Disclaimers:
All the characters in this fic is copyright of Karashi, if there are any
similarities between my characters and actual characters, it is purely
coincidental. NPC characters and the Game Ragnarok Online belong to the
Creators of Ragnarok.
Chapter Six
Darin settled himself on the
floor, and dipped his quill into the ink. He looked up to the huntress and
waited. Concentrating on her memories, Dianne managed to ignore the noise
surrounding them.
"I've known Addy since…"
Dianne
I've known Addy since forever,
other than the fact we're cousins, we were both born and raised in Alberta. It
was odd, I'm younger than Addy and yet I act like I was the older one. I was
always looking out for her, ever since we were children.
And even back then, Addy wanted
nothing more than to be a blacksmith. I on the other hand couldn't see myself
coping with the stress of being a blacksmith. The endless amounts of orders,
the politics involved, the stuffy atmosphere of the smithy, it was enough to
make my head spin.
But the life of a hunter…
well, the freedom and solitude, communing with nature and the animals, it was
just wonderful. Good thing Payon was only a few day's travel away.
The day before I set off for
the Archer Village, Addy and I went out for a hike in the forest. We came up to
the cliff overlooking Alberta and sat there. We spent hours just talking, about
all sorts of things.
"The title of hottest
blacksmith is a tie between three people." Addy giggled.
"Oh? And who would they be?" I
nudged.
"Astaroth, Torikame or the one
they call Shopyman."
"I don't go for blacksmiths."
I snorted, "Assassins, however, are the definition of hot!"
"Don't forget priests!!" my
cousin declared. "I mean, acolytes are cuddly and all, but priests are just…
just… too attractive for words!"
"Why you find priests
attractive, I'll never know."
We grew silent at that point,
I hadn't exactly told Addy that I was leaving the next day. I was planning to
tell her when she suddenly asked me:
"When do you think I'll be a
blacksmith?"
"Addy, concentrate on passing
the merchant's test first okay? You can worry about being a blacksmith later."
"I know, but I just can't help
it. I want to be a blacksmith so badly…"
"Why? I mean, it's not like we
have a shortage of weapons or anything."
"That's not the point… as a
blacksmith, I can help people defend themselves without having to be
there! I mean, sure I can be a priestess and save people's souls from eternal
damnation, but that requires my presence. My constant presence. And as
much as I'd love to be around people, I don't think people would want to be
around me."
"What makes you say that?"
"Isn't that why you're leaving
for Payon without telling me?" she demanded, locking her gray eyes with my
green ones.
"That's not it! I just wasn't
able to find the right time…"
"Or maybe you just didn't want
me to know because I might follow you. That's the last thing you want, right?
Having me embarass you because I'm so weak and stupid."
"No, that's not how it is!"
"What then? Why didn't you
tell me you were going to leave on the day I'm taking the merchant's test? I
can't do that alone, I need you to be there for me."
"And I will be! I just need to
be there for me first. Heck, you're older than I am! You should be
taking care of me." I laughed, it was a feeble attempt to lighten the mood.
I was surprised that Addy
started to laugh as well.
"You're right, I am supposed
to be taking care of you. Gah, I can't believe I'm being so selfish! Go to
Payon and become a hunter. You don't have to wait for me to pass the test. Just
promise me one thing."
"What?"
"If you ever meet a cute guy
and find you like him, you'll come to me for approval alright?"
"How could you be thinking of
something like that?!?" I gasped, reddening.
"Because from what I hear, the
hottest guys train at Payon. You will definitely meet someone there. And if you
find a spare one, be sure to set me up with him okay?" she winked.
Addy always managed to bounce
back, no matter how low she felt. Even if that creep Irlan was picking on her,
she managed to grin and bear it. Even if she had to take the merchant's test
twice, she managed to crack a joke about it. Even if I stopped visiting her
after I became a hunter, she managed to shrug it off and smile.
She always managed to bounce
back…
Until Warse came along and
ruined her life.
Addy's not the healthiest of
people, emotionally that is. And at first, this Warse guy sounded like he was
doing her a world of good. She became more confident, more independent, more
stable. I thought she just started believing in herself. It never occurred to
me that she came to rely on Warse more than anything in the world.
I think it was fate that my
friends told me about an obscure store in Prontera that sold Oridecons and
Eluniums as if they were Iron Ores. I went to Prontera and sought out those
cheap ores when I saw Addy wandering about in a daze.
She was covered head to toe in
blood, the hem of her sleeves and skirt were torn and she had the scariest grin
on her face. I called out her name, several times before she looked at me.
"Oh, hello Di." She ambled
towards me. "How long have you been a huntress? Last time I saw you, we were
still novices."
"What are you talking about?
You were there when I became a huntress."
Addy frowned, "No I wasn't…"
she started to walk away, seemingly unaware of her appearance. I ran after her
and grabbed her arm.
"Where are you going? You're
hurt!"
"Oh Warse will heal me, as
soon as he finds me."
"Who did this to you?"
"… I did." She laughed,
"Silly, stupid me got herself hurt. And now she has to wait, or the mean hunter
will have won and the sad priest will become sadder."
"That's it, you're coming with
me right now."
