Battle Toran Royale

Chapter 3: When it all comes down to one

[Location: Sakai Island - Raiken Mountain Cliff - J10

Time: 17:40

Day 1]

Raiken Mountain was the only mountain around on Sakai Island, it wasn't extremely tall compared to the other mountains like those in the Grasslands or Harmonia, but like any other mountain, the height was devastating enough to kill someone. If you fell off the cliff, the only place you'd fall into would be the sea. The mountain was the only place in the whole of the island where you could even catch a glimpse of the city of Gregminister. It honestly wasn't far from Gregminister, but it was far enough for no one to realize that they're were people on this island.

"I wonder how everyone is doing back there..." said a man who was sitting down beside the cliff. He wasn't exactly by the edge, but he was close enough to it. In his arms, laid another young lady who sat their quietly embraced in his arms. She just sat there, looking into at the lights of the far-off city.

"Hey Kirkis... What are we going to do now?" asked the young lady, suddenly sitting up and facing her lover. She was the daughter of the elven chief, although a polite-spoken lady, never the less just another normal elf. She was always known as a nice and generous person, never violent and always peaceful, though she did participate in the Toran Wars to avenge her village. She sighed as she turned around to look at her weapon, a crossbow. She didn't even really know how to handle these that well, even considering the fact that she was a professional archer just like Kirkis and Rubi. The crossbow seemed like a new weapon to her and something out of her range as well.

"What can we do? Go back and kill those comrades of ours and betray our code of honor?" replied the young village chief, his voice somewhat depressed. Sometimes he wish that he was more of a man, and probably a bit more twisted and evil. Maybe that way he would have the guts to go around and betray his people, but he was always too nice for that. He was the type of person who'd never turn his back on his friends, no matter what the circumstance. Seeing that his lover was taking a glimpse at her weapon, he opened his bag as well in curiosity to find out what he had obtained. Quickly shuffling through his equipment, he picked up a long metal object. It was a metal bar, a close range weapon.

"But, aren't they just doing about the same thing?" questioned the female elf. This question made the elven chief thing for a bit, he knew that it wasn't right to go just go and kill his own friends, but what if they were doing the same thing? He would just be defending himself right? Suddenly, as he began to change his thoughts about the whole conflict that was errupting in his mind, a quote from the previous elven chief came to his mind... "Do not do something just because others are doing it, do what you think is right".

"Sylvina, don't question the action of others. Don't do what the others are doing, because if we do. We'll be just as guilty. Let's throw away our weapons Sylvina, and just forget about this... together" Kirkis replied in a soft tone. His voice was always soft, so soft that if you didn't actually ever look at his face, you'd think you were talking to a girl. Sylvina seemed hesitant at the decision, but eventually handed her weapon to Kirkis, a gloomy look on her face. With both of the weapons in his hands, Kirkis threw them both behind him, one of them clattered some hard that it fell off the cliff, but the crossbow stayed in position. Kirkis picked himself up as he positioned himself to a seat on the ground next to Sylvina, placing a hand over her shoulder and pulling her close.

"I wonder, what the people over there are doing right now?" Sylvina whispered in a small voice, her finger pointing in a direction where you could see city lights. Kirkis didn't reply for the first few seconds, instead he looked into Sylvina's face, trying to read her thoughts somehow. It was obvious to him that she was worried indeed, probably regretted the fact that she didn't go back to help rebuild the village right after the war so that she wouldn't have been stuck in this mess.

"I don't know... maybe they're is a couple having a candle-light dinner, like we did back then. You know, with all the red wine and ministrels and musicians in the background" chuckled Kirkis turning his gaze back towards the city lights and hiding his worries and sorrow behind a charming smile. He always had to try his best to keep his spirits up, otherwise he'd just drown in the sea of sorrow, and though Gremio was able to pull him out of it once, he wasn't sure if he fell into it again, if there would be anyone to save him.

"Hehe... I guess so, or maybe there are two kids who are climbing a tree right now, and don't know how to get back down" Sylvina whispered to Kirkis, with a childish grin on her face. She clinged her arms around Kirkis' right arm as she began to reminiscience on her childhood, an adorable smile on her face as she thought about the past. Suddenly Kirkis began to crack up really loudly, he was laughing was so loud that it scared off the birds behind them.

"Haha! We got into so much trouble that time, you mean the time when the Chief punished us after we got back right? He refused to feed me for a whole day after that event..." said the orange-haired elf, his eyes still a bit teary from laughing too much. Sylvina punched Kirkis playfully on the arm, a goofy grin on her face as she assaulted the man.

"Is that all? He made me clean out all the cockroache nests in the village!" she muttered, shivering a bit at the thought of that unpleasant memory. Kirkis who was trying to hold in his laughter, let it out when the thought of Sylvina cleaning cockroache nests came to mind. He imagined that she'd probably be using a pair of gloves instead of her bare hands, after all... She was always the type to keep clean her precious hands clean.

