Heretic

Merric was asleep on a pile of animal furs that the merchants had provided to him for being successful in the arena. In his right had sat the hilt of his three inch blade that he constantly had while sleeping. Merric awoke at the sound of footsteps approaching.

Not moving a single muscle except in his had to tighten his grip around the hilt of his dagger Merric lay in wait. Merric saw the shadow of a rather large looking man approach closer and closer to him.
A hand reached over towards Merric's shoulder, In one smooth movement Merric had the intruder pinned to the floor with the dagger laying against his throat.

"Hahaha, As good as ever young Aquila" The man said and he smiled up at Merric.

"Gid?" Merric said standing up and pulling the old gladiator to his feet.

"Gid!, How are you?" Merric said hugging him.

Gidgidgadonhi or Gid for short was the top gladiator when Merric was first sold to the merchants, and therefore he had the responsibility to train the new 'recruits'. Gid was the only man that Merric trusted on the face of the earth to this date.

"I am well young Aquila" The old gladiator told him as he returned his hug.

"What news have you?" Merric said releasing him and holding him an arms length away.

"The merchant leader, he wishes to speak to you"

"What of?" Merric asked. When the Merchant leader asked for a gladiator it either meant that he had done something severely wrong or was been sold on. Merric had been performing exceptionally well recently so it puzzled him as to why he would be called on.

"Worry not my friend, I am sure you will be pleased" Gid said patting Merric on the back and then leading him out of his private quarters.

 

As wind would whistle through the trees, a lone barbarian girl would travel along her wood, singing a song she had once learned. A barbarian, one could call her - Proof of it would be from her clothes, her wild manner, and her speech, but she was just as smart as the next person. And so, the barbarian named Sumi wandered, singing her song.

"Ila vec, Ila vec,
Kurimula sho,
Ila vec, Ila vec,
Sumari to!

Mon ja, Mon ja,
Ghimari sho,
Mon ja, Mon ja,
Ilsamari go!"

The meaning of the song was lost to civilization - but then and again, Sumi wasn't civilization. And the girl kept on traveling, singing her tune.

 

"That is correct young gladiator, we are offering you your freedom" the old merchant told a confused looking Merric.

Merric had heard that if a gladiator lived to be to old or not as popular as he once was he was offered freedom in exchange for a 'small' favour.

"But I am not old?, and I am as popular as the next gladiator if not more so" Merric began to protest

Merric had dreamed of the day when his freedom would come, but he had grown accustomed to this lifestyle of his.

"We offer you your freedom for neither of these reasons" Gid told him, "We have a request that we feel only you can fulfil" He said smiling to him.

Gid had been one of those gladiators who had grown accustomed to the lifestyle and as a result when he grew to old to fight any more the merchant offered him a position on his team training new gladiators.

"So, I gain my freedom for a favour?"

"Exactly" Gid said simply

"And what is this favour" Merric asked with suspicion in his voice

"Have you heard of young woman called Idasha?"

 

The merchant lord had just finished explaining his proposal to Merric, It sounded simple enough. All Merric had to do was capture the woman known as Idasha.

"And what becomes of my one and only possession?" Merric asked

"Possession?" The merchant said with surprise in both his facial expression and tone of voice.

"His sword my lord" Gid said to the merchant. "Do we still have it?" The merchant asked Gid in a whisper.
"Yes my lord, it is the one with the dragons eye. It was sold along with him when we first bought him" Gid told him. "I suggest we hand it over to him, that way we show we trust him and may convince him not to betray us" The old gladiator suggested to his Boss. "That is a wise choice, but I feel I have a better insurance." The merchant said smiling to Gid.

"Your sword will be given to you when the job is done" The merchant told Merric.

"In that case no deal" Merric said simply and walked out of the merchants tent.

The merchant shocked at first, took awhile to fully come to terms with what had just happened. When he finally came to terms with it he began shouting orders for Merric to return to his tent or face the consequences. Merric knowing that the worst that would happen to him is having his luxury's removed or a few lashes from a whip returned to his quarters and went to sleep.

 

Gerik awoke to sunlight in his eyes. "Huh? Is it this late into the day already?" He yawned. He sat up, checking himself. He reached behind him and grabbed the hilt of his dagger. He pulled it out and looked at it. The blade was completely black, not even reflecting the sunlight. He put the dagger back in it's sheath. He looked down at his waist, seeing a blue vial tied to it. "Good. Everything's here." He stood up, picked up his swords, swung them over his back and cracked his neck. "Where to next? Where is the military located?"

 

"-And that's why you don't trust villagers." A soldier spoke to his two comrades.
"Huh, you don't say. . . Y'know, I heard that there was an Ogre guarding the temple we're looking for."
"Private, that is a cock-and-bull story fed to you by the Auroran gossipers. Now, if I hear one more word-"
His voice was cut off by the "WHOOSH" of leaves.

