Nettled (PSO2:NG Fanfic)

Nettled

Forest nettles somehow managed to get lodged into his foot despite the armor, or perhaps the nettles became lodged in his food on account of the armor. Elis fumed too much at himself to contemplate the issue of whether the fault lay with the armor designer or himself, or just plain dumb luck.

"Guardian wouldn't have..."

"What did you say?" Elis looked up at his partner, a fellow Meteoran. His eyes narrowed, his mind for some reason hating the name along with the person, a recently arrived Meteoran who somehow managed to outclass the Meteoran ARKS operatives who'd been in the Aelio region for much longer, yet hearing Taliah speak of the one they called Guardian as if they were some kind of hero, one that they should remember, rather than a bringer of doom.

"I was trying to say Guardian wouldn't have gotten nettles stuck in their foot like some newbie in the field."

Elis glared at Taliah. "Stop acting as if they're some kind of hero, just because they're able to take on stronger and stronger bosses."

"Except nobody in ARKS has ever moved up that quickly."

"Because it's a creepy anomaly, just like..." Elis stopped, trying to remember, yet the memories of all the Meteoran were sketchy beyond the fact they came from the sky.

"Just like what?"

"Ouch!" Elis pulled a nettle out of his foot in a not so gentle manner. "Just..." In the back of his head, the voice said, "Just like before," yet he couldn't place what just like before meant beyond the fact something felt wrong.

"You're just jealous."

"Am not."

"Come on. You're jealous of any ARKS operative who's stronger than you."

"That's not..." Elis let out a sigh, growing frustrated with both the nettles in his foot as well as Taliah.

Unfortunately for him, she'd grown tired of him attempting to pull the nettles and stepped forward, grabbing his foot unceremoniously and nearly dumping him off the rock he sat on as she yanked it towards herself, giving a good look before quickly yanking every single one out before exclaiming, "There!" while Elis let out a howl of pain, feeling ever much like a fool.

And, he did have to admit there was a slight bit of jealously towards the one Taliah called Guardian, but not because he was jealous of the battle power. There was a certain charisma that person always had that he'd never been able to explain, but the fact he'd known the one she called Guardian before...

"Why would we have known them?" Elis let out a sigh, putting his foot down and flinching.

"What do you mean?"

"You call them Guardian as if you know them, know about them, and I've got this feeling about them, yet wouldn't that only be possible if they were someone important where we came from."

"Oh. Now you're getting it!"

Elis glared at Taliah. "You do know that just because someone is well known where we come from, that isn't necessarily a good thing?"

"I don't know what you're problem is, what with Dark Falz showing, and..."

"Did you ever think that Dark Falz showed up and destroyed Aelio Town?"

"Yeah. You're way too much of a pessimist, you know. Well, we'd better get going!" Taliah said with all her usual enthusiasm.

"Wait..." Elis protested, yet knew it was best not to be out on your own as an ARKS operative, yet—whatever thought regarding the one Taliah called Guardian was brushed aside as she was right that he didn't need to be so much of a pessimist.