Averton, underground, coordinates unknown
These words were both a first and last. They were a beginning and an end.
They were the last words anyone spoke to Doctor Galleus Morgans. He was a man who spoke many words to many people. With his words, he sent out orders, gave advice, shared information, made speculations, confirmed hypotheses, and even used words to request tea. He spoke to many people. Scientists, mechanics, doctors, soldiers, captives, corpses, generals, nobles, peasants, friends, enemies, patients, and customers.
A man who spoke to many, yet now the last words he would hear from others were these.
They were the first words spoken in years by a certain elf. For years she had been silent. For years she didn't speak to anyone. Not to those who harmed or nor to those who wished to befriend her. She didn't speak to those who ordered her nor to those who wished to cooperate with her. As lives came and went she didn't speak. As her captors praised her she didn't speak. As her fellows disdained her she didn't speak. No matter what, no sound came from her.
These words signified the end of this elf's imprisonment. She had been imprisoned in
- holding cells
- surgery rooms
- scientific breakthroughs
- scientific failures
- heavy machinery
- chains
- shackles
- binds
- blindfolds
- subject files
- experiment logs
- battles to the death
- greedy machinations
- her patience.
These words signified the beginning of this elf's freedom. Of her escape from all of those prisons as the
- holding cells, SMASHED!
- surgery rooms, SMASHED!
- scientific breakthroughs, TAKEN!
- scientific failures, BURIED!
- heavy machinery, SMASHED!
- chains, CUT!
- shackles, CUT!
- binds, CUT!
- blindfolds, SHREDDED!
- subject files, SHREDDED! mostly
- experiment logs, SHREDDED! somewhat
- battles to the death, WON!
- greedy machinations, DECAPTIATED, CRUSHED, BLED, STABBED, PUNCHED, GOUGED, RIPPED, TORN, SUNDERED, CLAWED, REAPED, KILLED, KILLED, KILLED, KILLED, AND KILLED !
- her own patience, HARVESTED!
These words were uttered near a door, a door leading to the sky. Normally this door required mechanisms and people to open it, but these words had been uttered within the center of a tornado. Trying to contain a tornado was a fool's errand.
Averton, remote countryside, a random rock
Currently, the moon was high in the sky. There was nothing but rolling plains and countryside for miles. Any known road was leagues away. The area was quiet. Well, saying there was nothing here was a lie.
There was a rock bathing peacefully in the moon's silver light. It was a beautiful, peaceful scene. There was no sound. The only thing that seemed to move was a gentle breeze that caressed this rock. Then the wind began to pick up. The grass was moved, but the rock remained stalwart and unmoving.
BAN
The ground shook. Some sediment fell from the rock.
BAN
Another movement. Another shaking of the ground. There was even a slight crack forming, allowing the moonlight to pierce the inside of this rock for the first time in its existence, albeit only an inch in. The wind was also picking up more. It was now able to move the cracked-off sediment and make the grass rustle with anticipation.
The sounds were louder. Their source was... under the rock? The wind was starting to swirl and churn more. Any pieces that fell off this rock were being moved by this wind. The moonlight eagerly filled the crevices, revealing that the stone itself had metal inside. Not ore though, but rather a few gears and cogs.
BAN BAN BAN BANG BANG BANG BANG---
The wind was starting to whistle with a burning fury. The rock was crumbling and with cracks visible all the way through it. Metal cogs and pieces were dented. The eager, curious moonlight shows the ground beneath the failing boulder. The strange, smooth stone ground was beginning to crack. The bangs did not stop but instead grew more frequent and forceful.
Each one makes the wind howl louder. It is filled with fury, agony, hope, destruction, death, life, and many other contradictions. It seems to be mixing with a wind coming from beneath this smooth ground. Each bang sounds like a prisoner, barging on their door. These are not the hopeless punches of someone sent to die though, but rather the fists of a beast that only has one resolution when it comes to its cell door.
Either you break, or I die.
The knocking continues. The wind picks up more. It has now carried away some of the bigger pieces of broken rock as well as some of the metal bits that have been reduced to scrap, creating a howling whirlwind of grass, blood, metal, and stone.
A fist several feet tall suddenly breaks through the earth, its torn flesh glistening and its skin bright red. Green, bloody wind surrounds the fist as it bursts through the ground, where a second one quickly joins the first in punching through The explosion it creates though is not as loud though as the howling of the wind, which seems to contain a powerful voice within.
It is a feminine voice, filled with the primal rage and neverending ferocity of an ancient beast.
Within the center of this swirling gale is a figure that is attached to those two huge fists. The gale begins to die down, but the howling does not. With the glowing green, bloody gale dying down, that curious moonlight was able to better illuminate the area. It shows that the howling seems to be coming from this figure that, despite the size of the fists attached to it, is rather small. It is a girl with slick, dripping red skin.
She is covered in gashes, viscera, and slick, dripping metallic pieces. Her hands seem to be the only thing that isn't red. They are green and glowing as the wind occasionally swirls around them. Those two massive fists are attached to metallic connectors that are coming out from what appear to be her slick, red metallic arms.
The armor on her arms seems to be not just armor, but prosthetics attached at the shoulders. Each arm has a long, blade-like horn sticking out of it, one of them still having bits of viscera stuck to them as if they impaled a person. Her chest, right above her heart, seems to be the center point of this armor. Embedded within a slot on this harness-like armor is a glowing green stone. This slot is that central point that's located right above her heart. This green stone is also the only part of her that is not red. Anyone with any amount of common knowledge of this world would recognize this embedded stone as a Vision. An eye of the Gods.