"What's going to happen, cap'n? Captain? Hey, where's he go?"
"I don't know. . . Captain, this isn't funny. . WOAH!"
The soldier dropped straight through the ground, it appeared, into a pit. As the private peered into it, he saw his friend's body pierced by sharp pieces of wood among other skeletons. The moment he realized what had happened, he began running - but it was too late. Only a few seconds after he began running, something heavy hit his head and a collapsed. . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sumi wiped the blood off of her club with a piece of cloth she had 'picked up', and began singing her song again. . .

 

Merric awoke to a the abnormal sound of quite. There is not tournament today,something is severely wrong Merric said grabbing his blade.

Merric stood up quietly and surveyed his room. Nothing had been touched, No one had come in to clean his room while he slept. Merric decided he had better get dressed before he did anything else. Merric dressed himself in his favourite gear. He put on his favourite breastplate and arm guards (appears as he does in the appearance picture). Merric could hear fast paced footsteps making there way towards him. He readied himself with blade in hand.

"Gid?!" Merric said surprised as he saw his friend burst through the entrance of his quarters.

"There is not much time Aquila, You are in great danger"

Gid had taken Merric to the weapons supply tent and was now telling him how he was in great danger.

"The merchant has ordered to have you killed, you really hit a nerve when you walked out on him"

"Then why didn't he do it while I slept?" Merric asked as he equipped himself with a foreign sword that he favoured (The sword in his right hand in the appearance).

"He wanted to make a lesson of you, for others who would rise up to the position you have. Come we are not safe here, we must escape"

"Not without my sword Gid!" Merric protested.

"I thought you would say that" Gid smiled to him "So I had the honour of stealing it for you this morning, I left it just outside the entrance to the city"

"Thank you Gid" Merric said smiling at his old friend.

"Now we must leave" Gid said and both he and Merric took off into the city.

 

"Come along young Aquila, The sun is setting and if wait to long it will be to dark to manouver without tourches" Gid said to Merric who was just getting up from his hiding postion to avoid being seen by some passing guards.

"There is alot more guards here than I ever realized the merchant had" He said to Gid as they qucikly took off to hide behind the next set of high stacked boxes.

"These are not all Laybin's men" Gid said as the crouched down to better concel themselvs. "He told the local law enforcers that you have plans to kill the ruler of Ifrit, So there out searching for you"

"Why would I kill the ruler of Ifrit?! Merric asked knowing that the old gladiator had no answer for him.

"Come now, we must make hast"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gid and Merric had been running for what seemed to be over and hour. They were caught by a clumsy guard who's helmet had fallen of his head and he turned around as the two made a break for it. Fortunatly for Gid Merric was faster than him and he had been ahead of Gid when they began running. Merric knew that he could use this to Gids advantage and make it seem as if Gid was in persuit of the wanted gladiator.

"Turn left!" Gid shouted loaud enough for Merric to hear but soft enough that the other persuing soliders couldn't. As Merric turned the coner his legs on fire he could finaly see the gate. Gid took this as his oppertunity and as he and the soliders rounded the conor he fell spawling onto the ground limbs flayling in the air. The guards been clumsy oafs tripped over Gid and all the could do was watch as ther prisioner ran away.

Thank hevans for that Merric thought as he saw his freedom before him. Gid had told him he had left his sword about three hundred meters away from the main gate in a small patch of grass just off the road. I can rest when i retriev it Merric told himself as he forced his legs to keep moving.

"Almost there" Merric said with smile on his face despite the burning in his legs and the exaustion taking over his body. Merric turned the coner and stoped abrutly almost clapsing. In the grass he saw his sword, like Gid had promised, but there standing over his was a woman. Merrics mind filled with mermories.

 

Merric was suddenly brought back to reality when he heard shouting coming closer and closer to him.

"Damn it!" Merric said under his breath. He picked up his sword and admired the craftsmanship.

"We have to go!" Merric said to the young woman who had been standing over his sword.

Merric could tell he met her before, and he remembered that she was the girl his family had given there lives to save. But to Merric's frustration he couldn't remember her name.

"Araghh" Merric heard as a solider who was faster than the others made his way quickly towards them sword raised high.

"Big mistake" Merric said as he sidestepped the man and cut his chest with his sword. The man's limp body fell to the floor.

"I can't hold them all off" Merric said the the woman" We have to run!" Merric said as he grabbed her hand and began running.

 

Merric was abit surprised when the woman had led him into the forest. He was going to object to it and demand they keep following the road but she manoeuvred through the forest with so much ease it was if she knew were each branch of every tree was. Merric imagined what it must look like to anyone observing and thought that anyone who saw who wasn't after his life they would find it rather humorous. A young nimble and beautiful girl making her way through the forest without and trouble. Been followed by a young man who was been smacked with every branch that passed and getting small cuts from the various plant life.

Merric saw her look at him to see if he was following, he was about to make a negative comment but seeing as how she was saving his life he decided not to. After awhile of running they made it to a clearing in the woods. Were they both stopped to rest.

"Were are we?" Merric asked taking his swords and placing them on a tree that had fallen over. He then sat on the tree putting his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath.