okay? What happened?" The teen rose to his feet as concern for the swordsman flooded his face.
"What happened? I was shot! Tir you have to stay alive! Run! I'll hold them off. You - Arrgg!" Flik took a deep breath to try and ignore the pain jolting through his lower chest. "You have to run Young Master. They're coming! GO!" Somewhere in the back of his mind Flik felt the pain as he pushed Tir toward the stairs.
"Be careful!" He yelled as he ran down them.
Flik looked up at the soldiers coming at him. Without having time to remove the arrow he fought them off, the pain growing more and more with each move he made. He knew he needed to buy Tir enough time to escape.
The castle was literally falling apart and if he didn't end this soon he would be buried alive. Flik turned to one of the imperials and thrust his sword through the gap in his helmet. The man gave a twitch and fell to the ground in a heap. He pulled out his sword and dodged a swing from the other soldier. Spinning around he caught the knight in the chest knocking him to the floor. He slammed his sword through the man's heart and nearly collapsed from the pain in his chest.
He looked down at the arrow again and grunted as he wrapped his gloved fingers around the wood and pulled. With a muffled groan he yanked the arrow out and dropped it to the floor.
Putting his hand to his chest he felt the dented hole in his armor. His fingers were dripping with blood as he heard rapid footsteps coming down the stairs behind him. Taking in a deep breath Flik pulled himself to his feet and turned to face the stairs. He was ready for whatever was going to come down them, with his sword in hand, he closed his eyes as the steps came closer.
"Flik… relax, its okay"
His eyes opened slowly. Standing at the bottom of the staircase, among the crumbling walls and rubble, was his lover, Odessa. Flik twitched slightly at the sight of her, it was impossible that the woman standing before him was his true lover. Odessa had been killed early on in the war, but something in the back of Flik's mind was drawing him closer to the ghostly figure standing before him.
"Shhh, it's alright my love. You can relax" Odessa voice rang out like bells into Flik's ears, and the swordsmen couldn't help but close his eyes at the sound of it. His eyes were still closed when he felt her warm palm against the side of his cheek, and when he felt her other hand press against the wound on his lower torso. He could feel it closing, and the pain was beginning to subside. Unable to resist, he opened his eyes again and glanced down at the woman standing before him. She was as beautiful as she had always been. He reached a hand toward her cheek and pressed his palm against her flesh as his eyes filled with sadness.
"Odessa… how…?" His voice cracked, he didn't want to ask her how she was alive and standing before him, but he couldn't leave it unanswered either.
"Shh" Odessa's auburn locks flowed over Flik's hand as she nuzzled her cheek into his palm. Taking her own she placed it atop his, holding it against her face as she pressed her cheek into it. Her emerald hues looked up into his sapphire ones for what seemed like eternity before she finally spoke again.
"Don't stay Flik…. Don't stay"
Flik met her gaze, and the pained look in his eyes became a confused one. Frowning deeply at her words he took a step back, so he could see her better.
"What do you mean? Don't stay where?"
"Flik!"
Without thinking he spun his head in the direction of the stairs, as Viktor's booming voice came down them. He wasn't expecting to hear his large companion yell his name. Especially not when he was with Odessa. Viktor tended not to bother them when they were together, and he turned his attention back toward her, only to find the space where she had been, void of life. There was nothing there, she was gone, and standing before him was nothing more than air.
Viktor called his name again, only this time it seemed distant, as panic grew inside Flik's chest. Where had she gone? He had suffered so long at her death; he didn't want to lose her again.
"Odessa? ODESSA!" Flik's voice boomed out through the room as he began to search frantically for her. His breathing began to quicken and become more erratic as Viktor suddenly reached him. The large and rather gruff looking man grabbed Flik by the shoulders and shook him slightly to keep his attention off of searching for the missing woman.
"Wake up! You need to wake up!"
Jolting his body forward Flik looked around the room, and discovered he wasn't in the imperial castle. He was in his own room, inside the liberation army's original hideout in the township of Lenankamp. Cold sweat covered his bare torso and he found himself shivering slightly, as he finally noticed Viktor standing over the edge of his bed. His large hands still tightly clamped over Flik's upper arms.