Other than this armor that she has on, the rest of her body has no clothing on.
Yet as the surrounding gale dies down, her ferocity seems to grow as she stares at the mostly collapsed remains of what seems to be an underground entranceway from which the thick stench of blood and death is wafting. Her deep green eyes, within which seems to be a powerful storm, glare at this entranceway.
And she laughs.
"HAAA HAHAHA HAA HAAHAHA". The laugh seems to be the starting point of an invisible storm. A storm that would not rock the body, but rather the spirit, of any weak-willed person who heard it. As it echoes out into the silent night, more booms begin to sound out as those massive fists move. They punch again and again and again at that entranceway.
"
I waited, waited, waited, waited, waited... waited. For... right moment! Freedom, free, free, freefreefreefree FREEDOM!" Each cry of indignation was more ferocious than the last as those fists continued to smash at the entrance of this crypt in an attempt to turn it into a tomb.
The force of the punches, the wind generated from them, seemed to cause some of her slick red skin to fall off those fists and her body as well as some of those remaining bits of viscera and torn flesh that were stuck to them. This allowed the moonlight to now reveal more of the true nature of those fists and said body, as well as the true nature of her skin.
Said body was pale, riddled with scars and wounds. Many of them were healed, but there were also plenty of recent ones. They seemed to come from many different sources. Some were surgical and methodical and others were bloody and brutal. Those fists were also not the fleshy, bloody fists of a demon, but massive fists made of some strange, dark metal. The slick, red skin was blood. Some of it was coming from those recent wounds, but there was plenty of it covering every inch of her that was no doubt from sources other than her own veins.
The bloody barrage continued as those fists pounded the ground beneath the moonlight. Soon enough, unable to bear the storm, the entranceway completely collapsed, but that didn't stop that storm of punches to stop. It continued on for an entire hour, as did that primal howling. The ferocity behind it seems to come from some deep, deep source that has no doubt built up for a long time. A ferocity that would only seek nothing but endless destruction of its cause.
As mighty as a tornado is though, even those will eventually run out of power and fade away. That didn't stop this messy, bloodstained girl to force a few more slow, but powerful slams of her fists into the ground. The final one only seemed to be the final as her body ran out of energy and she fell onto her back, panting heavily. The fists seemed to dematerialize as those connectors sank back into her metallic arms. The glowing green hands she possessed had flickered out a while ago, leaving her metallic arms as two empty, metallic stubs.
That swirling storm in her eyes had now completely dissipated as her eyes became calm.
"Freedom... mine." Those were the final words that went out softly into this area as her calm eyes seemed to resemble two soft, still, deep green emeralds.
With a weary body, she finally turned away from this place. The final shackle had shattered as her bare feet carried her through the grass away from this place. Her steps were light and her gait was peaceful as she walked away.
She had finally attained her freedom and power that would allow her to keep it.
The blood on her body had since dried, becoming caked on her skin was now partially brown was matted with dried blood. Her steps had been swift at first as she simply headed forward with no destination, but without a source of food or water, her speed slowed.
"No prey..." She had barely run into any trees and very few creatures had crossed her path, but those that did were the occasional tiny insect or bird. These were either thing that wasn't worth the energy to catch or could fly and escape beyond her reach.
"Not... right moment..."Even mighty typhoons cannot survive without water. A mortal body is no different. While several days of starvation and dehydration were bad enough, her body was in a very sorry state.
Power has a price after all.
The price her body paid to be able to accept the power she used to attain her freedom was not one she could afford to pay upfront. Without energy, a storm cannot exist. As such, she collapsed.
...
...
...
Time passed.
"Need to wait for the right moment" A no-faced individual was crouched surrounded by green fog, a bow in hand. This figure seemed to be whispering to someone without turning its head as if the figure was whispering to itself. Their voice seemed to be muffled by something.
"How... know?" A weak voice responded, the weakness akin to a flickering candle.
"Listen -- --- ----" responded that same muffled voice. Some of the words seemed to be lost beyond an even greater layer of fog. Just then, that empty face turned, pulling back the string that had what seemed to be the vague shape of an arrow made from fog knocked onto it.
"--- ----?" The weak voice couldn't hear itself at all. It said something, but the words were lost. As was the rest of the exchange, which lasted until suddenly the no-face figure quickly swiveled and aimed its bow.
TWANG!A pair of eyes opened.
The first thing that entered them was an unfamiliar ceiling. Looking down there was a stretch of somewhat faded white fabric that covered the owner of this pair of eyes. Those eyes were a deep, calm, graceful emerald green. They shifted to the side where they saw a very familiar site that, despite its familiarity, didn't even cause a stir. Emeralds are rather solid after all, disturbing them is a rather hard task unless one uses a very strong impact.
The emerald eyes closed. A voice came to mind. A voice filled with wisdom and ambition.
"We successfully amputated Subject KA2U3's arms. Keeping her on the IV for a while should help with the malnutrition. We can't have such a valuable specimen starving to death before we even get to run any tests after all. Elves are always valuable after all."The emerald eyes opened again. They saw a pole with some kind of bag on it. There was a tube running from this bag, connected to her arm.
"I...V?" These things were very familiar. She had been connected to many of them over the years. The metallic pole provided a very small reflection as well.
