Post by Lantlas on Jun 17, 2006 22:20:40 GMT -5
“July 1st, 1582
To whom it may concern,
Sometimes when the ones we love are taken from us, it is necessary to engage in reckless and potentially fatal actions in order to avenge those who were so unfairly slain at the hands of the humans. Those who have perpetrated such acts of violence have shown their lack of compassion and value for life itself, and therefore will not mind when theirs are taken in payment of the debt of thirty-eight of our women and forty-three of our children. None of these women or children were armed. None of them had anything to do with the conflict going on between the humans and our people. Their savage acts have earned them nothing but their eventual demise, and I will personally see to it that every single soul involved in that raid will suffer the same way the children did.
My people, I feel I have failed you, and failed protecting my village. As your leader, I will strike the enemy alone, risking no further loss of life to our people in this perilous journey. In the very likely event of my demise, do not shed a single tear. If I should perish, it is only the balance, and I will be joining Ellie, wherever that might be. I expect no less than unification from all of you. Leave your personal differences where they belong, for our survival is at stake.
This peaceful Elven congregation has cooperated with naturals of the land and with nature itself for many years, only disrupted from these wayfarers from the sea. My mission is to see to it that no more walk among us and our village, and that none ever return. By the time you read this note, I will have disappeared from among you in your understandable grieving status. I’m sorry I was unable to bid any of you a personal farewell, for it is likely you will never see me alive again.
Cathdesalantis is free, Cathdesalantis is strong, and above all… Cathdesalantis is independent.
Signed on this summer day on the year of their Lord, 1582,
Eldarin, Son of Galathan”
Eldarin nailed the letter to the door of the community gathering building, where the memorial for those lost would be taking place the following morning. The remaining and surviving women and children were protected in the caverns below this building, and it was heavily guarded by Elven warriors. None of them gave Eldarin a second glance as he retrieved his bow, a decent amount of arrows, and both of his swords from the arsenal. A few of them nodded at their leader as he walked by. Strapping the swords to his waist, hoisting the bow and arrows on his back, and clenching the Elven Emblem in his fist, he was prepared to depart for the settlement.
He stopped dead in his tracks for a few seconds, and turned back to a dark corner, near a gathering of trees. He lifted a bearskin and took one last look at his deceased Ellie. He cupped her head with his hand, and lifted it up ever so gently.
“My dearest Ellie, those who have done this to you will suffer the same fate you did, only they will not bear your innocence or beauty, and the actions of which I will be taking were indeed provoked. If I should fail, my saving grace is the knowledge that I’ll be with you once again. No force of any human will stop me now.”
A hand laid on Eldarin’s shoulder, and he spun around, almost ready to attack, when he saw Kieran Evenstar was the source. He returned his sword to its sheath, and looked away. “I never figured I’d see you again.”
“We elves come with many surprises, as you know damn well,” Kieran replied.
“I suppose you’ve come to try to stop me,” Eldarin assumed.
“On the contrary,” Kieran laughed, “I want to join you.”
Eldarin quickly shook his head as he tightened the straps to his bow harness. “I’m doing this alone.”
“It’s suicide, Eldarin!”
“It’s my fault things happened the way they did,” Eldarin stated. “I had the chance to save every single one of these fallen innocent souls, and instead, my emotions carried me to making a hasty decision. I cannot live with that, and if I should die in this mission, it would be well worth trying to rectify this mistake.”
Kieran nodded silently as Eldarin disappeared into the darkness of the Cathdesalantis woods. With her arms crossed, she tilted her head back. “Okay, you can come out now.”
Narenwyn appeared from behind a house. Towering over the rather short Kieran, she rested on her shoulder. Kieran turned her focus back to the woods in which Eldarin had disappeared. “He’s one brave individual, although the process might be quite foolhardy.”
Narenwyn’s eyes narrowed as her gaze followed the footsteps becoming softer and softer from the distance. “He better hope he dies in this mission,” she snarled, “because if he doesn’t, he’ll wish he did when he has to face the consequences of his foolishness.”
