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- Aidyn
I think the best way to say 'Hi!' to everyone on the Daily News would be for me to introduce Aidyn's Background a bit.
As a member of the Crimson Pirates, I've started writing a history for my character, Aidyn Tavari.
It actually starts off with his parents. .
And, well, the chapters after the initial four need some work.
So that's all you get for now! 8[ ]
( Also, as an aside, it'd help if you knew the background story that the Crimson Pirates are RPing out. . So come visit our forums sometime at,
www.crimsonpiratespg.com ! )
Anyways, this is kind of long. So.
Enjoy. ^^;;
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Chapter 1 -
The Parents of the Thief
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“The Tenshodo’s gone straight ta hell, I swear it!”
A young summoner raised her delicate, hazel eyes to the door of her home. She let loose a soft sigh, and clasped her hands together across her lap.
“Welcome home, Dear...”
The oaken door of the small apartment in Lower Jeuno was rushed open by a gruff shoulder, and in stepped Dyne Tavari, a man appearing only to have recently entered his thirties. He wore a green vest, green armlets, green cuffs... Well, everything on him was green.
The contemporary garb for a thief.
Setting his knife onto the desk by the door, he glanced over to his wife.
“Carly, I tell ya, that Gilgamesh don’t know what he’s doin’.”
Carletta Tavari, commonly called Carly by her husband, shook her head.
“I still don’t understand why you got caught up with that group, Dear... But I..”
Dyne waved a hand into the air as he stormed over to the maple table that Carly was sitting by.
Grabbing an apple, he bit into it as he continued to talk.
“That one-eyed, know it all pirate, I swear...He’s too soft! A group of rangers out patrollin’ from Jeuno nearly caught us, and we were in LaTheine! That’s almost completely outta their jurisdiction...
We would’a gotten away just fine if we had used some force on those adventurers, but no, we had ta be ‘careful.’ “
He made a face as he bit into the apple again.
Carly frowned ever so slightly..
“But dear, you never became a thief to hurt anyone... Besides, I...”
Dyne’s fist slammed to the table, his eyes fixed on the bowl of apples in the middle of the table.
“Roykyo got shot in the shoulder on the way back, when we were runnin’ away from those damn rangers... By Altana.. You know how bad it would’a been if *I* had been caught? My cover would’a been completely blown!”
He moved over to a dresser in his one room home, taking his green vest off.
“Ya know I’m only with the Duchy a’ Jeuno cause we needed this house.. Hell, I can barely afford ta keep the rental charges down, despite bein’ a ‘ranger’ with that gang..”
Taking out a Hunter’s Jerkin, he examined it idly..
Carly shifted in her chair, watching her husband.
“I know, Dyne.. And I know that’s why you joined the Tenshodo too... For money... But..There’s something I..”
The hunter’s jerkin got caught over his head as Dyne was slipping into it.
“Aye! The Tenshodo’re practically family ta me now.. So I gotta stick with ‘em, as well as the army of Jeuno so’s I can keep affordin’ this house for us..Gil is tight these days, but..”
His head popped out the top of his tunic.
“.. Don’t ya worry, we’ll make ends meet someway or another.”
His back was turned to her as he took off his armlets.. However, he did spin around when he heard a muffled scream.
“Carly?!”
The knife that Dyne had carelessly laid on the desk by the door was now being held to Carly’s throat, her face covered by a broad hand. An elvaan, adorned in warrior lorica, held both her and the knife.
“Who the hell’re you?! Let her go!”
Dyne stepped forward to protect his wife, but the elvaan shifted back towards the door, still holding the knife firmly in place.
“Don’t you take another step forward, you pathetic thief.”
Gritting his teeth, Dyne stopped in his tracks.
A sadistic grin slid across the elvaan’s face.
“That’s better. Now. You leave this matter be.. The summoner is coming with me, and you will mind your busine~”
Before he was able to finish, Carly bit into his hand.
“Ow! You wretched welp!”
As he was regaining his hold on her mouth, Carly managed to yell to her husband..
“Dyne, I...!”
The elvaan’s hand gripped firmly to her mouth, and he moved closer to the door.
His grin remained constant, and a laugh slipped out...
“Now, now, Carletta.. We must not worry the thief with the knowledge of two hostages...”
Dyne took another step forward, his hands gripped into fists..
“Two hostages?”
The elvaan’s sick grin seemed to grow even more, his body silhouetted by the light of the moon outside the door frame.