These were the same emerald eyes of that bloody figure, but now her hair was brown instead of red. Furthermore, it was no longer matted. Someone had washed the blood out of it. Furthermore, with how her hair was laid back behind her she saw that one of her pointed ears had a bandage on it. She could feel many bandages on her body.
Then that ear, along with the other one on the other side, twitched. The room was small, so she could tell that the sound came from outside the room. She closed her eyes.
"Still asleep huh... you should be waking up one of these days hopefully. Well, for now, let's give you another change of bandages shall we?" The female voice that entered the girl's pointed ears was a gentle voice that seemed as if it was getting on in years, but not quite elderly as of yet. The voice was full of concern and tinged with disappointment at first, but quickly took on a more optimistic tone after.
"Wait... listen" The familiar words of that no-faced figure entered her mind. She abided by them even as she felt the sheet gently removed and a pair of slightly cold, yet gentle and methodical hands remove the many bandages she felt on her body. The hands stopped a few times in the areas near where her metallic arms were connected to her flesh.
"Jeeze, poor thing. Covered in blood, stuffed with metal, and even missing your hands. Who could have done such a thing?" The voice was filled with sadness and disbelief. Its owner heaved a heavy sigh before continuing to apply new medicine and change out the old bandages for new ones.
For the entire process, which took about fifteen minutes, the elf didn't move at all. Even as she could hear the woman's nearby being as she just stood there for a few seconds the elf didn't move. It was only after the door closed and she couldn't hear the footsteps anymore did the elf open her eyes once again.
"Doctor?" Those hands certainly seemed like a doctor's. They were methodical and good at changing bandages and applying strange medicines. The elf shook her head, not really sure. Those hands felt different from the hands she had felt from doctors before. She just couldn't really put her finger on it.
"Now... right moment." She shoved those thoughts away quickly as she put all her strength into getting up and out of the bed.
CLANG, THUD!
The moment they touched the floor and stood straight, her legs gave out. The IV she was connected to fell to the ground. Even with her mighty will, she couldn't get her legs to execute any major movements. All she managed to do was save herself by falling backward onto what she figured might be a bed but was different from the beds she was used to. Before she could try to get up again though her ears twitched. Using what strength she had, she managed to worm her way back beneath the sheets.
"Feet... four" The sounds of two sets of footsteps entered them, then the sound of the door opening with a slight bang.
"What's wrong?!" It was the woman. She recognized her voice but now saw her face. She was middle-aged, with a few visible wrinkles. She had dark hair that was speckled with a few grey strands. She was most likely in her sixties. She was wearing white clothes. The woman saw the elf and smiled, a few tears forming in her eyes. She took a few steps in.
"Look dear, she's finally awake!" She turned to the man who had now entered the room just behind her. This time the elf's eyes were open. Even if they weren't, she still would have noticed something, so the elf just kept her eyes opened this time.
"Not right... wait." The elf's eyes scanned over the two, her expression calm.
"Goodness, you gave us quite the scare. How are you feeling?" The man had a bit more white on his head than the woman. He also had a cane, although he didn't seem to depend on it too much. He was probably a bit older than the woman, maybe in his early seventies or so.
No response came from the elf, even after waiting an entire minute.
"Well I suppose you did just wake up. I understand if you don't want to talk, you don't have to if you don't want to." The man heaved a sigh. He was disappointed, but understanding.
"Doctor?" Her emerald eyes looked the man over. He was also wearing what she knew were doctor clothes, just like the woman.
"Doc...tor?" While her eyes didn't stir, there was a mite of confusion forming inside of her.
"For now, you just rest up." The woman moved by the bed, fixing the sheets and setting the IV back up, but she didn't connect it.
"You will need to rest a lot before you can get up and moving again." "She's right. You have many injuries, external and internal no doubt. Furthermore, your body still seems like it didn't even get to recover after your..." the man noticeably grimaced as he seemed to struggle with himself to get the next word out,
" surgery." The man sighed heavily now, before suddenly putting a small, slightly nervous smile back on his face as he noticed the woman shot him a rather dirty look.
"We will come back in a bit with some dinner for you. Just focus on your recovery, you can talk when you're ready." With that she guided the man out of the room with her and closed the door on their way out.
The elf sat up but noticed that it took a bit of effort to do so. She laid back down as she shook her head, the faceless figure's words playing in her mind again as she closed her eyes.
She would wait.
"Not hurt..." That was her last thought before she closed her eyes and went back to sleep once again.
...
...
...
...
And time passed once again.
During this time the elf didn't respond to the doctor couple at all. The woman introduced herself as Belle Anderson and the man introduced himself as John Anderson. They were married and ran Mabel's only hospital. Mabel was a village located far out in the countryside. A villager who was coming back to the village from visiting relatives found the elf on the side of the road. He was a sturdy fisherman named Arnold Smith.
He had mistaken her for a corpse at first but noticed that she was barely breathing, so he brought her back here to the Mabel Clinic with all due haste. Thankfully he had a wagon, allowing him to safely transport and move with the elf far more quickly.
That mote of confusion only continued to grow inside of the elf as these doctors seemed to not only not push her to talk at all, but they even fed her and let her rest.
"No... tests?" was often a thought that went through her mind for a while at the end of each day. This made her more confused. All they did was give her medication and food, which she took. At first, she had taken it because she knew she was too weak to refuse. After a while, however; she realized she realized it was helping her recover faster so she took it of her own volition.