…
I was quickly growing weary of the attention I was receiving. I never expected that being the champion of a wrestling federation would bring so many unwanted downfalls. The constant phone calls asking for sponsorship and quotes on world events... Who would want the opinion of an elf on these things anyway, and if they did, who would actually listen? Even with this world championship, I know a majority of people still think it's a joke, and that's their mistake to make.
I opened the door to the arena, and instantly knew this day was not going to go any better than the previous. A gentleman in a business suit with a clipboard was pacing near my door talking on his cell phone. I carefully tried to scoot by, but of course, it’s rather hard to not see a blue-haired elf in a brightly-lit hallway.
“Lantlas! Lantlas!” He began tapping me on the shoulder and tried pushing his clipboard in front of me. I shoved it away, but he was relentless. “Lantlas! Please, just a moment of your time?”
“What?”
“I’m from the world’s leading manufacturer in wrestling shoes,” he explained, “and I was wondering if you’d be interested in a sponsorship.”
“No,” I firmly stated, and began to walk away.
“But why not?”
“I don’t do sponsorships.”
“Why? Do you not like money?”
I turned around once more and stared him dead in the eye. “No.” I walked off, hoping that would be the last of the pitches I’d have to hear on this day. Sure enough, my luck didn’t last very long.
“Lantlas! Congratulations on your win against 2Guys!”
As if a single person in that arena last week was the slightest bit surprised at the outcome of that match? Hell, it could’ve been a handicapped match with either Ace or I, and the result would’ve been quite similar. “Thanks,” I muttered, without even looking at who said it. I heard footsteps following me once again, and I could feel my nerves tense up a little more.
“Lantlas, can I please ask you something?”
I spun around, probably red in the face from frustration. “I’m not sponsoring any products, I’m not appearing on any shows, and I’m not doing any outside interviews!” The short, blonde woman looked down at the ground, and I could tell I’d offended her. “Look, I’m sorry I snapped at you like that, but I’ve been barraged with this stuff for the past two weeks.” I hated apologizing, but the last thing I needed was a lawsuit from an offended fan. Ice would love that, I’m sure.
“Mr. Lantlas,” she whispered, a slight sob in her voice, “I’m not here asking you to sponsor anything, and I don’t work for anyone in the media.” Good going, Elfboy! My nerves began to calm, and I walked towards the little woman as she backed into the wall and slid down to a sitting position. I crouched near her, feeling slightly awkward since I didn’t even know who she was.
“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”
Her tear-streamed face rose from her hands, and I could almost feel her pain through her eyes. This was much more serious than offending a fan, I could immediately tell. “My daughter is in critical condition in the hospital,” she sobbed. “We don’t know if she is going to survive the operation she’s about to have. We asked her if there was anyone she would like to meet, just in case things turned for the worse, and without hesitation, she said your name.”
She said my name? Who wanted to see me as their last dying wish? “Really?” That was pretty much all I could think to say. “Would you mind if my daughter came along?”
“Not at all,” she responded.
I reached out a hand and helped her to her feet. “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” I promised, as I ran to my locker room to get Emerald. Emerald was probably still upset over not getting to meet Ace the week we teamed together, so hopefully doing a very good thing would brighten her spirits a bit.
I opened the door, and I immediately felt two arms wrapping around my waist. “Vati! Vati! I want to go! I want to go!” Sly little devil, she was.
“You were listening, weren’t you?”
She blushed and looked down a bit. “Yeah,” she cutely admitted.
I hoisted her up on my shoulders as I walked out the back door and headed towards the hospital. At least this would give me some time to think about the interesting match-up I’d be in this week. Emerald was easily distracted by the hot-air balloon in the sky and all the people walking by who knew who I was.
This week at Trauma was no regular week. There were no scheduled matches, and no one had very much of a clue what was going on. All we know is they’d scheduled what was called a “Tag Team Turmoil”, in which sixteen-competitors would randomly be placed with a tag-team partner, and it would turn into a tournament, where eventually new tag team champions would be determined at Return to Glory. Why I was even being given the potential for a second match at Return to Glory, I wasn’t exactly sure, but being the record perfectionist I am, I wasn’t about to throw it. Who knows? Just thinking of who would end up being my tag team partner was interesting enough.
