For three days Elliot rested in the tree hideout with Flan, who not only brought him food but also ensured he drank the rancid medicine that did seem to make him feel better after a bit of time, but the taste was not something he enjoyed looking forward too.
"Got Grub." Flan said placing mellons between them from her latest adventure of the surrounding forest, staying near in case they heard foots steps. Taking a piece of the fruit, Elliot enjoyed the sweet taste of it and looked at her munching away at her piece, seeds sticking to her face did nothing but make his chuckle, "What funny?"
"Nothing, you're too cute." Elliot waved it off and finished his half, feeling much better after letting his body rest yet a narrowing numbness continued to come from his new right hand and he looked it over for a few minutes, thinking it over and over in his head on what had happened that day. Word would have spread for sure on it and his face wouldn't be able to be shown anywhere, yet he needed more info to keep up with the party and beat them to Clathcia if he were to stop the Great Raising.
"You in there?" A familiar voice drew their attention to the small entrance hiding their hideout in the three. Flan flinched and moved away from it, sweat growing on her face and Elliot's instinct moved him between her.
"I'm coming out." Elliot said looking at Flan and a finger to his lips, telling her to stay quiet.A slow nod from Flan and Elliot moved out of their hideout, peaking out from the rock to see Captain Grant alone in the forest looking at the rock. Elliot looked at the man who stopped him from getting beaten by the other guard he stole his eye and hand from, slowly stepping out of the rock and walking out in front, "Grant, what are you doing here?"
"I could be asking you the same thing since the others are still searching for you." Folding his arms, his eyes locked on the scared hand of Elliot and his eyes, "It looks like you're making use of the present he gave you."
"He said he violated Levi against her will, he's lucky I didn't take more," Elliot said, his mind still a haze from that yet he does remember thinking he wanted revenge on him and Nymix took that as a go ahead and give him the pieces he was missing.
"Yeah, the Baren offered her up by the will of Prince Bradly," The words and sigh escaping his words said more than enough to Elliot, his fist clinching until blood dripped from it, "I didn't take it, but other, nearly all the guards did as Bradly said it was for her loyalty tot he party and....."
"SHUT UP!" A his escaped Elliot's mouth and Grant's eyes widened, jumping back and pulling out his sword with seat coming pouring down his face looking at Elliot who was standing there, black tendrils swirling around from his right hand, "I SHALL END THEM FOR EVERYTHING THEY HAVE DONE AND MAKE SURE THEY SUFFER MORE THAN THE ONES THEY HURT."
"Elliot, calm done, you're getting out of control." Grant said hoping to calm him and Elliot gave him a thousand-yard stare, looking into space when he said only for a few blinks to break his trance. Falling to his knees, Elliot held his head and groaned looking up to Grant, sword still in hand.
"Sorry, I-I just got really mad there and-" He stopped falling back. Slowly, Grant moved closer to see he was out cold, sleeping.
"He must not have been fully ready with hat gift he got," Grant said putting his sword back and looking down at the resting Elliot, "You don't need to worry, I won't hurt him or you." He looked back to the rock and see the little goblin girl that was peaking out to them.
"*Hiiss* Rlinhc Ljivse." Flan spoke through her language and stared daggers at Grant, only getting a chuckle from him.
"Take this and hurry when you awake," Placing a piece of paper on Elliot's chest, walking back through the forest, and left them be.
Elliot's eyes slowly opened, heavy circles around his eyes said the lack of sleep have been going through his tired body while groaning and feeling a body nestle close to him. Looking at his chest, Flan was resting on his chest and then it clicked that he was back in the tree hideout.
"Huh, how?" Elliot asked tired looking at the sleeping goblin girl and then he saw her hand, covered in cuts and scratches, "S-she dragged me back here after I fainted." Elliot thought it through for a few moments and smiled, putting his hand on her head and patting it before slowly resting back as he still felt too tired to really do more than this. After another few hours of resting, Elliot slowly woke up and was feeling better, sat up and saw Flan sitting near the opening with a piece of paper in her hands, looking it over as if trying to make it make sense to her. "Hey, can I see that?" Elliot asked, scaring Flan who turned to look at him the skin around her face was a slightly darker green than her normal color and Elliot could see that it was her blushing, making him laugh.
"No funny." She said looking away with the piece of paper in her hand and then looking back to him, offering him the paper, "Hoomain left this for you, not know why." Eliot slowly took it and looked at it, seeing it was a letter for him.
'Elliot, head south through the forest until you reach the Wasteland and you must continue to travel through it until the black mountain re in your view, that is where you quest will begin.'
"Huh." Elliot said, having read it a few times and looking it over with Flan looking at him.
"What it say?" Flan asked, her eyes locked on Elliot and he smiled seeing her.
"It's telling me where i need to go to stop people who hurt your village." Elliot said rolling it back up and turned to see her looking at him confused, looking around the hideout.
"Not safe?" She pointed down and Elliot nodded, making her sulk looking to her feet with a thread of sadness in her eyes, "B-but mommy will be here soon and ..."
"No, she's gone." Elliot said hanging his head, "She would have been here by now if she wasn't gone." Tears dropped with Elliot not looking, he knew she had most likely known all along but he needed to cut it, for if they find her, she'd be lucky if death awaited her. Lifting up his arm, Flan dove her face into his chest, allowing her to be wiped around her and hold her to confort her with what she was going through. An hour she cried, soaking his dirty shirt with her tears and Elliot just held her, knowing that she was crying from actions of people he needed to stop.
After that, the two took a few days collecting more fruit and making sacks from his shirt, to carry it. Finished, Elliot looked to Flan holding a worn sack herself with a smile as they began to head south as the not had told them. Feeling better than the last time he had to walk, Elliot made fast pace, an energy he never knew he had before moved him along with a smile yet a twige of concern popped with how Flan would follow along and with a turn saw that she was keeping pace with little effert.
"Play in the forest often?" Elliot asked smiling, leaping over a down log and watch her matching it with little effert.
"Goblin forest people, we love moving around the forest with tree and stuff." Flan answer a smile spreading across her face, like something she had been hiding was released and she never wanted to put it back. Elliot returned to his focus and moved along, keeping in for with what little sun they could get from the canapy and watched how the beams turn allowing him to tell where south was with little trouble. After a few hours of running, Elliot stopped and looked around for a few minutes when Flan came up behind him, "What, danger?"
"No, but we should take a rest and refuel before we burn through to much energy." Elliot said sitting by a nearby rock and opening his sack, taking a few of the melon and cutting it with a knife that was in the hideout, offering half to Flan and they began to eat the flesh of the food. Finishing it off, they resumed their movements with a smile as their bellies were full of fuel and they made great time until finding a spot for the night. Finding a good spot, the two ate a little more of their food to fill them up and rested with Elliot careful to hide their bodies from any who might find them. The continued by day break and moved on, collecting more food on the way while keeping pace to the south, Elliot's mind on what could be waiting for them when the forest ended, which came soon as after two more days of running, they reached the edge of the southern part of the forest and just stared at the vast desert rolling over into the horizon, far beyond what they could see.
"It hot." Flan said fanning herself, sweat covering her face just from the warm wind that blew off the desert.
"Yeah," Elliot said panting noting the heat too while his mind cross on how they should continue. Looking about, a thought popped into his head and he looked down at the small goblin girl trying to keep herself from overheating, smiling as he was sure it would work and that they would be on their way soon.