He swallowed and took a moment to catch his breath before turning his attention to Viktor. It was normal for Flik to talk in his sleep, but he imagined that because of the particular dream he was having, he was doing more than just talking. Viktor stood next to the bed and slowly released his tight grip, allowing Flik's body to relax. Looking Viktor over he noticed that his companion seemed more than a little worried for his well being.
Flik and Viktor had been in the liberation army since its founding. They had met seven years previously, when Viktor – a common thief at the time – had tried to steal from the liberation army's supply room. Odessa had taken a liking to the way that Viktor had managed to infiltrate the headquarters. And although Flik had protested against it, Odessa had asked Viktor to help make sure things were more secure. Agreeing to do so at the promise of a nice meal he had managed to point out many different entry points that the enemy could use to break into the facility.
Impressed with Viktor's knowledge Odessa had asked him if he wished to join with them in their fight against the empire. Flik wasn't sure about Viktor in the beginning, but his large muscle mass and ability to fight with a sword had proven useful in more than one situation. Not to mention that although big and gruff looking, Viktor was quite street smart. And that intelligence had helped the liberation army gain both members, and support from the cities of the empire.
Eventually Flik began to trust and rely on Viktor. As vice commander of the liberation army, Flik found himself turning to Viktor for many of the more difficult missions that needed to be carried out, and before long the two had become like brothers. They would share drinks in the tavern of Lenankamp's inn and Viktor was one of the few members of the army that knew about Odessa and Flik's love for each other. Viktor had also been there when Odessa had died. A memory that Flik had never been able to shake.
She had taken a mission to deliver a set of blue prints to their secret factory in the north with Tir McDohl, and Viktor had gone with them to make sure that nothing happened. While they were gone, the hideout at Lenankamp had been discovered by the imperials and Flik had to make the decision to evacuate to the local villages to avoid capture. There was no time to send out warning to Odessa not to return, and when the group had come home to discover soldiers still searching the area, Odessa rushed inside. Worried for Flik's safety she placed herself in harm's way and suffered a fatal wound. Viktor and Tir had done all they could to save her, but knowing that she would not survive, Odessa gave Viktor one final message for Flik and requested her body be discarded as to not alert the other members of her passing.
"Our tiny newborn hope… must be kept alive…"
She knew that her death needed to remain a secret, and it had, until Flik had made his way to the liberation army's new hideout. Arriving there to speak with Odessa Flik was informed of her death, and ultimately blamed Viktor for not protecting her. Eventually allowing himself to deal with it and do what needed to be done, he agreed to work with Tir McDohl in order to allow Odessa's dream to become a reality.
But it was evident by his continuous nightmares that he wasn't over her death. They were getting worse, the longer he and Viktor continued to stay in Lenankamp. Everything here made him think of her. Even the bed he slept in. The empty space beside him, a constant reminder of the love he'd never be able to hold again. Never be able to speak too, or kiss, or cherish. She was gone, and as the days passed him slowly by, Flik felt like he was disappearing with her.
"Those nightmares are getting worse aren't they?" Viktor's deep voice cut through the silence, and Flik blinked at the sudden sound that invaded his thoughts.
"She spoke to me this time… she said 'don't stay' I don't know what that means…." Flik frowned a bit as he spoke and his eyes stared unseeing at the sheets on his bed.
Viktor frowned a bit, not sure what to say. Comfort wasn't exactly Viktor's strong suit, in fact he was normally so bad with comforting people that he tried not to say anything at all. There was a reason why Viktor was compared to a bear, and it wasn't just his size. He was very blunt, and talks with Flik about Odessa made Viktor rather uncomfortable. He shifted his stance as he watched his sandy haired friend with concern.
"So what do you want to do? I mean, there's nothing really here except this leaky old hideout. And all this is really good for is…" Viktor scratched his chin slightly as he looked around the damp sewer like hideout. "Okay I can't really think of anything it IS good for. It's cold and damp and it smells like a rat's ass if you catch my drift."
