Edit: Corrected some grammer and mistakes. (25/01/2012)
"No." Kregron Letarion replied with such finality in his voice and a frown that Takaimura struggled to come up with another reason for the mercenary to accept.
"Sir, you have to be aware that Lady Sunwolf is absolutely terrified of you or maybe your presence. I hope that in the situation of a casual tea session would allow her to know you better as you have requested." Takaimura explained with practised poise and calmness. Kregron leered back.
"No. I will introduce myself in my way, Takaimura. And about the reward for rescuing her, there is no need for that. I have already been rewarded." Kregron ended the conversation by walking away from the butler, who tried to rebut the freelance soldier.
As he strode away, Kregron unclenched his fists. Ever since he had arrived at the Sunwolf homegrounds, the environment had him on a higher level of alertness than when he was out in the battelfield. He wondered whether it was the angel who appeared before him in the night or it was the strange aura Lisa was giving off when they were both in close contact. Taking a deep breath, Kregron zoned out the heavy thoughts, freeing his focus and began to search for his target.
Out alone in the garden, Lisa worked hard to clear the weeds from her sunflowers, which had grown rapidly despite her brief absence. Wiping her sweat off her brow with her wrist, Lisa hummed a soft, melancholic tune as she threw the weeds into a wicket basket carried by a housekeeper. The hard labour and the pain from her arm muscles kept out the painful memories of her past and of her recent kidnapping.
It was not uncommon for people outside the jurisdiction of the Rogrus to ambush those of Relican lineage and kill them in the name of vengeance due to the last major war, when powerful criminal organisations banded together and invaded the ancient land of Relicas.There they managed to enslave the mammalian humanoids for a couple of decades, rehabilitating the unfortunate race to various sinister purposes.
The criminals were eventually defeated by a trio of men who led a combined army to the villains' central headquarters. The names, Vanodas Mecgres Frostwolf, Maganon Devon Sunwolf and Thomas Arclikron Stormwolf, became legends as they were reported and recorded to have each downed three thousand enemies on their own, a feat yet unreachable to any sentient being alive during the current age. Relicas was liberated from the iron claws of the criminal underworld but the damage had sunk in too deep.
Nevertheless, Maganon and Thomas took it upon themselves to aid the Relicans return to their original way of life while Vanodas went into hiding, extremely annoyed by the publicity he had unexpectedly received. It took the two nobles around thirty years to successfully rehabilitate the entire Relican population, with enormous help from various charity organisations and a small group of volunteers. However, the poison still ran deep within the generation which were bred under the criminals' supervision.
Maganon Sunwolf took notice of Neela Felinas, a feline Relican whom he found thoroughly intriguing during his rehabilitation work. She was one of the few who recovered within a month of the rehabilitation program created by the two men and she displayed an unusual high level of interest in the world of humans. At first, Thomas warned Maganon of the possibility that it was a tactic laid by one of the criminal masterminds. Eventually, as Neela spent more time with Maganon, he was more convinced that she was indeed one of her kind.
So Maganon taught her about the ways of humans. Neela picked it quickly as though she was born a human herself. She did not discard her Relican nature but combining both cultures together to create her own unique behaviour. Maganon was extremely impressed and before long, he was deeply in love with her.
In the beginning of their romance, Maganon's dearest friend, Thomas Stormwolf, rejected the idea because of the underlying fact that the general public in Carotrox would still see Neela as a dangerous animal, capable of slaying a man twice her height within seconds. Maganon insisted on Thomas to observe their relationship in order to make a sound decision. After period of five months, Thomas gave his blessings to his close friend.
Maganon and Neela had one of their happiest days together, wedding at the end of August, a year after Thomas' good wishes. On the first day of June, at sunrise, Lisa Felinas Sunwolf was born. That day, Maganon remarked to Vanodas, "This is the happiest day of my life. To see my first daughter and spend it with my love."
Tragically, the happiness was not meant to last.
Kregron spotted Lisa and her servant in the sunflower field and decided to take refuge in among the leaves of an acorn tree. He climbed up the trunk with monkey-like agility and as quiet as a mouse. There, he settled down on a thick branch joint, watching the girl through the cover of leaves.
For hours he watched the girl and the woman as they cleaned up the litter, dug up dead plants and weeds and planted seeds into empty plots. The calm in her mind could be seen clearly from her eyes and her smile reflected the happiness in her heart. Occasionally, there were times when her soft smile would waver, an indication of a sad memory flashing by in her mind. As the sun began to set, he decided he had seen enough for that day and left quietly.
He continued this process of observation, taking suitable times and places to watch Lisa. After a few weeks, Kregron had gathered enough information to decide how to make the introductions happen.
"Hey there, how are you doing?" Lisa jumped at Kregron's voice. She turned around only to jump once more, terrified at the sight of the mercenary. Kregron pulled his lips thinner and sat down. He played with a box in his hands, trying to look nonchalant in front of the half-Relican. Lisa hesitated for a moment, looking at the housekeeper who was staying behind her back. The woman nodded back with a reassuring smile and Lisa pulled her lips in. Finally, the lady sat down before Kregron, who nodded in acknowledgement of Lisa's participation.
"I'm Kregron Letarion, freelance mercenary. You can call me Kregron, if you like. I apologise for our first meeting. I hope we can be acquaintances since I will be your personal bodyguard. If you have any questions about me, please feel free to ask." Kregron spoke as clearly as he could. His throat tightened for a moment, a strange awkward feeling he had not felt for a long time.
Kregron looked at the box he was holding and proffered it to Lisa. "A gift of goodwill."
Lisa gazed at it. Kregron frowned but quickly maintained his emotionless expression. "It's nothing dangerous. It took me a while to earn something you like."
"Thank you." Lisa accepted the present with a confused look. She looked back at Kregron.
"Lisa Felinas Sunwolf. Pleased to meet you." Came the quiet voice of Lisa. Kregron looked surprised at first before erupting into delirious laughter. Lisa and her servant simply stared in confusion at the man.
"Pleased to meet me?" Kregron struggled to breath.
"Lisa, please be frank to me." The air around Kregron was saturated with his killing intent, turning Lisa into a trembling pile. Her servant just fell onto her back, twitching and muttering incoherently. The sunflowers nearby wilted and died before crumbling to dust.
"I hate liars." Kregron added with venom before getting onto his feet. "I hope you can be as transparent as possible in the future."
"It is a virtue that is long lost in the existence of sentience. Don't lose it, Lisa Sunwolf." Kregron said as he vanished into the swaying sunflower field.
0 comments:
Post a Comment