The Redemption of Tylermande

[Flamebird]

Weak.

She remembered clearly how weak she had always been. Powerless against the abusive forces that pushed and shoved her around. She was always the weak one, protected by her high strung cousin and cool headed uncle until they died; leaving her alone.

Weak.

"Pathetic." The memory of a cloaked woman flooded her mind. "Getting laughed out of the Ranger's initiation grounds like that. You're weak. You remind me of myself when I was your age, a loser. Let me teach you to be strong."

But Felicity never learned how to be. She was still weak at her old teacher's harsh hands as well. She was a stark contrast to her new mentor, who now...

"Ack!"

A cruel, twisted man shoved his boot deeper into Shinsou’s rib. Shinsou choked, bubbling blood visible against his pale lips. Glued to the ground by a strange magic, lying in pain nearby, memories swirled in Felicity's mind. The old ones meshed with the new ones, and this very Telgradian's words echoed stronger than the rest. The past was knocking on her door, ready to break in again. Take her loved ones again. Arius was after Gwenael, her dear friend, and wanted to possess him as his own body.

Not again...

Felicity panted, the pain from Arius’s attack holding her down. Arius lifted his boot and rammed it into his victim's side. Shinsou cried out as Arius's face glowed in sick pleasure, "I've been waiting for this, Shinsou!"

Felicity winced, his pain visible as anger swelled inside. How dare he... How dare this man just waltz into her life and attack her mentor like that? One of the select few people who ever believed in her?

Not again...

The past was knocking on her door. But the past was behind her. Now, she was not the same weakling her old mentor took in out of pity. Shinsou said it himself, he did not bring a loser to Whitevale.

She was not weak anymore.

Not again!

Pinned to the ground, unable to lift a finger, Felicity bit down on her lip instead. As the taste of iron blood could be tasted on her lips, the pain dissipated. Bolstered with new strength, the anger she felt towards Arius was bolstered as well. With unnatural strength, she bolted from her place on the ground as radiation poisoning caused Arius and Shinsou both to wince in sickness. With the sudden advantage, Felicity landed a solid punch on the off guard mage. Several teeth flew from his mouth as blood pooled from his broken jaw. He cried out as he backed off by several paces, Felicity advanced. As Shinsou struggled to recover from that beating, Felicity squared off the dark mage. She burned with the dark energy of rage. How dare he! How dare this bald maniac threaten her master! Arius looked back at her, anger visible in his eyes. Yet, oh, Felicity's anger was far worse.

"Leave him alone!" All the passion, love for the man who had given her purpose again, was made known through the enraged scream. As pain returned to Felicity's body, a strange ringing throb, she ignored it. This was the girl who brought Shinsou Vaan Osiris to his knees in the Citadel. This was the girl who would give her life to prevent any more loved ones from perishing.

She drew her sword and charged at him. Still stunned that the girl was standing after his attack, Arius flung another bolt of magic at her, but she side stepped in a dodge. She raised her sword, ready to strike, when a second bolt landed on her chest again. She was flung back again. Her sword slid across the stone floor in a smooth slide as she rolled with a series of grunts. After she stopped, hair covering her face, she looked up again, shaking.

"Stay out of this, girl!" Arius shouted, "This is my hour!" He turned his face to the Telgradian still bleeding on the floor.

Protective instinct overcame the magical pain echoing off her bones. Felicity got up and darted towards him again, "Fat chance!"

Another magical beam. Felicity was knocked against the wall as the oppressor sighed, exasperated. Eyes exhausted by all these petty interruptions, he wiped the blood from his chin. "It seems I must deal with you first, child. I am clearly out of your league. My machinations are beyond your stopping."

Felicity was hung to the wall by some sort of telepathic force. Indeed, he was beyond her power. But she was not weak. All she needed was to hold him until the others arrived.

"This isn't about the past, or what we've all lost, way back when. Right now, this is about what we have left."

Felicity winced as Arius walked closer, applying more invisible force to her frame. The pressure was insane, her head felt ready to explode in the ringing. Still, she kept herself breathing as he sneered.

"I want you to go up there and show him the strength that brought me to my knees."

Shinsou was counting on her.

She was strong.

Felicity grunted, unable to lift her head as Arius walked up to her. He brought a knee to her rib, causing blunt force to explode. Yet, as Felicity winced, she kept her eyes locked past Arius, to her mentor.

Shinsou believed in her. He was one of the first to. That was all the drive she needed. The man who brought her in, taught her, promoted her to a position of importance, and truly believed in her capabilities. She smiled, looked down to Arius with a slight wince as he brought his boot to her chest. Paralyzed she was, but it did not stop her from smirking.

"Go ahead," She spat, "Break me down, bury my face in the hard floor." Her face twisted as he brought his hand up and punched her gut. It barely phased her. "I'm stronger than stone, can endure until I'm ground to literal dust. Every time you hit me, it makes me stronger."

She locked eyes with the power tripping mage, glaring with intensity of ten thousand suns, "I still won't let you kill my mentor and take my town!" She gritted her teeth as he slammed his knee into her side again. She fought on. "I won't give into a demon, a monster, like you! Every time you even bat an eye towards Shinsou, I'll stand in the way again! So go ahead! Try to stop me!"

Felicity understood she was in for a world of pain. She could take it. Infuriated that some strange little girl stood between him and his prize, Arius stopped talking and started to beat her to his heart's content. A rapid series of punches and hits were unblockable as her limbs were forced against the wall by his magic. He hoped to knock her out, force her to exhaustion. However, Felicity's bones were strong like steel, and her body could take more punishment than ten men together could bear. All she had to do was keep this bald bully content until Gwenael and Storm arrived. Knowing Gwenael, she knew her pain would alarm him of the enemy's location.

Shinsou! Felicity thought of her leader as she squeaked from a punch in the face, Stay back, don't grab his attention again! I got him!

The torture continued, but she took it with as much dignity as she could muster. He may have had her beaten, but she was still strong. Arius would not have the pleasure of watching her crumple so easily. Even with tears in her eyes, even with rapid bruising spreading across her body, she smirked. Every time she bled, she had temporary relief. It was enough to spit at him and cause him to hit her harder, resisting the radiation poisoning that turned on and off. He learned to avoid making contact with the blood dripping from her leaps as her chest heaved in effort. The more she endured, the more he tried to wound her. Soon, enough, her magical affinity perked as he started flinging harmful magic as her body. Choking, Felicity clung to consciousness as she reminded herself that help would soon come. She repeated the name of her guardian in her mind until he came.

Gwenael. Gwenael, Get over here!

She refused to break, even if this was the worst pain she felt in her life - far worse than when her old teacher beat her for the slightest wrong step. She finally started to cry in pain as she felt magical energy strip her stamina from her muscular frame. No! Keep going, Felicity! Figh- Gwenael!