Disclaimer: Elibe does not belong to me. However, I am proud to say all characters in this chapter belongs to me EXCEPT for Brendan Reed, the game's Four Fangs, Legault, Niime, King of Bern, whose name is not even mentioned, and the Wyvern General, whose name is also not mentioned.
AN: I thought I would deviate from the main work so as to refresh myself. Hopefully this piece is good. I plan to make more of such one-shot of self-created characters throughout Elibe.
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Elicion
The Black Fang has fallen. With its fall, so had Elicion's life.
Ever since the last stand made at the sealed shrine, the remnants of the once-feared Black Fang were now just fair games to the bounty hunters who never would have dared when the group was at its prime. With the defeat of Brendan Reed and his Four Fangs, the rest of the group had no choice but to hide and evade their pursuers. The alternative was death.
Elicion was still alive and, therefore, was still on the run. For the last three months, the only thing occupying her head each day was the task of surviving the day she had woken into. Everywhere she turned, she saw danger. She could not trust anyone nor stay in one place too long. She was at loss how to escape the grueling fate that was death.
Still, she did not want to die and that is why she still hoped for a safe-haven somewhere in Elibe.
It's futile. The blasted King of Bern had succeeded in his demand to other nations for all members of the Black Fang to be handed to him to be executed. Nowhere is safe. It's just a matter of time. The rational corner of her brain sadistically hurled reality at her, ridiculing her desperate struggle.
I do not want to die. This had been her motto ever since the fateful day. It had kept her alive so long.
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At the moment, she was in a village that was tucked within the harsh mountains of Ilia. She hoped this secluded village could provide the sanctuary she was looking for, away from Bern and death.
She seeped the warm tea she had earned after hours of healing the sick in the town. She was glad clerics were well-received in most parts of Elibe, especially in a desolate village such as one she was in now. The tea was slightly bitter, but had a sweet aftertaste. It was extremely soothing, relieving some of the stress she had acquired from her run. It had been awhile since she had the luxury to relax.
"Where are you from, lass?" The village herbiest who had brewed the tea sat beside her. The old woman poured a cup of her own and seeped the tea as she waited for the cleric to answer.
"I'm from… from Bern." Being a terrible liar, she was unable to prepare an answer in time to the unexpected question.
"Bern? You mean where the terrible Black Fang business happened?"
"What? Oh… Yes." At the mention of The Black Fang, she was not able to hide her surprise. She gulped.
"Your name?" The woman's smile was warm.
"Eli-Elicion."
"You are a lovely girl, Elicion. Both in looks and in heart." Even though the compliment came from a female, she still blushed at the comment.
"What's a nice girl like you doing in a mountain such as this?"
"I'm… I'm training my skills as a cleric. I… umm… wished to b-be better." She hated how she stuttered when she lied.
"Hmm. Is that so?" It was then that Elicion thought that the old lady's eyes saw through the falsehood. Her palms started getting sweaty. She bowed her head down, unable to keep eye contact with the herbiest.
There was a stretch of silence, the only sound coming from the herbiest as the woman drank her tea.
When the lady spoke, Elicion flinched.
"I believe you are a good girl, Elicion." Elicion wondered why the lady was telling her this.
"When you healed the injuries of the poor Hulg just now, you really seemed to devote your all, even though you looked as if you were about to drop dead any second. I could see the compassion that is within you." The lady put down her cup. "You must leave."
Elicion looked up in surprise.
"There are pegasus knights coming to catch you. We knew you had to be part of The Black Fang when you first arrived, three days ago. We had reported then, hoping to earn the rewards for those who need it in the town. The pegasus knights will be arriving today, no doubt. You have to leave."
Fear seized her heart. The lady dragged her to the door. Once outside, she saw that the young girl was still petrified.
She slapped her out of the daze.
"Listen! They are coming! If you do not wish to be caught, you have to leave now!" The outburst shook befuddlement. She began to run into the wilderness, desperate to put distance between herself and the village.
As she watched the young girl disappear, the lady thought I wish you escape capture, young lady. She entered the house, wondering what could have made such a girl join a group of assassins.
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She had been running for hours in the snow. The terror had been able to support her frenzied rush but now even that was not enough. Without a warning, her legs gave away and she fell face first into the snow.
She tried to get up but found it futile. Thinking of the pegasus knights that could be on her tail at the very moment, she tried again. She failed again.
Where will you go even if you could get up? It's a matter of time. You cannot win. Give up.
I don't want to die. She yelled the words but could not hear them.
She began to sob. Tears melted the snow around her face and wet her face. The moist feel was something she had not experienced for a long time, not ever since she had joined The Black Fang ten years ago.
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Tears rolled down Elicion's cheek. The girl did not bother to wipe them from her face as nobody was there to see them.
She was in the caravan heading to a Noble's mansion in Bern to be in service to the aristocrat. The prospect of having to live in a foreign environment, at the whim of a nobleman was terrifying. "Mother…" She buried her head into her arms. Her imagination painted a life of hardship for her future, cornering her into a pit of terror more and more.
"Aagh!" A scream came from outside.
It was abruptly cut short. More screams and sounds of metal crashing into metal followed. Bandits! Elicion leapt to the door to peek. Indeed, a group of assassilants were eliminating the caravan guards who resisted. Elicion retreated deeper into the caravan wagon she was locked within. Bandits, which were an immediate aspect of her life, now took the role of terrifying her. She shivered in her hiding place between the barrels. Then she covered her ears, encasing herself from the world outside. She continued to sob.