"No! I have to wait for him! I
promised I'll wait for him, he said he wouldn't be long. The sad priest said
something about a cleansing… so I guess he's off to cleanse himself or
Rune-Midgard I forget." My cousin tried to free herself from my grip, but I
held on. "Will you just let go? I have to wait for him."
This was getting me no where,
"Fine, where are you supposed to wait for him?"
"I don't know…" she murmured
quietly.
And then she looked at me with
eyes that was the Addy I knew. She held me close and whispered
"I can't take much more of
this. I can't stand it…"
"Stand what? What happened?"
My cousin said nothing, she
just smiled. Unmindful of the blood, I embraced her tightly. She hugged back,
then kissed me on the cheeks.
And then I lost her.
She began to ramble about the
mean hunter, the sad priest and a pretty girl covered in sparkly wine. I
half-dragged, half-ran with Addy to the church. I didn't care if there was a
mass at that time, I demanded that a priest heal my cousin. A female acolyte
was sent to tend her wounds and the mass went on as if nothing happened.
The acolyte told me the gashes
on Addy's knuckles and knees had been healed.
"Oh thank Odin…" I breathed in
relief.
"However, Miss Evional has to
be brought to the Mjolnir Insane Asylum."
I stared in shock as the
acolyte explained that my cousin requested it. She said Addy had promised to
wait for "him" there.
"Alright… thank you." I
nodded, "Oh and could you tell Warse about this?"
The acolyte paled, "Please do
not speak his name in front of me." She looked to the sides and whispered, "Not
many people know he isn't exactly the holiest of priests. And if he finds out
I've told you this… he'll… he'll…" her breath caught in her chest and began to
sob uncontrollably. She managed to regain her composure quickly enough. She
wiped her tears with the back of her sleeve and gave me a radiant smile.
"We'll transport Miss Evional
to the asylum soon. You can visit her any day of the week from eight in the
morning to seven in the evening. Oh and before I forget, only Kafra Corporation
has a warp to the asylum. And you'll also have to log in your every visit.
Don't worry, Miss Evional will be fine."
Somehow, her words didn't
quite convince me.
Darin finished adding the
period to the sentence before looking back up at the huntress. He was surprised
to find her glaring, at him? No… not at him, behind him. The Scribe rose
and saw a hunter with cerulean hair and saffron eyes.
"Shouldn't you be out
harassing novices?" Dianne growled.
"Oh I'm sorry, did I forget to
harrass you?" he sneered.
"What are you doing here
Irlan?" the huntress demanded.
"Can't I pay a friend a
visit?"
"You're not Addy's friend,
you're not anyone's friend! Get out!"
"I don't take orders from
you."
"And I'm… I'm…"
"Don't even bother, only your
cousin could out talk me." Irlan snorted, "Actually, she can out talk just
about anyone."
"I don't have to take this
from you. I'm leaving." The huntress declared, shoving the cerulean haired man
out of the way.
"Be sure to take a bath next
time, your hair looks a little greasy." Irlan commented nastily.
"Oh I'll be taking a bath
alright, and it's because I was in the same room as you." Dianne shot back as
she descended the stairwell.
"I'll… be going now…" Darin
stated, packing his things once again.
"Hold on." the saffron eyed
man ordered, "You must be Darin Carsen. I've heard about you, you're that guy
who's going around collecting stories."
"I'm not that famous, am I?"
he chuckled hesitantly.
"You're right, you're not. I
just asked the priestess downstairs who you were. She was more than willing to
tell me, she says you're a good influence on Addy." The hunter shrugged,
walking to Addy's door. He tried turning the knob and found it unresponsive. He
rapped on the door and yelled for Addy to open it.
When she didn't comply, the
hunter started cracking his knuckles. The sadistic grin on Irlan's face made
Darin nervous.
"W-w-what are you going to
do?"
"Being second in command of
The Jaded Crimson means I'm a very busy man. I took time off today just to see
that runt of a merchant, and I'm not about to come back anytime soon. Either
you get someone to open that door, or I'm breaking it down."
"W-why don't you just leave a
message for Miss Addy? I could write it for you and- and- give it to Miss Addy
when she's more welcoming?"
Irlan eyed him, his brows
knitting together in deep thought. His face broke into a wolfish grin, "You
know, that's not a bad idea… not bad at all."
The Scribe gave a sigh of
relief and started to take down Irlan's message. From what Darin could gather,
Irlan was trying to give Addy tidings of concern. One composed more of insults
than solace. Once finished, the hunter began to leave.
While Darin would want nothing
more than to get as far away from the hunter as possible, he knew he had work
to do. Mustering his courage, The Scribe asked Irlan his side of the story.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, everyone who's given
me a story mentions you in a negative light. In fact, the exchange between you
and Miss Dianne would serve as first hand proof. But as someone who knows that
the truth has two sides, I'd like to hear your voice."
"Are you for real?" Irlan smirked,
when Darin nodded the hunter looked pensive. "What do you want me to talk
about?"
"Oh… anything you want.
Rune-Midgard, Jaded Crimson, yourself…"
"What was the last thing you
said?"
"Yourself?"
"Yeah…" Irlan nodded, "I think
I'll talk about myself…"