“You didn’t know, thief? Your wench carries your child now.”
Dyne staggered a bit, but was otherwise capable of holding his footing. His eyes brimmed with tears only the slightest bit as he watched his wife struggle against the hold of the elvaan.
He could only stare.
The elvaan shook his head.
“As I said, a pathetic thief... Now keep your nose out of this, and you may keep your life. For now... “
His laugh rang out again as he slipped off into the night, the young summoner girl captured in his arms.
Dyne fell to his knees, the door to his home swaying slightly in the wind.. The moonlight still illuminating the small room..
“Carly...”
His eyes shifted up towards the moon.
“And... my son...”
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Chapter 2 -
A Warrior's Axe
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“Come now, Carletta Dear... What are they telling you? I know they’re talking to you.. You can’t hide that from me... “
The elvaan crossed his broad arms across the red lorica that covered his chest. His eyes were squinted in the dim light of the moon, as he paced his way around the small altar in the middle of the ring of stones. Carletta was fastened securely to the altar, her wrists and ankles tied to each of the four corners. Her long brown hair was spilling out onto the ground, her head tilted to the side, avoiding the probing gaze of her kidnapper.
“I know I can’t hide that from you... I know who you are...”
The elvaan positioned himself so she was now looking at him. His slicked back, black hair glistened in the moonlight, his ponytail swaying slightly in the breeze that rushed over the small valley in the LaThiene plateau.
“Then you must also know that I have returned. My true form lies in wait to strike, while I use my spirit to possess this shell. My conquer of this world, and the inevitable extinction of all of this planet’s races aside from beastmen... You know of this, as well?
Carletta’s head shifted again, so she had her proverbial back to him.
“Yes.”
His foot tapped idly as he watched her.
“Then why not just tell me what they say? The avatars are too cowardly to confront me on their own.. I must know where they lie so I may slay them all. Or you could gather them here for me, and I’ll take care of them all at once. However you wish to play this, Carletta Dear.”
Carletta never once strained against the restraints that held her.. She just laid there, watching the rustling of the trees by the altar.
“You will not show your true self to me.. And you have the tenacity to call them cowards? You have no hope of defeating them, Shadow Lord..”
A loud slap echoed through the valley, and a large red mark appeared on Calry’s cheek. Her head whipped to the side from the power of the strike, the elvaan face contorted with a mild rage.. It didn’t last too long, though, before his grin returned.
“Stupid girl. I have already foreseen your death.”
His hand moved down from her face, slowly shifting to her stomach.
“Fortunately, I can take care of this little one as well... I have seen that your son would be a thorn in my side as well, should he not be taken care of now...”
Carly turned her head back to the elvaan. Her face was pulled down into a frown, as she spat in his face.
With the hand that wasn’t on her stomach, he wiped away the saliva, still staring blankly. Still grinning.
“... To what degree he would bother, I do not know. For in my vision, he is already dead. And...”
He moved from her side, over to one of the standing boulders, which watched over the stone altar. A sharp metallic sound resonated into the air as the elvaan lifted his Demon’s Axe, an appropriate weapon for him. He let the head of the great axe fall back to the ground, which he let drag and tear up the earth on his way back over to the summoner. His head was slightly tilted to the side, his sick grin ever present.
“...Since you are not going to cooperate... I see no reason why I shouldn’t end both your life, and your son’s right now. . .
The gates of innocence will be drowned out by the river of blood I will spill. . . "
Gripping the bo of the axe, he lifted it high above his head...
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Chapter 3 -
A Husband's Duty
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“Dyne, what the hell’re we doin’ out here, anyways? I mean, how can ye be sure?”
Dyne stopped in his tracks, placing a hand onto a tree, which he peered around. It was night, the moon hung high in the sky over the plateau. He was dressed in his normal green attire. And he looked pissed.
“Look Mia, I explained to ya already..”
The young girl behind him, no more than 20 years old, adorned in a tunic, with a staff by her side, had her arms crossed. Her head shook, making her hood fall to her shoulders. With a huff, she lifted it back up over her head.
“Yeah yeah, ya told us THAT story.”
“It does seem a little farfetched is all, Dyne.”
Mia glanced over her shoulder, at the galka hulking behind her. He had on a kenpogi, since his traditional chain mail garb wouldn’t be appropriate for sneaking around.
He moved forward, placing a hand onto Dyne’s shoulder.
