NAA: Wow, so many people like this, it's kind of weird.
Raven: Agreed.
Chung: I'm not suprised.
NAA: Really?
Chung: Not at all.
Ara: I'm not either! NAA-Sama is very talented!
Raven: Pffft(cue spit take).
NAA: Well than.
Aren: NAA-San does not own Elsword, or any of it's characters.
NAA: NAA-SAMA! SA-MA!
Refrigerator Prophecies: Act I
The Wolf Who Fell In Love With Little Red Riding Hood
Part 2
Departure...
from that stuffy room was a relief to Little Red Riding Hood. Her nerves prickled with tension at the sight of the village Elder. His dwindling wiry tufts of hair, and, although sharp, slightly dim eyes.
He had a charred appearance. Looking like something that had been dropped in a fire several times on accident. But a Quest was a Quest, and it payed well enough. Taking care of even a family of two was tough in this world, and every piece of ED was worth the effort.
So, renting a room at the singular Inn, which was really just a small Tavern with a few extra rooms, she prepared for a good hunt. Her sword was well honed, gleaming crimson in the afternoon sun.
She wore simple togs, nothing more than toughened leather. She didn't bother wearing the uniform. Just a bit too conspicuous for a hunt. She drew her scarlet hair into a ponytail, restraining as much of her unruly locks as possible.
Lastly, she buckled a thick hide of a belt to sit on her hips. A sheath hung in the back, knocking the back of her leg lightly whenever she took a step. Straight faced, she strode from her room, locking the door, and tucking the key away in a pouch on her belt.
A smile from the burly cook did little to lift the corners of her mouth. Neither did the young children playing in the grass. A woman sat nearby on a stool, weaving a basket.
Little Red Riding Hood, or rather, her given name, Elesis, paused. Her eyes transfixed on the woman's steady fingers. Just a tinge of regret whispered into her ear. "If you only you had taken a different path."
She shifted her head, trying to not physically demonstrate her wanting to shake those thoughts from her head. She had a Quest to finish. She twisted on her heel, silently grounding it into the dirt.
With that, she took long strides to the trees clumping together. Before long, they became so close together, you could barely see beyond them. She placed silent steps, her footfalls more quiet than the hissing wind.
Although the time was during mid-Autumn, the leaves did not crunch beneath her soles. Her senses, honed similarly to her sword, were superior to others. She could smell the decay in the air. Hear the wildlife scampering around her as they prepared for the surely harsh winter to come in the next few months.
Her eyes could spy even the dully colored birds as they took flight from a half-mile away. Even when brushing the dirt; the trees; the deadened leaves. She could feel the earth's vibrations.
Sometimes it felt surreal, being surrounded by tranquility that she could never truly be a part of. Restless, she was. That's what Hagus had said anyways. Her heart always running just a beat faster than the world around her.
Ignorance Is Bliss, as they say. And for Elesis, it was completely accurate. But ignorance could not always be afforded. For instance, that moment as her thoughts drifted, a shadow moved.
It was only slight. A twitch, maybe. Peripherally, she barely caught it. Ruby irises darted to peer in that direction. Left; Northeast. She had only been in the forest an hour or so, though time had moved faster than anticipated.
She didn't mind. Flashing past was better than aggravatingly slow. Back to the shadow's matter. It really only now occured to her the irony of the situation. She the hunter, a Wolf the prey. What was the food-chain coming to?
She almost chuckled at herself before her focus returned. In a moment, she was perched in branch. Just a flash of crimson as she ascended the branches. Surveillance would be simple from above. The shadow shifted, once again only a tiny bit.
Her eyes caught it, though. But had the Wolf seen her first? If it had, why hadn't it attacked? She was slightly baffled, but only slightly. She could live with slightly.
For a moment, the Wolf glanced at her. His glisteningly hard eyes immediately betrayed his presence. Elesis' eyes narrowed. For a moment, she thought she had caught a tinge of amber hiding in those blood-like irises.
Now the Wolf, or rather, Ran, did not like being watched. He preferred solitude over socializing, or even just being near people. They made him nervous. Their constant glaring, judging glances.
To be honest, they frightened him. He could never tell what the humans were thinking. Yes, that's right, Ran did not consider himself a human anymore. His appearance clearly stated that he wasn't.
His throat tightened, and as he let it slack a bit, a growl escaped. Elesis had continued watching until that moment. Now was the time to act. She bounded forward, planting her foot so hard against the branch it shook, and thus, catapulted her to the next.
Ran was quite astonished. This hunter, this woman was extremely quick. Just a blink, and she was gone. From one branch to the next.
"Little Monkey." He was startled. Where had that voice come from? Then he realized, his mouth was still open. He had been the one to talk. He hadn't let his voice take any other form other than a growl for such a long time.
It almost hurt. The memories, that is. But all he could see was a bunch of blurred images anyways, so it didn't really matter. He focused on avoiding the obstacle; the trees in his way.
Before he could take another step, another breath really, there she was. Ready to pounce, eyes full of determination. Wordlessly, she dashed forward. Ran's claw blocked the brunt of the attack, a simple slash, but the blade nipped at his fur.
"Too close." His voice was low, much too low for that woman to hear, surely. It was rather amusing to see her confused expression however, and he took the chance.
Before long, he melted like a shadow in the sunlight. Elesis scowled, her confusion and frustration blending together.
"That wolf talked."
How bothersome. That's what Elesis thought. She had been so close to finishing that wolf off. She was now usre it had only been her imagination. That's what she thought. It did not take long to return to that tiny little town.
Nobody greeted her, they hardly glanced. She would've sighed if she were not used to that treatment. However many people she saved, customers she pleased, or enemies she defeated, the civilions still saw her as nothing more than a Mercenary.
