finnufâ:
itâs dangerous to walk alone in gleerium these days; former etlia territory, anyway. for whatever reason, the monsters that appeared during the lotus festival run more rampant in this area than anywhere else. thatâs the biggest reason why finn returned to his homeland, or what remained of it. would gleerium protect the civilians they ruled over now, even if they once called etlia home? he didnât trust them to.
 itâs not like finn is the best person to look after anyone. he has a history of massive failure in that area, actually, but he figuresâŚitâs better than being a complete coward. he owes it to hisâŚformer people, to try to defend them. he knows many of them must hate him now, either for losing the war or for abandoning them in its aftermath, but still. maybe part of it is just him wanting to make up for all his failures, as if itâs even possible.
he somehow both feels like heâs supposed to be here and like he made a mistake in returning. the grief of being back weighs on his chest constantly, but he deserves to suffer for it; for everything heâs done, and everything he didnât when they needed him to.
so maybe thatâs why he walks alone now; some self-destructive tendency, seeking danger. this isnât podakko, where he can find anyone to fight just about anywhere. this is the land of the civilized, as heâs sure gleerium would say. fine, then. he just has to look a little harder, and maybe in doing so, he can do some sort of good for the people here.
he hears someone yelling, then, and he instinctively places a hand on the hilt of his sword. if heâs asking for fighters, there must be danger up ahead, and if thereâs anything finn is, itâs a fighter.
and a runner, but that doesnât matter for now.
or maybe it does, because he starts running toward the voice, and he arrives just in time to see the body of whom he assumes was calling for help hit a tree. he only briefly registers that he recognizes that face, before he turns his attention to the masked assailant and draws his sword.Â
his new enemyâs face is mostly obscured by a mask worn over his mouth and nose, only his eyes visible. âwhat do you want?â finn demands.
he doesnât receive an answer, and instead, the dark figure attempts to attack him. thankfully, finnâs reflexes save him, and he blocks the blow. he narrows his eyes, still trying to make sense of the situation.
an assassin from omaduun, maybe? they could be from anywhere, really, but the garb is reminiscent of what heâs seen from the country of darkness, and who else would need a mask? finn blocks another attack. âwhat do you want?â he repeats, but still receives no answer, so he charges forward himself, swords clanging together as they fight.Â
âif you donât explain yourself iâll kill you,â finn threatens, with full intent to see it through. in the back of his mind, heâs still vaguely aware of the original victim of the masked figureâs attack. maybe heâll recover and be able to help soon; not that finn thinks he needs any assistance.
thereâs about a million things currently running through eliotâs head and yet none of them he can grasp on. the tuft of hair at the back of his head feels damp and it could be tree sap or the evidence of his current position.Â
heâs able to push himself up from the ground once the assailantâs attention is off of him. heâll make offers to whoever he needs to once itâs over that the new fighter headed his call, that the wind carried his voice.Â
it would be stupid of him to try and use his magic right now, when heâs already on his last dregs, injured. he might accidently catch his ally in the process. it also might distract him so he focuses on assessing the field and getting upright.Â
thereâs no mistaking the familiar face, one heâd seen overall not too long ago. it was a coincidence that may as well have saved his life. there was no telling how long the other would able to go in a fight, and thatâs assuming eliot would have been able to steady himself for a proper battle. he hated sneak attacks and, of course, that was primarily what he found himself in the middle of.
âhe came out of nowhere,â he offers, loud enough for the other to hear him and when itâs obvious theyâd receive no reply.
âwhere did you come from?â he adds to the interrogation. âwhat did you want from me?â the figure cocks his head and quickly throws something small and sharp at him. eliotâs not the fastest but he manages to duck to the side in time just to miss whatever it was. âcoward,â he mutters to himself.
âdid someone send you here?â