“We have searched this entire area.. We should head back...”
Dyne growled low, and stepped away from the tree. The other two stayed in tow.
“Heidegaar... Ya know I can’t just give up on her.. I gotta follow this lead..”
Mia clapped her hands together.
“Oh right, the great ‘lead!’ Dyne, ya hallucinated!”
He sighed, and knelt down by the Ephemere’s edge.
“I didn’t....
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Dyne laid back in his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Rain hit the windows of his small room... The weather even matched his mood.
It had been five days since Carly was stolen away from him...
The tenshodo had denied his request for help, and the archduke of Jeuno didn’t even want to hear anything from a low rank ranger.
It seemed hopeless... He had even gone out and tried to search on his own..
But what could he do? Where could he go?
He was lost. Without any help, how was he supposed to save her... The woman that he loved..
But as he sat there, thinking over what course of action he should take... An ethereal, cerulean circle formed on the ground of his home. He shot up in bed, eyes wide in amazement as he watched a small blue... rat... ? A rat crawled out from the center of the circle, staring straight at Dyne.
“I.. Err... Who..?”
The creature strolled up to the bed, still staring up at Dyne.
“Dyne Tavari, my name is Carbuncle. I come before you now because there is something you must do.”
Dyne shifted up from the bed, stepping away from Carbuncle.
“You... you’re.. An avatar?”
Carbuncle nodded its head, stepping back into the center of its circle.
“Dyne, you must protect Carletta. She needs you as her guardian for the time being. It is still not her time to die.”
Dyne waved his hands out in front of him, a desperate look over coming his face.
“But how!? I don’t know where she is!”
Carbuncle’s form started to fade..
“You must search the plateau, you will find her there..”
And in an instant, it vanished.
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... Ok, so maybe I’m a little concerned that I had a conversation with a blue, glowing rodent..”
He smacked the water’s surface with a hand, and stood up. Gripping his hands into fists, he shook his head.
“But I’ll worry about that later. I know she’s out here! She has ta be! That’s why I asked you two to help.. I knew you two would help me.. Please..”
His eyes were pleading... Mia sighed.
“Alllllright, fine, another hour, that’s it. Then we gott...”
Just then, a loud crack echoed out from the small valley by the lake. Dyne spun around to the source of the sound.
“That had ta be her! Come on!”
The three sprinted over in that direction. All were trained members of the tenshodo, their speed was unparalleled. Even Heidegaar’s.
As they approached, they saw two figures, lit up by the moonlight. Ducking behind one of the boulders surrounding the altar in the middle, Dyne peeked around the side. Sure enough, there was the elvaan. And... Dyne’s eyes grew wide, seeing his wife lying on the altar, strapped down..
The elvaan drew an axe up above his head.
Mia gasped, and Heidegaar began to stand..
While Dyne readied his gun. His sights locked onto the elvaan.
A shot shattered the silence of the night.
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Chapter 4-
A 'Hero's' Burial
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Three years had passed since the night that Dyne had killed the Elvaan that took his wife from him. He had shot him square in the temple, and the elvaan had collapsed instantly. . .
Ever since that night, Dyne couldn't shake the odd feeling that he had seen some sort of dark cloud rise from the body of the elvaan, but whenever he brought it up, Carly simply shushed him and told him not to worry about it.
But she knew very well what had been inside the elvaan. And she was frightened for her family's future. . .
Aidyn Tavari had been born into the world only a year after she had been kidnapped.
He was now two years old, and already had the dark brown hair of his father, and the deep, brown eyes of his mother.
He was always playful, and it seemed always happy.
Carly knew that she would have to protect her child. . .
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“... To what degree he would bother, I do not know. For in my vision, he is already dead. And...”
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. . . She was not going to let 'him' take her son from her.
These things ran through her mind as she heard the yells and screams of the people outside of her home.
The forces of the Beastmen had smashed through the gates of the relatively newly formed Jeuno. They were attacking, and they were winning.
Carly clutched Aidyn to her chest, as her small home was rocked by the forces clashing outside, mere feet away from where she was now.
Just then, the door slammed open, and Dyne rushed in. His face was worn, and his forehead was cut. His clothes were torn and ripped and dirtied. . . His knife was in his hand, bloodied by the wounds of orcs, and his bow was strapped to his back.
"Carly! Come on, we have to get you out of here. There's an airship at the docks that's trying to get passengers out of here. You have to board it!"
Carly rushed to the door, touching a hand to her husband's face.
"But I can't leave you, Dyne!. . . I, I can fight! I can help too, if only you'd let me. . . "
Dyne's eyes grew gentle for a moment, as he let his wife's hand hold his blood smeared face.
" Carly. . . If you've got an respect and love for me in that heart of yours, which I know you do. . . You'll grant me this last wish. I want you and Aidyn to live. . . And I'll be damned if I let either of you die."
Carly looked up at her husband's eyes. . . They were pleading. She nodded the slightest bit.
"O- . . .ok, Dyne. For you. And for Aidyn. . ."
She leaned up and kissed Dyne. . . And she knew it would be the last time she ever would.
Dyne placed a kiss to the top of Aidyn's head, and stared at his son for a moment. .
"I know you'll make me proud of you someday, son. . . I love ya, kid."
Then his eyes shifted back to Carly. Both of their eyes were misted by tears.
"Carletta. . . I love you more than anything in the world. You and Aidyn. Don't you ever forget that."
Carly gasped slightly to keep herself from tripping over her words. . .
"And I love you, Dyne Tavari. . . I always will. . . "
Dyne smiled, and he smiled broadly. He quickly pointed in the direction that his wife should run, and then he nodded to Heidegaar, who had been standing there the entire time, watching Dyne's back, with his mighty axe drawn. Heidegaar nodded back to Dyne, and waved to Carly, before the two ran off to rejoin the fight.
Carly waved after her husband and dear friend. . . And started off to where the airships were kept at the docks.
Dyne glanced back, to make sure that his wife would make it safely. . . Until she rounded a corner and was out of sight. . .
He smiled the slightest bit. . And then turned back into the heavy fog and smoke of the battle before him.
He stepped up beside Heidegaar, a little grin on his face.
" What do ya say we teach these orcs a thing or two about coming into our home, without even so much as bringin' some sort of house warmin' gift? "
It was one of those jokes that were told during a desperate time, for a laugh or two to hold off the fear of death.
And Heidegaar, as was characteristic of the warrior, laughed his full hearted laugh.
"Stingy little buggers, aren't they?"
Dyne's grin never faded, and he nodded. The two charged off into the hell that was before them.
Fires were everywhere, soldiers were killing orcs, and orcs were cutting down soldiers.
A river of blood was spilled that night. . . And innocence was drowned.
. . . When all the fighting had slowed, the sun had started rising. . .
The fires still burned, smoke still filled the air. Heidegaar had his great axe in hand, dragging it along the ground. . . He was tired. The fight had taken the life out of everyone that night, whether it was through exhaustion, or a blade to the skull.
Heidegaar looked about the place. . . It was a massacre. He saw people he had seen every day, lying in the dirt. Blood spilling from them.
His mighty form moved further still. . . His eyes searching for his dearest friend.
Whom he eventually found.
Dyne was lying face down in the dirt, his body surrounded by a few orc corpses that had been littered with arrows and knife wounds.
Dyne's back had an orcish axe in it.
Heidegaar was startled, and dropped his own axe. Rushing over, he quickly pulled the axe from the wound, and threw it to the side. The cut looked fresh. . . And deep. He turned Dyne over to face him, and held him there in his large arms. Dyne's face was covered in soot and blood, but his eyes slowly opened. . . They shifted up to Heidegaar.
" . . h. . h-hey. . ."
A very weak smile crossed Dyne's lips.
" . . . d. . . . d. . . did we. . wi-n?"
He coughed up some blood, his body making a violent spasm. Heidegaar clung to him to keep him from losing too much blood, as he shook. It was a diffcult sight to watch, as Heidegaar looked down at his friend. Tears were filling Heidegaar's eyes. But he didn't say anything.
Dyne's smile returned though.
"H. . .heidy. . .T. . take care. . of C. .carly. . .an. ..and. . .Aid. . y. ."
Dyne's head slumped to the side. The tears filling Heidegaar's eyes slid down his cheeks, as he hugged the lifeless form in his arms.
" I will, Dyne. . . I will. . . "
Heidegaar dug a hole, there, to bury his friend in. He was tired and battle worn, but he knew he had to let Dyne rest in peace. He buried him there, and placed a small pair of sticks in an awkward cross above the dirt mound.
Saluting the grave, Heidegaar turned, and started off into the destroyed city, to see if Carly and the boy had made it safely onto an airship.