The elf had thought about leaving after she had been able to walk on her own without support after about a month, but she chose to stay. Her body was still not fully recovered. It wasn't the right moment. So she waited.
Maybe eventually that strange mote of confusion would vanish, and then that would be the right moment? The elf wasn't sure.
So she continued to wait.
...
More time passed.
Her being able to walk on her own without a wheelchair or cane delighted the doctor couple, so much so that they decided to celebrate. In truth though, the elf had been able to actually walk without support for an entire month now but she had hidden this fact.
"What is... Doctor...?" Every day during the entire month that she had hidden the fact that she could walk on her own had this question cross her mind. These "doctors" didn't ask her tons of questions. They didn't do any "tests". They just helped her recover. So one day, at the end of her second month of recovery she figured it was
the right moment.This was why, to the couple, it had taken the elf two months to be able to walk on her feet without support.
And they celebrated with a bit more meat than usual for dinner that night and had something called a 'cake'. For the past two months, the elf didn't have hands, so Belle Anderson usually fed her. The elf didn't turn it down although it was a first for her. She had to often eat the meals she received right from the tray by herself.
The doctors didn't know that the elf had ever eaten like that though since Belle attempted to feed the elf right from the very first meal she was brought and the elf just accepted it whilst remaining perfectly calm. This made the doctors have the misconception that the girl was simply used to being fed by others.
"Good...meat" This meat was something she liked. It was soft, tender, delicious, and always in that strange, thick 'water'.
"Stew?" She had heard that name a few times and realized it was for this meat.
Then came the cake.
"Good...Good?" The moment she had that first bite of that thing called "cake" that was what had entered her mind. This happened every time she had been given food by these people, but this was the first time where it had such a different feel. It was a different 'good'. This good caused that tiny mote of confusion that had been buried deep within to appear within her eyes as she recalled that wise, ambition-filled voice and her eyes closed.
"These results are... GREAT!" That voice was so high, full of force as that voice's eyes poured over his notes and wrote in his books with shocking speed. "GREAT, GREAT, GREAT! Subject KA2U3, you really are the best specimen! While this surgery may have been a failure, we are so much closer. Plus, you survived! That's GREAT too! HAHAHAHA!""Cake...Gureat?" That mote of confusion became a bit brighter in her eyes as she savored this first bite of cake. Belle Anderson immediately noticed the elf's expression and gave her a look of concern.
"Is the cake alright miss? There isn't too much sugar is there?" Belle was observing the elf, hoping that nothing was wrong. A look of panic suddenly appeared on her face as an idea crossed her mind.
"It's not an allergic reaction is it?"John Anderson also stood up, concern wracking his face.
The elf's eyes looked at these two.
"Test?" She looked at the cake. Then she looked at the two 'doctors'.
"No books?" She saw their hands. Empty. She saw their bodies. She saw the room.
"No books... Not... a test."She swallowed the cake. The confusion in them quickly passed as the emerald hues stilled once again. She looked at the two doctors, who seemed to notice that the elf's expression returned to normal.
"Phew, you gave us a fright there. Is that your first time having cake?" John seemed to nearly collapse back into his chair, a hand held over his heart. He gave a light, but nervous laugh.
"It could have been something serious though... maybe we should save the cake for another day." Belle looked at the elf, then grabbed the cake and began to walk it out of the small kitchen.
"Right... moment!" Her eyes saw that cake right as it was about to be taken away. So for the first time in two months... she acted. For the first time in over two months, she finally made a noise toward another person. The last time was two months ago, and that person was now dead with a hole in their stomach.
There was no hurting here. Only healing. Her command of the language may have been low, but the elf was by no means stupid. She had waited long enough. This was, as the faceless man often told her in her dreams,
the right moment.These people were different than that person though. They were doctors, but different doctors. There was food, but different food. There were hands that applied medicine, but those were different. The beds, air, rooms, doors, water, voices, smells, expressions, ideas, tones, touches, medicine, and treatments were different. The hurting was different, in that it didn't exist here. The healing was different as well. It wasn't forced.
With all of these differences in place, the noise the Andersons got would be different.
The circumstances behind it were different.
The results of it were different.
Everything would be different.
Everything was different.
It was a small, soft voice that seemed no different than the momentary whisper of a gentle spring breeze. This kind of voice would easily get lost in a crowd or make one think they were just hearing things. Yet, at this moment, the voice had an impact that could grind the world to a complete halt.
Not because it was powerful, but because of what it represented. It represented something good doctors strove for: The well-being of a patient improving.
Doctor Belle had stopped in place and Doctor John blinked a few times.
Doctor Belle turned around to look at the elf, her hands causing the cake to tremble with them. There were even a few tears present in her eyes.
"Y-You finally... spoke-- AH!" She was about to say more, but suddenly the cake plate fell out of her hands. Right before it fell to the floor, however; a gust of wind caught it.
A gust of wind that was in the shape of a hand, a glowing green hand. This hand was coming out of the metallic arm of the elf who had managed to move quickly and catch the plate before it fell. Her attention had been on that plate of cake the entire time, so the moment it started to fall she moved from her seat and caught it. She handed the plate back to Belle who, despite her even greater shock, managed to retain enough of her faculties to be able to put the plate back on the table.
"That's..." Doctor John's eyes widened as he stared at that hand.
"The power of a vision?" He couldn't help but swallow a little. Sure Visions were common knowledge, but seeing their power close up was still quite the shock.
