Title: a tranquil rebellion [ part 3 ]
Author: Freija
Rating: PG
Notes: *rolls eyes* oi. I DID type this part up a while ago, but I have
since lost it. So here I am, doing it again. Sylph gets a bit pensive
in this one. Enjoy... a certain farmer-eating lizard also makes his
first mentioning in this chapter =P
Disclaimer: Silphy is mine. Her name is not. Aaud is mine. Chielle is
mine. Cyzaine is Darius'. Tyrsell is Darius'. Hitomie is AJay's. The
creator of EverQuest is evil. End of story.

~ Love, Freija

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"Humans have no place in our realm!"
"I mean you no harm!"

A gnoll pup had attacked me on the way back to town, and unfortunately
I am not very adept at combat. It thrashed its fists at me, and I cried out.
Being a fairly new Cleric, I had little money, which meant a weak weapon and
very minimal armor. Luckily with the help of Sir Cyzaine's gift, I managed
to survive long enough to return the blow weilding a decent sized club. One
more battle I had won.
The beast keeled over backwards in pain as he spoke his final words.

"You see? All humans... only bring harm..."
"I would have left you be, had you given me the same courtesy. This
death was sadly your choice..."
"You heal those... who injure me. Horrible Cleric..."

Upon the creature's death, a painful question reappeared in my mind.
Why do beings hate each other so? How did the gnolls come to hate our kind?
Perhaps a gnoll attacked a human, and out of self defense, the human
retaliated. That gnoll's death affected others' opinions... that dead gnoll
was friends with another gnoll, which in return was angry, so attacked a
human, whom out of self defense once more slain another gnoll, who had
friends who got angry and attacked another human, and so on, and so on.

Or perhaps an angry human started it, and killed a gnoll first.
Either way, the cycle ends up the same. It develops the mind set that all of
a certain race are bad because one specific exception started a cycle of
hatred. Really it is tragic.

Which is why I believe what I do. It is my personal opinion that
not all of any race are bad. We are taught to hate the Dark Elves, the
Iksar, the gnolls. But I do not hate any being. I will do no harm to
someone unless it is the only way in which I can survive.


"Hail Sylphiel," a guard called upon my arrival back into
Qeynos. I smiled, and ran further into the city.


At the bank, I was put on a waiting list to check my message box.
A Bard chuckled at me as I twiddle my thumbs patiently. I smiled back. He
had dark, yet mysteriously shimmering eyes. They reminded me a bit of that
Sir Cyzaine's...

Who was he, anyway? A high level Paladin from the Erudite society.
That was all that I knew. That, and the fact that he looked so similar to
the man who ha saved me back then, so long ago...

But no, there was no possible way that he was Cyzaine. The man of
my past had been much, much older than me... about mid-twenties when I had
been a mere 6 year old. This new acquaintance of mine couldn't have been
any more than 10 years apart from my own age.

Had he a wife and family...? He seemed overly solitary...

Stop it now, I scolded myself, blushing again. You haven't the time
to worry about finding someone right now. You must focus on your task, your
dream, you must become an efficient and experienced healer.


Just then, my last name was called. "Veranda?"

Standing up from my wait, I fixed my blouse, which had a bad habit of
slipping down. My face continued to be a bit red as I took the letter into
my hands.


"Cleric of the Veranda clan, Sylphiel of Qeynos, my unworthy rival,

I hereby challenge you to a duel. Doth thou wish to meet me?
Guaranteed, you will not emerge alive. Your views of kindness and healing
disgust me. It is those like you who have deprived others the gift of
pain. Hence, I will destroy you.

Also, do bring some Mead. I will like something to wash you
down with.

Sincerely your captor,
Tyrsell, High Necromancer of the Iksar"



Shaking my head, I begun to laugh. Why was this lizard man SO
intent on killing me? Couldn't he find someone else to pick on,
someone his OWN level?

This Iksar who had sent me the message was one I had been
conversing with for quite some time. I contacted him one day for advice
and/or help, and quickly found out why my race hates the Iksar so.
Praising suffering, pain, and torture as a "gift" that everyone should
recieve in order to become stronger... we had argued many a time over
our clashing views. But just as he believed in the power of cruelty,
conversely I believe in the power of kindness. Despite his verbal
attacks and desire to either dine on me or enslave me, I have been nothing
but polite and supporting with him, as I am with all other souls to the
best of my ability.

And hard as it will be, I know that I can get him to understand
love and kindness. Because I believe that all souls, whether human, gnome,
halfling, Iksar, Dark Elf... can experience that power.

Putting my pen to the respond box, I etched...


"Dearest Tyrsell, my Iksar friend,

At this moment in time, I will not meet you in person of my own
free will. I desire to meet you once I have helped you to better
understand giving and helping others. Until then, methinks you shant
be getting me as your next meal. ^_^

With blessings,
Sylphiel Veranda"


Returning the message, a small smile crossed my lips. I could
almost imagine the horrified look on Mr. Tyrsell's face as he read that.

Three weeks later is where my true journey begins.

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