First off, Ace Anderson, my partner from last week and the active competitor I respected the most. My daughter’s fondness for him definitely improved my opinion of who he was, and I easily forgave his actions of the past, possibly easier than I should’ve. All I knew is our match at Return to Glory would not be hostile and angry, but rather in the true spirit of competition, may the better man or elf win. Teaming with him again while facing him later might make things a bit awkward, but there’d be no doubt to whom the tag team championships would be returning, as if I’d deserved to lose them in the first place.
Then we had Grimm, a man about whom I still knew very little. I’d faced him once rather recently, but his track record otherwise proved he was a fairly dangerous wrestler. His lengthy reign as the International championship also backed up this claim. His respect for me was undetermined, as I’d never really heard much from him at all, so the potential for victory or disaster was up in the air, as far as I was concerned. As long as he didn’t turn on me, I saw no reason why that alliance wouldn’t dominate the tournament.
Next on the list was “Mr. Showtime” Mikey Wright, one who’d become what Ace used to be. Comments being thrown my way every week, as if he had anything to brag about other than a cheap win over Ace Anderson. When last I checked, the Elven Warrior had beat the bloody piss out of him two weeks in a row before people interfered, and his lack of success in championship matches made me hope to the wrestling Gods that I wouldn’t be teamed with him. I knew he’d pull something cheap if we were, or otherwise he’d choke, since when a title’s on the line, he seems to forget everything but his name.
Looking further down, another one of my favorites, Non Compos Mentis, the one who’d pissed off Al Laiman to the point of bringing him back to wrestle again. I chuckled at the thought of the easy task of dismantling that fraudulent champion again, but shuddered at the possibility of being forced to team with that waste of space. Then again, I knew that if he was in the ring, the chances of Al Laiman following him down and beating him half to death weren’t unlikely, so we’d probably pick up continuous disqualification wins there.
Anthony Douglas was in this thing, and that was quite bittersweet in my opinion. The once-Nightmare 2 Society member had thrown the adjectives aside and become a fiercely dangerous competitor. Granted, I knew I had his number, but if we were to end up teaming together, I can’t say I’d exactly trust him to have my back, not that I necessarily need it. But if he did, there wouldn’t be too many alliances that could stop that force. Anthony’s head would be the x-factor in making that decision.
Seth Sinn, my dwindling former co-holder of the tag team championships, the one who just couldn’t escape his own personal demons to bring it to the ring anymore. It was a damn shame that he’s only been half of what he was in HHW. Maybe if Dominion was reunited for a shot at the tag team championships, he might wake the hell up, but with everything that was going on with Christine becoming nothing short of psychotic and delusional, that was extremely unlikely. Plus, I didn’t even know where I stood with him anymore. All I know is Devon told me not to worry, and she’s been wrong about that before.
Dan Ellis was next, and I really didn’t have too much of an opinion about teaming with him or facing him. We’d never crossed paths, so I was pretty much indifferent. How he’d feel about teaming with the world champion is probably how I would’ve felt three months ago about teaming with Ace, but it ended up working in that six-man match. Anything was possible.
Rodney Phoenix made this list, and I wasn’t thrilled about that at all. The “give me that, it’s mine” of PCW would dog it for sure if he was teamed with me. He felt that within a few weeks of signing that he deserved not only a shot at the championship, but the belt itself. In the process, he also made several remarks that made me question his intelligence, as the mockery was vastly misplaced and turned into nothing but an inside joke between me and friends. I’d probably shave his head if I had to be in the same ring with him. I’m the only blue-haired freak around here, dammit. I’d let the guy from 2Guys get away with it long enough as it was.
Justin Michaels, a talented prospect returning from a vacation, could be teamed with me. I wouldn’t complain about that too much, given his showings of late had been rather impressive in the Genesis division. The man of Havoc himself would probably have no qualms about teaming with the world champion, but I’d always expect the unexpected. It’s too dangerous in this business not to.
Mark Brown? I didn’t even know who he was. Next!