The lock on the door came free and the door opened. The metallic screech of the old hinges pierced her hands into her ears. Elicion covered her mouth to prevent herself from gasping.
"Elicion? Are you here?"
Her hands dropped away in surprise at the sound of the bandit calling out her name. The man saw the tiny movement and approached her. Elicion could not see the face of the man – it was too dark – who grabbed her arm and began to drag her out. In her dazed state, she did not resist, although doing so would have been futile. The man pulled her out until her weak legs gave away; then he carried her out.
Once out, he dropped her gently onto the ground. A ring of the man's companions formed around them, murmuring. In the moonlight, Elicion could finally make out the bandit's face. She blinked at the familiar face.
"Uncle Gearl?"
A smile decorated the battle-worn face. He knelt down and hugged her. "You recognized me!"
"What's going on?" The last time she saw him was a year ago. It was a night her mother and he argued enormously and he cut all contact with them after that. Elicion had eavesdropped on the furious exchange at the time, and now she recalled that it had something to with her uncle's group of friend called 'The Black Fang'.
At her question, her uncle fumed again.
"I cannot believe the atrocity of that woman! How could she? To give you to the pig for coins! A cleric in service to a noble? My ass! Did she really not know he would have used you as a whor–"
"Gearl!" A purple-haired man scolded the man. The outburst brought her uncle to his senses.
"Thanks, Legault. I must have been mad. To say something like that to an eight-years-old girl." He turned to her. "I want you to come with us, Elicion. Do you want to live with me?"
"With you?"
"Yes. Instead of the noble you were being sent to. What do you say?" Gearl waited worriedly, expecting his niece to throw a tantrum and demand to be sent to his damn sister. He sighed in relief when the lass nodded timidly.
"Welcome to the family, Elicion!" Elicion was hugged by her uncle again. His friends started to gather around the girl, friendly smiles forming on their face. Her uncle began to introduce them. He gestured at the man with purple hair who had reprimanded him. "This is Legault, Elicion. You can call him Uncle Legault. He's my most trusted friend…"
Her uncle had merrily continued; all the while she was focused at the thought that she was going to be with her uncle from now on. She looked at her uncle and smiled, which only brought out a bigger smile from him.
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The memory of her uncle gave her enough strength to upright herself and lean on the rock nearby. However, that was about it. The merciless snow had begun to fall. Elicion folded her legs to herself so as to contain as much heat as possible. The cruel cold reminded her another time she had cried, much more recent and more painful that she was astonished that she had forgotten it.
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She had been sobbing on her bed.
"There, there, Elicion. Gearl would not have wanted you to be like this." Uncle Legault tried to calm her with a hand on her shoulders.
She paused her sobbing long enough to retort, "How would you know! He's dead! He would not have wanted anything because he's dead!" She shook the hand off her.
The Black Fang's hideout had been hit heavily in surprise from the Bern forces. As one of non-combatants, she had been evacuated immediately, while her uncle had remained to hold off the assaulters for others to escape.
"A person is not gone when he's dead. He is gone only when he's forgotten. If you do not bother to remember what he would have wanted just because he is dead, he is truly gone." Legault winced slightly as he spoke, his wound starting to affect him; it was not life-threatening, just painful.
"He should have escaped with us! How did he hope to take on one of the Wyvern Generals? How could he?"
"He did it so that many of us won't have to die in the wyvern knight's hand. It was in his nature to save. Remember him as such and don't waste the life he had saved, Elicion."
His words comforted her. She stopped her sobs.
"You are hurt." She noticed the gash in his side.
"Nothing too serious. Some vulnerary can heal them."
"That's what clerics are for." She reached for her staff.
Legault smiled, knowing she was going to hold herself well. His friend's niece was as tough as his friend had been.
"Uncle Legault?"
"Hmm?" The pain began to fade.
"Thank you."
"That's what uncles are for."
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He's probably dead too. She reminisced at the memory of the man. Long time ago, when she was only nine, the thief had been her first crush. After the childish affection had passed, the man had continued to be a huge part of her life. Uncle Gearl and Legault. I think I am finally going to die.
Her consciousness was already hazy. She wanted to stay in the curled position and sleep. She knew hypothermia was setting in. If she slept now, she will probably not wake up again.
Would that be so bad? No more running, hiding and living in fear. Her eyes closed. She had given up.
I still wish I live somehow. She could not feel the outside world. It was a matter of time.
Her last thoughts were Will I be gone? Forgotten from memories of others? She answered. Probably.
Darkness claimed her.
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"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A man looked at the girl he had just saved from freezing to death. She was still unconscious but was no longer at the danger of dying.
"Here I am, coming back from a nice little tea party with the hag Niime and I just have to pick up an attractive lady for myself. Too bad I'm taken." The man thought to himself for awhile.
"I wonder if Mark's willing to take in a stray." He hoisted the girl on his shoulder and set off.
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AN: I have this problematic tendency of not letting my characters die. This girl is kinda like that, I guess. Oh well. I will have to flesh her personality out more in future if I ever use her again. Hopefully you guys liked this.
If you want, suggest character ideas of different people in Elibe. There are so many I would not have thought of. After all, not all are heroes in war. Some are obviously villains, while others are heroes no recognized and many are those who just suffer but are not sided with any. Suggestions are welcome and begged for (no, really)!
Please Review!
That's about it. desoldeben out.