"Vis...ion?" The elf's voice surfaced again as she looked at her glowing green hand, which she then placed on her chest. Even if she didn't know the term's meaning explicitly, she could feel an instinctive connection between it and the crystal slotted into the Core. Placing her hand over it made her ears twitch. It was as if she could hear a voice in the wind, although she couldn't hear what it was saying. She then looked back at the cake as she sat down at the table.
This hand on the eve of its original birth had shredded, torn, ripped, stabbed, gouged, clawed, punched, thrown, chopped, gashed, cut, broke, and shattered many things that were sturdier than the spoon she was holding now, yet that's what it was doing. Merely holding a spoon. She was holding it a bit awkwardly, but despite it being her first time holding one she had a decent hold on it. She had been observing the Andersons and their eating habits for the past two months. While she wouldn't win any praise from finishing school teachers and definitely stand out at any fancy dinner parties, at the very least she wouldn't make a mess or get confused for a toddler.
Doctor John looked at that glowing hand, then at the elf's other empty arm. He had long since recovered from the initial shock now.
"Yes, a Vision. An eye of the Gods. They grant all sorts of elemental powers. I believe yours is slotted in that compartment on your chest?" He had seen her hold her hand to that spot. Back when she was unconscious, both Doctor Belle and Doctor John had worked together to stitch and clean the girl's wounds, so he had seen the bonded armor quite closely.
The elf tilted her head but ended up just giving an absent nod. She assumed that the Doctor was correct, so she just nodded and then was silent again as she looked at the cake.
Doctor Belle noticed this, so she decided to change the subject as she saw that the elf went quiet once again.
"Well, thanks for the save, took quite a while to make this. Come on, we are celebrating your recovery, so you can eat as much as you'd like." Doctor Belle, noticing the elf holding the spoon, decided to cut the elf a piece this time.
"Can you eat with that hand miss?" asks the Doctor.
"Can... eat" With that, she accepted the piece of cake and ate slow, small bites using the spoon. This was the same spoon that Doctor Belle had been feeding her with.
After that, the rest of the celebratory dinner proceeded nicely. The Doctors noticed that not only did this Elf not talk much but that her command over their language was low. As such, they decided to not ask her any more questions. They both figured that she would talk when ready, so they instead discussed other topics, simply letting the elf listen to their conversation.
Of course, Doctor Belle and John both asked if the elf would like to see the town after a few more days of rest, to which the elf merely nodded.
The Doctors also still didn't know what to call this elf, but they figured that was also something they'd learn with time. Maybe she'd give them a name someday. That was what they were hoping for, but they knew that rushing into that was a horrible idea. There was still a long road of recovery ahead for this patient after all.
...
After that, time marched on. The patient slowly regained more of her strength.
The doctors showed her around the town. The residents were all friendly, with many of them showing pity for the elf. They were all also very respectful to the Anderson Doctors. Many of them had their lives saved by the two before.
Things did get a little awkward though when the Andersons' patient didn't really talk and no one really knew what to call her. They all simply defaulted to "Miss Elf". She didn't shake her head at the name, so that is what stuck after several introductions.
Aside from the village's children who were not only excited at seeing the elf but the rather "cool" design of her metallic arms, the one who was really the most excited to see the elf was Arnold Smith. He had burst into tears at seeing the elf being able to walk around alive and well. He had been kept up to date on her progress, but seeing it in person had a different effect.
"Ah, I'm so glad I made it in time to save ya miss Elf" cried the fisherman in joy.
Everyone in the village had questions they wanted to ask and a few did try, but they were all met with silence. They had been informed prior to the event that the girl wasn't really able to speak much, but it still made things a bit strange. It was them thinking about what the girl may have possibly been through they squashed any possible complaints that had formed deep inside themselves.
To them, it was a miracle that the girl was even alive let alone walking. Any problems they may have had from not being able to hear the girl speak were all completely, utterly worthless.
After another month, she noticed Doctor John struggling to move something. Even though they ran a clinic, this was a rather tiny farming village. There was still a lot of manual labor that had to be done even though the technology to automate many tasks did exist. There was only so much they could afford, so sometimes the residents of Mabel still used good old elbow grease for many tasks.
The clinic, like many other residences, had its own personal garden. This garden, however; was used to grow medicinal herbs. Like all gardens, it required a bit of maintenance.
Seeing his struggle, the elf actually helped him move the wheelbarrow of fertilizer. Of course, Doctor John tried to refuse her help but she did so anyway.
From then on, as the days passed, the elf helped the doctors out around the clinic with various miscellaneous tasks. The doctors saw this as a good thing as the exercise helped not only with her recovery but also with her adaptation to her prosthetics. This was something that the doctors explained to the best of their ability. Most likely they guessed that the elf realized it too.
Which was a correct guess. The elf wanted to move her body. She wanted to recover and exercise. The voice of that astute, ambitious man echoed in her mind as she thought about that.
"Subject KA2U3 head to the training room. You need to exercise to recover your strength and training is the best exercise. If you win this fight, you'll get extra bread as well, so give it your all."There was no fighting to the death and she knew she needed to wait in this place to recover, so helping with these tasks was the only form of training and exercise she could find. The doctors could sense the girl's need to move, so they even talked to the other villagers. After explaining how the girl gained her 'hands' and several days of planning things out, the elf was soon a common sight around the village.
She'd go to different shops and farms to help out with tasks. Of course, these were simple tasks that mainly required a pair of strong hands or the occasional need for sharp instruments.