Heidegaar had to find the two of them, so that he could honor his dead friend's final wish.
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To be continued. . .
As a member of the Crimson Pirates, I've started writing a history for my character, Aidyn Tavari.
It actually starts off with his parents. .
And, well, the chapters after the initial four need some work.
So that's all you get for now! 8[ ]
( Also, as an aside, it'd help if you knew the background story that the Crimson Pirates are RPing out. . So come visit our forums sometime at,
www.crimsonpiratespg.com ! )
Anyways, this is kind of long. So.
Enjoy. ^^;;
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Chapter 1 -
The Parents of the Thief
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“The Tenshodo’s gone straight ta hell, I swear it!”
A young summoner raised her delicate, hazel eyes to the door of her home. She let loose a soft sigh, and clasped her hands together across her lap.
“Welcome home, Dear...”
The oaken door of the small apartment in Lower Jeuno was rushed open by a gruff shoulder, and in stepped Dyne Tavari, a man appearing only to have recently entered his thirties. He wore a green vest, green armlets, green cuffs... Well, everything on him was green.
The contemporary garb for a thief.
Setting his knife onto the desk by the door, he glanced over to his wife.
“Carly, I tell ya, that Gilgamesh don’t know what he’s doin’.”
Carletta Tavari, commonly called Carly by her husband, shook her head.
“I still don’t understand why you got caught up with that group, Dear... But I..”
Dyne waved a hand into the air as he stormed over to the maple table that Carly was sitting by.
Grabbing an apple, he bit into it as he continued to talk.
“That one-eyed, know it all pirate, I swear...He’s too soft! A group of rangers out patrollin’ from Jeuno nearly caught us, and we were in LaTheine! That’s almost completely outta their jurisdiction...
We would’a gotten away just fine if we had used some force on those adventurers, but no, we had ta be ‘careful.’ “
He made a face as he bit into the apple again.
Carly frowned ever so slightly..
“But dear, you never became a thief to hurt anyone... Besides, I...”
Dyne’s fist slammed to the table, his eyes fixed on the bowl of apples in the middle of the table.
“Roykyo got shot in the shoulder on the way back, when we were runnin’ away from those damn rangers... By Altana.. You know how bad it would’a been if *I* had been caught? My cover would’a been completely blown!”
He moved over to a dresser in his one room home, taking his green vest off.
“Ya know I’m only with the Duchy a’ Jeuno cause we needed this house.. Hell, I can barely afford ta keep the rental charges down, despite bein’ a ‘ranger’ with that gang..”
Taking out a Hunter’s Jerkin, he examined it idly..
Carly shifted in her chair, watching her husband.
“I know, Dyne.. And I know that’s why you joined the Tenshodo too... For money... But..There’s something I..”
The hunter’s jerkin got caught over his head as Dyne was slipping into it.
“Aye! The Tenshodo’re practically family ta me now.. So I gotta stick with ‘em, as well as the army of Jeuno so’s I can keep affordin’ this house for us..Gil is tight these days, but..”
His head popped out the top of his tunic.
“.. Don’t ya worry, we’ll make ends meet someway or another.”
His back was turned to her as he took off his armlets.. However, he did spin around when he heard a muffled scream.
“Carly?!”
The knife that Dyne had carelessly laid on the desk by the door was now being held to Carly’s throat, her face covered by a broad hand. An elvaan, adorned in warrior lorica, held both her and the knife.
“Who the hell’re you?! Let her go!”
Dyne stepped forward to protect his wife, but the elvaan shifted back towards the door, still holding the knife firmly in place.
“Don’t you take another step forward, you pathetic thief.”
Gritting his teeth, Dyne stopped in his tracks.
A sadistic grin slid across the elvaan’s face.
“That’s better. Now. You leave this matter be.. The summoner is coming with me, and you will mind your busine~”
Before he was able to finish, Carly bit into his hand.
“Ow! You wretched welp!”
As he was regaining his hold on her mouth, Carly managed to yell to her husband..
“Dyne, I...!”
The elvaan’s hand gripped firmly to her mouth, and he moved closer to the door.
His grin remained constant, and a laugh slipped out...
“Now, now, Carletta.. We must not worry the thief with the knowledge of two hostages...”
Dyne took another step forward, his hands gripped into fists..
“Two hostages?”
The elvaan’s sick grin seemed to grow even more, his body silhouetted by the light of the moon outside the door frame.
“You didn’t know, thief? Your wench carries your child now.”