James Keenan, another recent acquisition to the PCW roster. I liked the guy, although I’d just as soon destroy him if I had to face him. However, teaming with him wouldn’t be an issue, as he seemed like a genuine, determined competitor. He did tend to talk too much, to the point where it’d get him into trouble, so I’d be adequately prepared with a roll of duct tape.
Al Laiman. What more needed to be said? Anybody who wasn’t teamed with him would have to watch out. Laiman’s not only made his return to the active roster, but he’s damn pissed off at Non Compos Mentis. I pitied the poor son-of-a-bitch teamed with NCM, that’s for sure. Al Laiman was as close to perfect in his matches as you could get, and besides Ace, was probably the most respected veteran in this turmoil. I’d be luckier than hell if I got to team with him.
Justin Adams, Menace, and Jackle closed it out, and much like Mark Brown, I didn’t know very much about them. All I knew was I’d taken part in the 2Guys dismantling in the previous week, and one of them had blue hair, which pissed me off. I didn’t have a clue who Justin Adams was, so once again, indifferent.
“Vati, is this the place?”
Without even realizing it, I’d not only walked into the hospital, but to the room I needed to be. Emerald ran in, and immediately stopped when she saw a little girl hooked up to needles and machines. She clenched my hand as she began to tremble. I picked her up and whispered that it was all right. The short, blonde mother sat by the girl’s bedside, and the explanation for knowing how she felt would come off rather strange, given that I had my Emerald back.
Through her tears, she weakly attempted a smile. “I’m glad you came.”
“Emerald,” I whispered, “go sit with this little girl’s mommy.” Emerald looked at me with eyes of horror, and I assured her it was all right. Emerald cautiously walked up to this poor woman.
“Hi sweetie,” the mother cooed. Emerald, without saying anything, gave the woman a hug, and I saw a small glow return to the mother’s face. I felt a strong sense of pride with having such a sweet little girl. As I knew she was in good hands, I walked to the other side of the bed. The girl was badly bruised, so I assumed she’d been in some sort of accident. I knelt down, placing my hand very softly on her head.
“What’s her name?” I whispered.
“Claudia.”
“Hey Claudia,” I again whispered. “This is Lantlas.” I paused for a second, almost sure that she could hear me, even though she was unconscious. “The doctors tell me you’ve got quite an operation coming up. You’re gonna have to pull through, okay? I can tell your mommy loves you very much, and I bet you love her just as much. I’ve got a little girl, her name is Emerald. She’s sitting with your mommy right now. I bet she’d love to be your friend if you could get better.”
“A new friend?” I could hear Emerald whisper to Claudia’s mother. Claudia’s mother nodded as she started crying again.
“You’ve got a lot of love here in this world, Claudia. It’s not your time to leave it just yet." I softly took her hand and held it. Everything sort of hit me at once, knowing what her mother was feeling, and knowing just how those emotions could dwell over time. “Claudia, you’ve got to come out of this.” I looked over at the television set, which was tuned to the replay of this week’s Trauma. Ace and I looked like gold as a team in that ring. “I know you’ll be okay, and I know you’ll be watching Return to Glory. I’ll win that match for you, Claudia.” I cringed, hoping I wouldn’t break the promise to the girl, but even moreso, hoping I’d have the chance to. I didn’t want this mother to go through what I did for so long.
As I slowly walked away from the bedside, I got a text message on my phone. “I NEED TO TALK TO YOU. WHAT WE DISCUSSED LAST WEEK WILL WORK. –ACE.”
I didn’t want to stir up emotion in a room like this, so I quietly left the hospital, deciding to give it a little time before I’d tell Emerald she was going to meet her hero, Ace Anderson. Being in that room, with that amount of suffering, definitely put me in a place to which I hadn’t been in a long time. I felt a sense of the need for solitude, like I could only do this truly on my own. As an Elven Warrior, and as the PCW champion, I knew I needed to pull through somehow, and also that I needed to keep my mouth shut as my daughter adored someone else, the same one I’d be facing for the PCW championship at Return to Glory.
Nothing could ever be easy.