"Hey! What's so funny? You know I don't like cockroaches..." mumbled the girl, trying to eradicate the unpleasant memory from her mind. Suddenly, the sound of gunshot was in the background. Sylvina and Kirkis turned around in panic, but they couldn't see anyone. Kirkis, without wasting another minute quickly grabbed Sylvina's hands and ran towards the cliff.

"He-hey! Kirkis, what are you doing?" stuttered the girl, who was already confused and shocked. She could feel herself panicing, her mind losing the ability to function properly. Suddenly, Kirkis grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around so she would be facing him.

"Memories will always be memories, no matter good or bad ones, they'll all be fond ones in the end..." he said to her, his voice kind of shaky. Sylvina was still puzzled by what Kirkis meant when he said this, but as the thought of a previous decision that Kirkis made rushed into her mind, she suddenly understood what he meant. Confused and unsure of whether she actually agreed with what Kirkis decided, she stopped for a second...

"Let's go... Sylvina... I'm glad I got to be with you... until the end" the man whispered into her ears. He embraced her tightly, as if it was the last time they'll ever be able to hold each other. Ironically though, it was the last time they would be able to hold each other. Sylvina grinned a bit, as she held him in her arms... Kirkis, taking her answer as a yes, embraced her one last time, tighter than ever before. As he let go of her hand, he held her hands as he walked to the very edge of the cliff... They're were still gunshots in the background, as it got louder and louder. It seemed as if it was pursuing them in a way, trying to chase them to a dead end. Kirkis took in a deep breath as he held Sylvina's hand. Sylvina who seemed like she was prepared, still had a grin on her face..

"One... two... thre- wha!" screamed Kirkis, as Sylvina let go of his hand. Kirkis had already jumped but at the last moment, Sylvina happended to let go of his hand. Sylvina stood by the edge of the cliff as she watched her lover fall into the eternal depths. Kirkis with the last of his breath, screamed the words "Why" at the person who betrayed him. Tears escaped his eyes as he continued to fall, showing his only regret in this life. He closed his eyes as he prepared to meet his doom, and as Sylvina watched from above she could see the impact upon the water as it caused a big splash.

"I'm sorry Kirkis... but did you really think I would die like this?" the girl whispered to herself, a glitter of regret reflecting in her eyes. She brushed her hair backwards as a strong wind began to blow from behind her. Whispering a prayer over the place where she betrayed her lover, she quickly turned around, in hopes that the weapon that didn't fall of the cliff was still in the same place. Suddenly, to her suprise as she turned around, standing a few meters away from her with the crossbow aimed at her was Rubi, one of the only other elven members in the army apart from Stallion.

"R... Rubi! What are you doing...?" shrieked the girl as she placed a hand over her mouth. Suddenly, her heart started to beat alot faster, not knowing what to do and seeming as if her only way out was death, it was clear in her eyes that she was hesitating very badly.

"You... killed the chief, didn't you?" asked the elf, in a cold voice. Rubi never seemed friendly, even when everyone was happy. He barely even talked to other elves, the only person whom he ever seemed to talk to was Tir and a few other acquantinces, but other than that it has been rumored that he hasn't talked to anyone else.

"Wha-what?! How can you say that?! Why would I kill Kirkis! I... no, it wasn't my fault! It wa-" the girl muttered in a quick breath, but she was silenced as an arrow pierced through her heart. Rubi stared in a cold manner as the lady infront of him began to tilt backwards, as she slowly fell off the cliff, head first into the sea. She shut her eyes as she met her fate, only feeling regret that she couldn't die together with the man she loved, instead she betrayed him.

I... no matter where... no matter how... no matter what...

Always have... and always will... still love you, Kirkis...

A hundred years... a thousand years... a million years...

No matter how long, no matter where...

Let it be known Kirkis... that the day I met you...

I pledged my eternal love to you... because I lost myself...

to your charming smile... to that charisma of yours...

Because I lost myself to you... because I was totally heads over heels for you...

That's why... no matter what I do... know that, I love you... always... and always...

As Sylvina hit the sea, she fell into a coma.. losing all consciousness she once had. As her body drowned to the depths of the sea and her life was being drained out of her, her hands laid upon another pair of hands. They laid upon the hands of the man she loved the most, the one whom she lost her heart too...

Forever... and ever, Kirkis...

[Kirkis - Dead

Sylvina - Dead

- 103 to go]

[Location: Sakai Island - Abandoned House - D8

Time: 18:05

Day 1]

The only thing that filled the area around Esmeralda was tension, and the only thing on her mind was how to get rid of the threat around her. She trembled like their was no tomorrow, and her mind was in a state of dilemma. She could attack or she could simply turn around and possibly be killed. Gathering the last bit of courage she had in her mind, she suddenly jumped out of the bed startling the person who was stood there, and without even clarifying the identity of the person whom stood their, she rapidly jabbed her knife at the opponent. Blood sprayed out in every direction like a fountain as she opened up one wound after another.