Dyne staggered a bit, but was otherwise capable of holding his footing. His eyes brimmed with tears only the slightest bit as he watched his wife struggle against the hold of the elvaan.
He could only stare.
The elvaan shook his head.
“As I said, a pathetic thief... Now keep your nose out of this, and you may keep your life. For now... “
His laugh rang out again as he slipped off into the night, the young summoner girl captured in his arms.
Dyne fell to his knees, the door to his home swaying slightly in the wind.. The moonlight still illuminating the small room..
“Carly...”
His eyes shifted up towards the moon.
“And... my son...”
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Chapter 2 -
A Warrior's Axe
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“Come now, Carletta Dear... What are they telling you? I know they’re talking to you.. You can’t hide that from me... “
The elvaan crossed his broad arms across the red lorica that covered his chest. His eyes were squinted in the dim light of the moon, as he paced his way around the small altar in the middle of the ring of stones. Carletta was fastened securely to the altar, her wrists and ankles tied to each of the four corners. Her long brown hair was spilling out onto the ground, her head tilted to the side, avoiding the probing gaze of her kidnapper.
“I know I can’t hide that from you... I know who you are...”
The elvaan positioned himself so she was now looking at him. His slicked back, black hair glistened in the moonlight, his ponytail swaying slightly in the breeze that rushed over the small valley in the LaThiene plateau.
“Then you must also know that I have returned. My true form lies in wait to strike, while I use my spirit to possess this shell. My conquer of this world, and the inevitable extinction of all of this planet’s races aside from beastmen... You know of this, as well?
Carletta’s head shifted again, so she had her proverbial back to him.
“Yes.”
His foot tapped idly as he watched her.
“Then why not just tell me what they say? The avatars are too cowardly to confront me on their own.. I must know where they lie so I may slay them all. Or you could gather them here for me, and I’ll take care of them all at once. However you wish to play this, Carletta Dear.”
Carletta never once strained against the restraints that held her.. She just laid there, watching the rustling of the trees by the altar.
“You will not show your true self to me.. And you have the tenacity to call them cowards? You have no hope of defeating them, Shadow Lord..”
A loud slap echoed through the valley, and a large red mark appeared on Calry’s cheek. Her head whipped to the side from the power of the strike, the elvaan face contorted with a mild rage.. It didn’t last too long, though, before his grin returned.
“Stupid girl. I have already foreseen your death.”
His hand moved down from her face, slowly shifting to her stomach.
“Fortunately, I can take care of this little one as well... I have seen that your son would be a thorn in my side as well, should he not be taken care of now...”
Carly turned her head back to the elvaan. Her face was pulled down into a frown, as she spat in his face.
With the hand that wasn’t on her stomach, he wiped away the saliva, still staring blankly. Still grinning.
“... To what degree he would bother, I do not know. For in my vision, he is already dead. And...”
He moved from her side, over to one of the standing boulders, which watched over the stone altar. A sharp metallic sound resonated into the air as the elvaan lifted his Demon’s Axe, an appropriate weapon for him. He let the head of the great axe fall back to the ground, which he let drag and tear up the earth on his way back over to the summoner. His head was slightly tilted to the side, his sick grin ever present.
“...Since you are not going to cooperate... I see no reason why I shouldn’t end both your life, and your son’s right now. . .
The gates of innocence will be drowned out by the river of blood I will spill. . . "
Gripping the bo of the axe, he lifted it high above his head...
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Chapter 3 -
A Husband's Duty
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“Dyne, what the hell’re we doin’ out here, anyways? I mean, how can ye be sure?”
Dyne stopped in his tracks, placing a hand onto a tree, which he peered around. It was night, the moon hung high in the sky over the plateau. He was dressed in his normal green attire. And he looked pissed.
“Look Mia, I explained to ya already..”
The young girl behind him, no more than 20 years old, adorned in a tunic, with a staff by her side, had her arms crossed. Her head shook, making her hood fall to her shoulders. With a huff, she lifted it back up over her head.
“Yeah yeah, ya told us THAT story.”
“It does seem a little farfetched is all, Dyne.”
Mia glanced over her shoulder, at the galka hulking behind her. He had on a kenpogi, since his traditional chain mail garb wouldn’t be appropriate for sneaking around.
He moved forward, placing a hand onto Dyne’s shoulder.
“We have searched this entire area.. We should head back...”
Dyne growled low, and stepped away from the tree. The other two stayed in tow.