During these months as her strength improved she'd even go to a private place to train. Even if she was out of that place, the routine was still hard to break. In this case, though it was something her body needed and wanted. She wanted to move. She wanted to jump, run, punch, kick, and claw. This was her 'training'. It was just movement free from any and all reason. Free from any and all calculation. It was instinct, pure and simple.
The doctors noticed that the elf would go off sometimes. She'd always return, but as the months passed she'd start to be out later and later. Sometimes she even came back with wild game. At first, it was small things like rabbits or squirrels, but eventually, even some deer or wild boars were brought as well. This shocked the doctors and some of the villager's hunters as they didn't expect her to be such an adept hunter as she seemed too frail for such a thing.
They didn't mind though. If anything they were happy. For the Doctors, this meant that not only was the elf recovering, but their little town of Mabel had become a nice place for her. Certainly better than wherever she had been before. For the hunters, it meant more meat for the village. Plus some of these animals had been getting into crops too, so this helped the farmers out also.
On that mysterious subject though, the people of Mabel could only speculate. Other than the occasional response to basic requests or information on the tasks at hand, the elf never spoke much. It was indeed awkward at first, but the villagers got used to it and eventually considered it part of the girl's charm even. There was even one young man in the village who had a bit of a crush on her, but that's all it was. He was smart enough to know that it would never happen even with interference from the heavens.
Just like that though the peaceful days went on and on.
Suns rose...
The seasons came and went.
The people of Mabel worked, lived, laughed, and loved.
Until that faithful day came.
A day that everyone knew was coming
The Day of Departure, Early Morning
The days up to this point had been uneventful. There were no fights. No tests. No death. There was only life. Even a new baby had been born during this time. It was a baby girl who was named Emma, a name that had inspiration originating from the emerald green eyes of their newest knife-eared resident.
Still, all good things must come to an end at some point.
The elf's body had fully recovered. It was early in the morning. Her eyes opened and she immediately headed for the clinic's front door. Right before she left though her ears suddenly twitched so she stopped.
And waited.
Familiar footsteps came. The doctors walked up, both still in their nightgowns.
"Are you leaving?" asks Doctor John.
"Yes" A single word, a nod.
"Do you have to go?" he asks again in a fatherly manner.
"Yes" A single word, a nod.
The white-haired doctor lowers his head and sighs. Doctor Belle looks at the elf with a sad smile on her face, and then gently holds her husband's hand as she gives him a consoling gaze. He returns the affection with a gaze of his own as he notices the touch of sadness in his wife's gaze.
"
Now now dear, we knew this day would come. Our little Mabel is too small for this wind. The wind needs to move throughout the whole world after all." She patted the man's hand with her other hand as he gave her a nod and let out a sigh. Then both of them now turned their gaze onto the elf.
"If you are leaving that is fine, we will not stop you. Before you go though, there are some things we wish to give you, as well as a favor we'd like to ask of you." His speech, as always, was gentle as he gestured for the elf to follow them. She did.
They went to the couple's own bedroom where he reached under his bed and produced a rather sturdy, yet slim, leather pack. In it were various travel supplies that one would need for the road ahead such as a few changes of clothes, a map, a water bottle, dried meats, rope, a knife, and a few other useful sundries. Among the more notable things were some writing supplies, a bag of money, and three books.
They showed her the books, giving a thorough explanation of what they contained. One was a handwritten dictionary full of various useful phrases and expressions for her to study. The other was a book filled with some details about the countries of the world. Of course, most of the information was on Averton, but there was some basic common knowledge on the other places as well as rumors that circulated through the common populace about said places. It was an accumulation of all of the knowledge of the world outside of Mabel that a tiny remote countryside village would have. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
It was enough to give a traveler a basic heading.
In addition to that, there were some travel tips in the book as well, such as information on money, the roads, and ways of travel. There was even some medical information as well on how to properly care for one's own body. Finally, the book had some blank pages as well.
"
So you can add your own thoughts," says Doctor Belle with a smile.
The third book was a book on writing.
The elf traced the blank pages and thought of that other doctor and all of those books he had. This book didn't feel like those books. She didn't know how to feel about it though and accepted it along with everything else. The Doctors packed everything into the bag, showing the elf ways she can properly pack everything up.
"If you don't know where to go, may I make a suggestion as well as ask you a favor?" Doctor John would reach into his nightstand, pulling out a small wrapped parcel.
"There's a port village right here, at the edge of the Great Sea of Dunes." The elderly doctor marked the map and handed the elf a piece of paper. There was a picture included with this paper of a man in his early thirties who had blonde hair. He didn't look too different from the two Doctors.
"Our son lives in this village. I'd like you to deliver this parcel to him, his name is Avery. He may even be able to get you on a ship to Zweidaya, which is a pretty interesting destination." Doctor John motioned to the paper, which contained various phrases.
"If you get lost on your way, you can show someone this. It is sentencing on hitching rides." Doctor Belle would explain their general meanings the best she could to the elf. After she was done with her explanations she'd pat the girl's head.
"And if you ever need to rest for a while, you are more than free to come back here at any time. Of course, you are also free to go wherever you want as well, don't feel the need to complete that old man's request if you feel it's beyond you." She would give the elf a smile as she used her hands to tidy up the girl's messy hair a little.
The elf did not reject Doctor Belle's hands. This wasn't the first time they tidied her hair. She had grown used to these healing hands. They fed her, helped heal her wounds, and aided her in regaining her strength.