"Ah, get away from me. Please, go away!" screamed the narcisstic female, as blotches of blood began to stain her dress and her arms as she continued to stab the unidentified body. The person who was being stabbed didn't seem to make any reaction, instead they acted more like a doll. It didn't move, but crimson blood was leaking from the many wounds in the body. Finally Esmeralda seemed to get a hold of herself, as she withdrew the knife from the unidentified body, she only trembled with tension as she watched the body fall onto the ground like a puppet without strings to support it. Slowly and steadily, she shifted her gaze to meet the bloody pulp that laid on the floor, her body still trembling from the frightening experience, as the vision of the victim came to her, she let out a loud gasp as she collapsed to the floor. It was Tai Ho, with his eyes still wide open, probably due to the shock of being suddenly attacked. The lifeless body however seemed to be staring at Esmeralda in a way, as if it seemed to be blaming her. Esmeralda just sat beside the body, as she continued to tremble, she tried to move away but her body wouldn't listen.

"It was his fault, he... he... tried to attack me, right?" the girl muttered under her breath. She kept repeating those words and slowly bit by bit, she was losing her sanity. Instead of accepting the fact that she murdered someone, she denied it by using the excuse of self-protection, and by using that excuse, she continued to convince herself that she was doing the right thing, that she was supposed to survive, and that she should kill.

"If I see someone, I'll kill them! I'll stab everyone single one of them dead! DEAD!" screamed the girl, her screams echoed into the night of despair. A grin crossed the girls face, as she chuckled a bit as she sat there. Blood stained both her face and her dress, but she didn't care. Her eyes were wide open, like a mad man. She continued to laugh, her eyes now looking up into the ceiling. Without noticing or bothering to pay any attention, a tear slid down her face as she continued to glare into the ceiling. It was clearly proven now that she had turn insane, her mind would be working the exact opposite of a normal human. Whatever is wrong, she'll think it's right and whatever is right, she'll think it's wrong. Lost in one's fear, Esmeralda just sat in the middle of the abandoned house, her sanity having to of been lost in the eerie dark night.

I'm sorry...

[Tai Ho - Dead

- 102 to go]

[Location: Sakai Island - Grassfield - G3

Time: 18:10

Day 1]

Lush green grass and a starry night sky. Those were the 2 things that reminded him most of Gregminister when he was still living in the McDohl Household. So much had happended then that he never really got the chance to look back on his childhood. Tir let out a sigh as memories came flooding back, of those good times when Ted was around and how they used to hang out in their backyard, playing games like hide and seek. Heh, who was he kidding, he was still an innocent kid back then, one who didn't have to face this harsh reality he was living in now. Sure it was a good thing that Gremio could be brought back, but what about Odessa, what about his father and what about Ted? They all sacrificed their lives so he could live on, and this was the guilt he had to live with.

"Master Tir... Here, have something to eat" said the blonde servant handing a bowl of hot stew towards his master. On the way out of the building, Gremio and Cleo decided to tag along with Tir as they met up behind a bush a few meters away from Windy's domain. The three of them decided that they would participate in this game, but they would try to refrain from staining their hands with their comrades blood.

"Thanks Gremio" replied Tir, taking the bowl from Gremio's hands and into his own. There was no doubt that the Young Master McDohl was hungry right now, but something seemed to bother him as he just sat there staring into his bowl of stew. Inside there were only a few vegetables that were cut up nicely and diced in for the stew, mainly because there was only a limited amount of things he could use. Sakai Island was definetely not a fertile island compared to the other towns in the Toran Republic.

"Is something wrong, Young master? My apologies if the ingredients displease you, but there was only a limited amount of ingredients I could put into the stew to make sure it didn't taste all bitter" muttered the servant hesistantly. Cleo who was sitting right beside Gremio didn't say anything though, she had been quiet ever since they setup the camp in this grassfield. She looked as if she was concentrating on something.

"No no, Gremio. The stew tastes great! There's nothing wrong with it!" the boy quickly replied, gulping in a spoonful of stew as he made he comment. The servant let out a relieved sigh, after serving many years in the McDohl household, Gremio's one and only wish has become to watch over Tir, like Teo and Ted are.

"What's on your mind, Cleo?" the younger boy questioned, he didn't like it when Cleo looked all concentrated because it looked like as if she was going to throw another tantrum. The boy frowned a bit, knowing that something was wrong with his acquantince.

"Tir, have you calculated the number of formidable fighters in our army?" replied Cleo with another question. The thought seemed to irritate her abit, as she put down her bowl of stew and started to calculate something in her mind.

"There must be at least 80 formidable fighters in our army, including magicians. First of all, their are the 4 generals: Kwanda, Milich, Sonya and Kasim. All 4 of them probably have the strength of 100 men. You realize since this game is a fight for survival, that everyone is going to go full out. Even if Gremio and I risk our lives to save you, there is no guarntee that you'll be able to survive... After all, in the end..." muttered the female guardian in a dark voice..

"In the end...?" Tir asked nervously, as he began to clench his fist. Cleo looked around before opening her mouth to finish the sentence.

"After all, in the end... it all comes down to one"