“Heidegaar... Ya know I can’t just give up on her.. I gotta follow this lead..”
Mia clapped her hands together.
“Oh right, the great ‘lead!’ Dyne, ya hallucinated!”
He sighed, and knelt down by the Ephemere’s edge.
“I didn’t....
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Dyne laid back in his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Rain hit the windows of his small room... The weather even matched his mood.
It had been five days since Carly was stolen away from him...
The tenshodo had denied his request for help, and the archduke of Jeuno didn’t even want to hear anything from a low rank ranger.
It seemed hopeless... He had even gone out and tried to search on his own..
But what could he do? Where could he go?
He was lost. Without any help, how was he supposed to save her... The woman that he loved..
But as he sat there, thinking over what course of action he should take... An ethereal, cerulean circle formed on the ground of his home. He shot up in bed, eyes wide in amazement as he watched a small blue... rat... ? A rat crawled out from the center of the circle, staring straight at Dyne.
“I.. Err... Who..?”
The creature strolled up to the bed, still staring up at Dyne.
“Dyne Tavari, my name is Carbuncle. I come before you now because there is something you must do.”
Dyne shifted up from the bed, stepping away from Carbuncle.
“You... you’re.. An avatar?”
Carbuncle nodded its head, stepping back into the center of its circle.
“Dyne, you must protect Carletta. She needs you as her guardian for the time being. It is still not her time to die.”
Dyne waved his hands out in front of him, a desperate look over coming his face.
“But how!? I don’t know where she is!”
Carbuncle’s form started to fade..
“You must search the plateau, you will find her there..”
And in an instant, it vanished.
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... Ok, so maybe I’m a little concerned that I had a conversation with a blue, glowing rodent..”
He smacked the water’s surface with a hand, and stood up. Gripping his hands into fists, he shook his head.
“But I’ll worry about that later. I know she’s out here! She has ta be! That’s why I asked you two to help.. I knew you two would help me.. Please..”
His eyes were pleading... Mia sighed.
“Alllllright, fine, another hour, that’s it. Then we gott...”
Just then, a loud crack echoed out from the small valley by the lake. Dyne spun around to the source of the sound.
“That had ta be her! Come on!”
The three sprinted over in that direction. All were trained members of the tenshodo, their speed was unparalleled. Even Heidegaar’s.
As they approached, they saw two figures, lit up by the moonlight. Ducking behind one of the boulders surrounding the altar in the middle, Dyne peeked around the side. Sure enough, there was the elvaan. And... Dyne’s eyes grew wide, seeing his wife lying on the altar, strapped down..
The elvaan drew an axe up above his head.
Mia gasped, and Heidegaar began to stand..
While Dyne readied his gun. His sights locked onto the elvaan.
A shot shattered the silence of the night.
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Chapter 4-
A 'Hero's' Burial
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Three years had passed since the night that Dyne had killed the Elvaan that took his wife from him. He had shot him square in the temple, and the elvaan had collapsed instantly. . .
Ever since that night, Dyne couldn't shake the odd feeling that he had seen some sort of dark cloud rise from the body of the elvaan, but whenever he brought it up, Carly simply shushed him and told him not to worry about it.
But she knew very well what had been inside the elvaan. And she was frightened for her family's future. . .
Aidyn Tavari had been born into the world only a year after she had been kidnapped.
He was now two years old, and already had the dark brown hair of his father, and the deep, brown eyes of his mother.
He was always playful, and it seemed always happy.
Carly knew that she would have to protect her child. . .
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“... To what degree he would bother, I do not know. For in my vision, he is already dead. And...”
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. . . She was not going to let 'him' take her son from her.
These things ran through her mind as she heard the yells and screams of the people outside of her home.
The forces of the Beastmen had smashed through the gates of the relatively newly formed Jeuno. They were attacking, and they were winning.
Carly clutched Aidyn to her chest, as her small home was rocked by the forces clashing outside, mere feet away from where she was now.
Just then, the door slammed open, and Dyne rushed in. His face was worn, and his forehead was cut. His clothes were torn and ripped and dirtied. . . His knife was in his hand, bloodied by the wounds of orcs, and his bow was strapped to his back.
"Carly! Come on, we have to get you out of here. There's an airship at the docks that's trying to get passengers out of here. You have to board it!"
Carly rushed to the door, touching a hand to her husband's face.