Flik raised an eyebrow at Viktor's description of the smell. He wasn't sure he wanted to know how the comparison was made.
"I can't stay here, and I wonder if she was trying to tell me that…."
Viktor grunted as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. A deep frown stained the features of his face as his brown eyes fell onto Flik.
"She's dead. Shewasn't trying to tell you anything. Maybe somewhere inside that little blonde head of yours you know you can't stay here and that's why you imagined her say that."
Good old Viktor.
Flik let out a sigh swinging his legs off the edge of his bed, and placing his feet on the floor as he put a hand through his hair. Viktor was right, he was sure of that. But the dream had seemed so real that it was difficult for him to let go of the thought that she had been there with him, speaking to him, touching him.
"What I think," Once again, Viktor's voice invaded Flik's thoughts. "Is that you need a vacation. Think about it, we aren't good at sitting around doing nothing. Besides what's the worst that could happen. We have plenty of money for supplies and a lot of free time. Why not get some fresh air."
Flik thought about the idea for a moment and turned his sapphire hues toward Viktor. He was probably right, travel would do them both some good. Although Flik had been haunted by Odessa's death more than anything, it was obvious that they both needed something to keep themselves busy to stop their minds from wandering back to memories of the war they had been in. He could see it in Viktor's face that war was still lingering there just behind the surface. They had killed a lot of people, seen a lot of things. And it was clear that it was taking its toll on both of them.
"I'm going to regret ever saying this, but you're probably right" Flik stated as he stood up and stretched out his back. He could feel the muscles in his abdomen tighten with the motion, and the thought of becoming sloppy in a fight came to his mind.
It had been months since the end of the war, and neither of them had really done anything to keep them in good condition. Flik's lean and tall body wasn't out of shape by any means, but any excuse to swing his sword again was a good excuse.
"Right, perfect. Let's get some supplies together and head off to the fortress of Kwaba. I'm sure that we can find something to do" Viktor said.
Nodding a bit, Flik watched Viktor head out of the room to get something's together. He couldn't help but take a look around the room at what he was about to leave behind. He wasn't going to miss any of it to be honest with himself. Turning to his gear laying out over the back of a nearby chair he began to pull on his clothes. Black pants, with a pale yellow tunic, before pulling his leather chest armor over it. His leather gloves came next followed by his boots. He took in a deep breath at the feel of it all on his body, he felt at home in his gear, but his eyes fell upon the blue cape and bandana that were draped over the back of the chair.
Unable to stop himself from grinning slightly, Flik pulled the cape around his shoulders and fastened it. He felt right, for once in a long time as he prepared for the unknown. Finally tying the bandana around his forehead he turned and glanced into the mirror he had hanging on the wall. Odessa had always said that blue was Flik's color. It was the color of his eyes, and during his time with the liberation army he had become known for it.
He flexed his right hand slightly and looked down at the rune that was housed there. The force attached to him that allowed him the control over lightning magic. It had been a long time since he had been able to use the runes magic. The very magic that had made him famous. They didn't call him Blue lightning Flik of the liberation army for nothing.
His skill with a rune, as well as with a sword had been one of the reasons Odessa had asked him to join the army in the first place. Many soldiers were skilled with a weapon, whether it be a blade, or axe, fists, or even throwing weapons. Many also, possessed the unique ability to harness the power of a rune, and turn it into magic that they could wield at their will. Few were able to do both. Flik was one of those few.
Runes were sentient to a point, picking and choosing who was able to wield them. Some people had no skill with a rune at all, others had limited use, and others still could only bear certain runes. Flik was in the rare group that could harness any runes power, but he had had his lightning rune since he was young. And it had literally become a part of him.
Taking in the sight of himself in the mirror once again he let out a soft breath. It was a good time to head off. He didn't know what was in store for him or his companion but he did know that he couldn't stay in Lenankamp. The fact was that he didn't want to be anywhere near the Toran Republic at all. There was nothing for him here anymore. He had no intentions of ever returning home to the warrior's village where he was born, nor did he have any real reason to stay in Lenankamp. Where ever their journey took them, Flik was sure it had to be better then where they were currently.