They made her feel... something. Something that moved to her face. A warmth. Those hands that had been cold ten months ago felt warm to her now. They made a small smile appear on her face. She suddenly thought of the many times she heard people say words to her after each time she helped them with a task. She didn't know their explicit meaning, but she understood what they meant. After all this time waiting and listening to them... now felt like
the right moment to use them.
"Thank you... for... everything." Her smile went from tiny to a little bigger after she managed to form those words and release them to these doctors.
Seeing that smile, and hearing those words, made tears form in Doctor Belle's eyes as she gave the girl a hug. Doctor Johnson, with his own strong eyes glistening, walked over and patted the girl's shoulder.
"That's what doctors are for..." says Doctor John as he uses his other hand to wipe a tear from his own eye.
"Doc...tors..." The elf closed her eyes for a moment as she thought of that wise, ambitious man. He called himself that all the time too. She knew now though that he was not a doctor. She didn't know what he was, but it was not a doctor. These two were doctors. Still, whatever he was before he was a corpse now. Dead.
So the elf opened her eyes and pushed him out of her mind for the time being. He'd return in her head for sure eventually, but not as a "
Doctor". Her dictionary was limited, but now she defined doctors in a new way. These two... were Doctors.
"No need to thank us either dear. You being alive and well is all the thanks we need. After all, when Arnold brought you to us..." Doctor Belle pulled back as she looked at the elf's face. If someone told her that the 'corpse' from before was this girl standing before her... she'd never believe it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.
"So that means you need to stay safe, ok?"The elf nodded.
After a hearty breakfast, the elf left the clinic, followed by the Anderson Doctors. They headed to the exit of the village together. Along the way, people who were out and about readying themselves for the day's work noticed them and stopped what they were doing. They knew that the
day had come. It was a day that everyone had expected.
So needless to say there was a bit of a commotion.
Her arrival to Mabel had been a wind of death, blood, and despair. Within it, however; was a tiny breath of life. Of hope.
Now her departure was a breath of fresh air. A wind of freedom, life, and adventure. There were many people wishing her both safe travels and quick returns. The elf didn't really understand many of the things that were said, but even her calm emerald eyes were stirred by them.
From this countryside, she had been given years of blood and despair.
Now she was being given freedom, life, and hope. She had a map and a heading, which was all she needed.
Suddenly, as soon as they got to the exit of the village, a sound rang out.
"HA HAHAHAHA!" Laughter. This laughter brought wind. The Mabelites had heard her voice before. It was always quiet and gentle. This... was the opposite. It was a voice that could blow away all like a mighty gale. Perhaps though it did explain how the girl was such a skilled hunter. She was like a beast that was hiding its fangs.
As she faced the road ahead there was a storm swirling in her eyes.
"The right moment!" This wasn't a storm of ferocity though. This was a storm of jubilation. She took a step forward and, as she did, wind gathered around her legs as a bright green glow could be seen through the white tunic she wore.
"I'M... FREE... THANK YOU!" Those words came back out in a bellow. Those same two words that the villagers had often said to her. Now she was returning them. Doing so made her body feel lighter. They made the wind move faster around her feet and caused some of the less sturdy villagers who were forced to take a few steps back.
Everyone was... quite shocked, needless to say. This was nothing like the "Miss Elf" they had seen before. Neither was the expression she showed as she turned back to them.
It was the face of a beast. A huge grin was upon it, an almost ferocious grin. Despite its ferocious nature though, no one was scared by it. Just... shocked into silence, trying their best to find their words.
Before they could though she turned back to the road.
The howl resounded throughout the village before the girl bounded off. They didn't know if she'd ever return. This made many of the villagers rather sad, but also happy. They now knew the truth. She needed to go.
The doctors were the only ones who weren't shocked. They held each other's hands, smiles on their faces as they watched this beast of the winds bound away.
"I hope you find your name and your freedom out there... wherever they may be. I know you won't find them here, so I hope you find them out there" murmured Doctor John as he held his wife's hand, filled with both worry and pride. He knew the most that she needed to go to
- New places.
- New horizons.
- New adventures.
- New life.
The Journey begins... NOW!
Over the next two months, the elf's journey utilized many different modes of transportation. She used her feet but also hitched a lot of rides on wagons. As she got to more civilized parts of Averton, she even managed to hitch a few rides on cars, but it was still mostly wagons. Normally people would be hesitant to give a stranger with metallic arms and glowing green hands a ride, but when she offered them some Mora and showed them that piece of paper, and pointed to what she figured might have been the relevant phrase, they changed their minds.
Eventually, she managed to get to a major city. She stood out, as usual. Of course, whenever she wasn't holding something she had no hands, but when she held things out to try and get directions people were always taken aback by the glowing green hands that materialized out of nothing.
So they just gave her the directions she needed and quickly left.
Eventually, she made it to the train. The ride took a good chunk of her remaining funds. It allowed her to get any last bits of rest and recuperation she needed though. Of course, the wild elf was staring at everything around her the entire time. She appeared calm though, which did help her blend in a little as she didn't seem like as much country bumpkin despite her clothes and bare feet.
She definitely seemed out of place though.
Regardless, she eventually made it to Fuhan. From there she kept going, hitching rides wherever she could until she was basically nearly out of money.