"But I can't leave you, Dyne!. . . I, I can fight! I can help too, if only you'd let me. . . "
Dyne's eyes grew gentle for a moment, as he let his wife's hand hold his blood smeared face.
" Carly. . . If you've got an respect and love for me in that heart of yours, which I know you do. . . You'll grant me this last wish. I want you and Aidyn to live. . . And I'll be damned if I let either of you die."
Carly looked up at her husband's eyes. . . They were pleading. She nodded the slightest bit.
"O- . . .ok, Dyne. For you. And for Aidyn. . ."
She leaned up and kissed Dyne. . . And she knew it would be the last time she ever would.
Dyne placed a kiss to the top of Aidyn's head, and stared at his son for a moment. .
"I know you'll make me proud of you someday, son. . . I love ya, kid."
Then his eyes shifted back to Carly. Both of their eyes were misted by tears.
"Carletta. . . I love you more than anything in the world. You and Aidyn. Don't you ever forget that."
Carly gasped slightly to keep herself from tripping over her words. . .
"And I love you, Dyne Tavari. . . I always will. . . "
Dyne smiled, and he smiled broadly. He quickly pointed in the direction that his wife should run, and then he nodded to Heidegaar, who had been standing there the entire time, watching Dyne's back, with his mighty axe drawn. Heidegaar nodded back to Dyne, and waved to Carly, before the two ran off to rejoin the fight.
Carly waved after her husband and dear friend. . . And started off to where the airships were kept at the docks.
Dyne glanced back, to make sure that his wife would make it safely. . . Until she rounded a corner and was out of sight. . .
He smiled the slightest bit. . And then turned back into the heavy fog and smoke of the battle before him.
He stepped up beside Heidegaar, a little grin on his face.
" What do ya say we teach these orcs a thing or two about coming into our home, without even so much as bringin' some sort of house warmin' gift? "
It was one of those jokes that were told during a desperate time, for a laugh or two to hold off the fear of death.
And Heidegaar, as was characteristic of the warrior, laughed his full hearted laugh.
"Stingy little buggers, aren't they?"
Dyne's grin never faded, and he nodded. The two charged off into the hell that was before them.
Fires were everywhere, soldiers were killing orcs, and orcs were cutting down soldiers.
A river of blood was spilled that night. . . And innocence was drowned.
. . . When all the fighting had slowed, the sun had started rising. . .
The fires still burned, smoke still filled the air. Heidegaar had his great axe in hand, dragging it along the ground. . . He was tired. The fight had taken the life out of everyone that night, whether it was through exhaustion, or a blade to the skull.
Heidegaar looked about the place. . . It was a massacre. He saw people he had seen every day, lying in the dirt. Blood spilling from them.
His mighty form moved further still. . . His eyes searching for his dearest friend.
Whom he eventually found.
Dyne was lying face down in the dirt, his body surrounded by a few orc corpses that had been littered with arrows and knife wounds.
Dyne's back had an orcish axe in it.
Heidegaar was startled, and dropped his own axe. Rushing over, he quickly pulled the axe from the wound, and threw it to the side. The cut looked fresh. . . And deep. He turned Dyne over to face him, and held him there in his large arms. Dyne's face was covered in soot and blood, but his eyes slowly opened. . . They shifted up to Heidegaar.
" . . h. . h-hey. . ."
A very weak smile crossed Dyne's lips.
" . . . d. . . . d. . . did we. . wi-n?"
He coughed up some blood, his body making a violent spasm. Heidegaar clung to him to keep him from losing too much blood, as he shook. It was a diffcult sight to watch, as Heidegaar looked down at his friend. Tears were filling Heidegaar's eyes. But he didn't say anything.
Dyne's smile returned though.
"H. . .heidy. . .T. . take care. . of C. .carly. . .an. ..and. . .Aid. . y. ."
Dyne's head slumped to the side. The tears filling Heidegaar's eyes slid down his cheeks, as he hugged the lifeless form in his arms.
" I will, Dyne. . . I will. . . "
Heidegaar dug a hole, there, to bury his friend in. He was tired and battle worn, but he knew he had to let Dyne rest in peace. He buried him there, and placed a small pair of sticks in an awkward cross above the dirt mound.
Saluting the grave, Heidegaar turned, and started off into the destroyed city, to see if Carly and the boy had made it safely onto an airship.
Heidegaar had to find the two of them, so that he could honor his dead friend's final wish.
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To be continued. . .