Not that she wasn't, of course. It would be nice if she could get a smile every once in awhile. Elesis' face did not change. Her expression had no altercations as she entered the Tavern, a cozy place with the name "Fire's Warmth".
'What an odd name' Elesis' might have though if she hadn't been so confused. You see, contrary to what most got from her, Elesis was almost completely unfocused. Her mind wandered farther than any Peddler.
Before long, her mind returned to a certain subject. Just as she was about to throw off her dirtied tunic, that wolf popped up. It's red eyes, blazing so intensely. It reminded Elesis of herself.
She physically shook her head, trying attempting to jostle those thoughts from her head. Why had she faltered? Because of that gruff voice that she only thought had formed intelligent words? No, that would not normally have phased her.
It was something else. Another thought came up, one that made her eyes widen. Those eyes hadn't reminded Elesis of herself.
They reminded her of the little boy, who no doubt then was chopping a wooden post to splinters, pretending it was a bear, or some such nonsense. Elesis' finished her pause, and onto the floor the tunic went.
She threw on the uniform, an oddly attractive dress. Very inappropriate for a swordsmen. It was crimson, like her, and gold. She did belong to the Red Knights after all. Heck, the Red Knights belonged to her!
She chuckled, positioning her long tresses upon her head, and tying them down tightly. After attiring her feet, she quickly marched from the room.
The uniform, for whatever reason, intimidated most. They were frightened, wuite obviously actually. It quite often confused Elesis, but she ignored them. Not their eyes, of course, but the way they averted them.
She knew she unnerved them. She didn't care. Elesis was intent on something at that moment, you see. She wanted to the bottom of whatever secret this town had. And she knew it had one, it was almost too obvious.
So, off to the local archives she went.
And before long, she found herself at a library. Nothing more than a couple piles of musty, yellowed parchment pages. Some were bound with leather, others with simple, thin wooden boards. Still others with nothing more than a few strings.
Elesis frowned at the mess, her femininity telling her to find a good broom, and start the cleaning. She refused.
Her feminine sidee hadn't gotten to her since... Forever.
And thus began the dive. She came up for air barely, and somehow managed to avoiding drowning in the clouds of dust. Her sneezes only came every once in awhile, and even then, no one noticed.
She was the only one there, other than an older gent. He looked to be a hundred-and-ten years old. Amusing, indeed. He also seemed to be blind. Or deaf. Perhaps both? Ah, Elesis did not have the time to identify whether the elder had a hearing, or seeing defficient.
Okay, so that was a lie. She had plenty of time. But she really did not want to return the following day. She really wanted to get paid by the end of the week, and that meant as much hunting time as possible.
Hours seemed to pass, and well, they did. Even when the woman's eyes began to lazily drift shut, she had not found anything. Nothing but a few bookworms, and a paper cut.
Years of training told Elesis to be alert, and that's really the only reason she had not collapsed to the floor(other than the fact that she was sitting on the dirt-to-almost-dirt-rug). As much as she hated to admit it, Elesis was tired.
Her head sagged before she jerked it up. A yawn escaped, setting dust particles to dance sporadically. She shook her head, something she mentally noted would most likely become a habit.
Another yawn, and than a cough. Too much dust! A dainty slip floated down, gently brushing against her hand. Elesis blinked, staring at the slightly yellowed parchment.
Waving her hand so as to clear the dust(not that it did much), she leaned closer, and lifted it. It appeared to have been torn from a book. Not quite old; not quite new. The ink staining it's surface had not faded much.
Elesis, curious, began reading. Her eyes darted back and forth as she mentally claimed the information. Eyes widening at some parts. Occasionally, she would growl in anger.
On this parchment, you see, there was a story. Nothing more than a fable, really. It told of a man with immense magical, and intellectual talent. He researched many different things, one of them being Dark Magic.
He had been intelligent, but ignorant to human emotions. He sacrificed his own body, allowing it to transform into a beast to save his work. It had failed, but only with the research.
His appearance differentiated dramatically. He became a monster.
Elesis frowned. Was this just a legend? Or was it true?
Was the "beast" the wolf? Did that mean,
"A curse?" She gasped, scooting away from the parchment as it flowed to the ground. She hadn't encountered a curse in quite awhile. Not since a witch who had managed to kill over half of her team.
She had cried that day. Not in front of those who were left, of course. With a slight breeze, she lifted herself from the shredded carpet. Dust flew from her skirt, she even began stomping her feet a bit.
That helped with the dust, too. Elesis continued, passing the elder. The door closed, not with a creak. She made sure of that. The clacking of her heeled shoes echoed throughout the darkened street.
Twasn't much of a street, more dirt covered it than stone. The buildings were not close together, the alleys were more like large paths. It was past midnight by the time Elesis returned to the Tavern.
Still, several people mingled. Some drank, others ate. The redhead ignored them, marching straight to the stairs, ascending them, and entering her rented room.
Two days, already wasted. Elesis pondered, removing her shoes, one at a time.
"If that legend is truth, than what shall I do?" Her voice quiet as she changed. It always took a long time to get the uniform off. Elesis was tired, more so than usual. Which was odd.
Little Red Riding Hood laid herself down, letting her eyes fall shut. Sleep came quickly.
NAA: Apologies for the sloppiness, didn't feel like editing.
Elsword: Like usual.
NAA: ANYWAYS! Does anybody want this to be a sad story? Or a happy one? Should I make two endings?
Elesis: What's the sad ending?
Aisha: Does it involve death?
Rena: How romantic~!
Eve: Shall I inquire what of this reaction?
NAA: I would advise against it.
Chung: Thank you to Awakened Hades, Harueve, Desuchi, Ephemeral Sanity, Rinkushido, and Rosamanelle!
Toodle-loodles,
~Not-Alone-Anymore