Thankfully by that point, she had arrived at the port village. Finding Avery wasn't too difficult. She simply showed his picture to multiple people for about an hour before she eventually went to the docks and sat and waited on a bench. The faceless figure's words came to mind once again, so she heeded them and waited on that bench.
Avery Anderson was a man of decent renown in this port town. His medical skills inherited from his parents had helped him make a foothold here in the port village until eventually he was quite well known, often serving as ship doctor for sand ships that went back and forth between the port and the city of Zweidaya.
Needless to say, hearing of a girl with metallic arms and possible elf ears, as her hair made it hard to tell at times, looking for him and even having a portrait of him came to him pretty quickly, so naturally he sent a dockhand he knew to find her.
"You looking for Doc Avery?" asked the dockhand to the girl on the bench as he walked up to her.
She was calm as usual as she gave him a nod. She hadn't been a raging storm her entire trip. She had calmed down pretty quickly when it came time to hitch her first ride. She hadn't gone on a rampage since as there hadn't been a reason to.
"This way." He guided the girl to Doc Avery's clinic. Once there, he guided the girl inside the clinic before leaving as he had other things to do.
The elf couldn't help but compare Doc Avery's clinic to the Anderson Clinic back in Mabel. This one was bigger but didn't seem as warm despite Fuhan being hotter. She couldn't really tell why though. It was still far better than the hospital rooms she had been in more than a year ago.
She had been guided to Doc Avery's office in the clinic. This clinic was bigger and as such had multiple doctors, offices, examination rooms, and other such things. She had taken note of the doors she passed, but ultimately only the one she was guided to mattered. The one that housed Doc Avery.
Doc Avery was a bit older than he looked in the picture. He was about in his early forties. He had a five o'clock shadow and bags beneath his eyes.
"So, you lookin' for me?" asked Doc Avery as he looked at this girl from behind his desk.
"Whaddya want?" He noticed her metallic arms.
"If it's about those, you've come to the wrong clinic." There were a few packs of cigarettes and a few bottles of alcohol on his desk.
Her hands materialized. This caused Doc Avery's eyes to widen a little, but he quickly suppressed his surprise as he watched the girl reach into her bag and pull out the parcel which she handed to him.
"This is..." he opened it. It was a small box. His eyes widened bigger than they had when he had seen her wind hands materialize.
He opened the box, the contents of which the elf couldn't see. She watched him pull out two letters and read them. Confusion, sadness, regret... and then happiness. These emotions appeared on his face as tears stained his cheeks as he folded the first letter up and put it back in the box, which he closed and put into his desk.
"By the Archons, you sure are one hell of a messenger..." He picked up his lit cigarette, which he was about to take a long drag off. He stopped, sighed, and put it out whilst he read the second letter, during which he switched his gaze between the second letter and the elf.
"So... Miss Elf..." he looked her over, not really caring about the fact that she had no name. According to the letter people in the village had asked, but she had never responded to the question so they assumed she didn't want to say or just really didn't have one.
"You wanna get to Zweidaya huh? I can get you there. I will be leaving on a cargo ship bound for it in about a week. You can be my assistant during this time." He reached into his desk and pulled out a pouch of Mora, which she tossed to her. She caught it and put it into her pack.
"You probably spent a lot of money getting here. I was just going to spend that coin on more booze and cigarettes... but I guess it can serve as reward money for your delivery." He opened the curtains now, letting the light into the office.
"You can stay at my place here in the clinic. I'll take you to get some food, come on." He had given the elf a decent chunk of change. It wasn't anything to a person with
actual money, but it would allow someone to afford food and lodging for a couple of weeks, provided they go for the cheapest options.
A week came and went. The accommodations Doc Avery provided to a normal person would be barely passable. To the elf, however; she had already seen some of the worst. Anything else was an improvement.
This next leg of the journey proved to be uneventful as well. The cargo ship was a routine trip with rather basic cargo. Thankfully it didn't interest any Sand Pirates. During the journey, people asked Doc Avery about his strange new elven assistant, but after telling them that she was the friend of relatives, they let it drop. It wasn't really their concern since, aside from the metallic arms with no hands, nothing else seemed to be really going on with this girl.
Finally... after a couple of weeks, she arrived.
City Floating on the Dunes
Present Day
After getting some information about the city from Doc Avery that came in a handy small booklet, the two parted ways. After all, Doc Avery had to stay with his ship and the wild elf wanted to explore. The sea of sand had been very entrancing and she wanted to see this huge city that floated upon it. Of course, none of it was enough to stir her calm expression, but it still created a desire to explore.
The brown-haired, pale elf with deep green eyes and metallic arms stood out. Her clothes were definitely not ones those who were native to this place would wear either. It was merely a white tunic, belt, pack, matching pants, a small jacket, and a leather pack.
As she walked, she eventually saw a huge building in the distance.
"Ar...ena?" Doc Avery's information came to mind. She didn't understand all of it, but she knew that it was a big building that was pretty important here. So she headed towards that. Along the way, she passed a large caravan.
There was something going on, but the elf ignored it and walked right on by what appeared to be some confrontation between two people. Her interest was the arena. Unless something got in her way, she was heading straight there to check it out, all while her eyes scanned the busy city streets and took in the sights.
This was the first step of her journey. One that would hopefully help her find what she was searching for.
A name was the first. She wanted a name that she could one day bring back to those doctors. She had what could be considered a name, but she didn't want to use it. She wanted a name that she could call her's.
The second thing... was even greater
Freedom.
Izurich
Achronum
Noctis