Yuwel/Stories
The new kid in Starview, Yuwel, worships the ground Light walks on. At once bemused and amused, Alk speaks to him and learns that Light saved him from (literally) a place of darkness. The two vow to grow stronger, so that they may return champion to his former glory.
Yuwel: ...
Yuwel: Hah!
Yuwel: No... It's all wrong. I'm
Light: ...Doing very well, actually.
Yuwel: Sir Light! For a champion to take notice of me, I... It's more than I deserve.
Alk: Whoa... Look at that. Someone's treating you like a champion for once.
Yuwel: I am paying him his due respect.
Yuwel: I suggest you try it sometime, Alk.
Alk: Huh?
Yuwel: Sir Light is a hero, who sacrificed everything to defend his land. Though you may come from a different place, as your better, he is owed—
Light: W-wait! Enough, Yuwel.
Yuwel: But I must—
Light: We are all comrades, Yuwel. Equals.
Light: If anything, I should be grateful they took me in, powerless as I am...
Light: Ahem! What I mean to say is, do not stand on ceremony. Address me as Alk does.
Light: Now, I've taken enough of your time. I will leave you to your training.
Alk: Can I ask why you look up to Light so much?
Yuwel: Because he's a champion! Because even without power, he seeks to protect.
Yuwel: And because... he guided me.
Alk: Huh? When? We all just met.
Yuwel: I was lost, alone in the dark.
Alk: Gee... That's... poetic.
Yuwel: I'm not being figurative. I was in a place WITH NO LIGHT.
Yuwel: I had just been attacked in the Kaleidoscope. Shadows began closing in around me, and I... I lost the will to fight.
Yuwel: But then I saw a faint glow. It was no brighter than a candle, but it was enough.
Yuwel: When I drew closer, I saw something strange. The glow had two ears and a tail.
Alk: Hunh. Interesting.
Yuwel: I followed that gleam like a stray ship after a beacon. I lost all track of time, but at last I reached...
Alk: Starview Village... And, come to think of it, Light was the first one to find you.
Yuwel: Yes. I know it all seems outlandish— like a dream... But I truly believe that Light guided me here.
Alk: Mm... Yeah, I think he did too.
Yuwel: You do?
Alk: Yep. 'Cause he also changed my world. Ever since Light arrived at Starview, nothing's been the same —for either me or Stella.
Alk: I mean, I don't idolize him like you do, and there are times I think he's a boring stick in the mud. But I can tell—he's the real deal.
Alk: Hey, what kind of champion do you think he was? Like, what do you think he looked like?
Yuwel: I'm certain he looked just like a champion from legend— a fair and stalwart young knight.
Alk: I'm not too sure about that. What if he was super buff and burly, like a bear?
Yuwel: With half his face buried in a great beard? Heh... Well, I'd be intimidated— that's for sure.
Alk: Haha. Same... But no matter how Light used to look, I want to help him change back.
Yuwel: On that, we agree. But, well, we won't be much use as we are now.
Alk: Fair. You, uh... want to start training together?
Yuwel: Yes... I think having a sparring partner WOULD help. That is, if you can keep up with me.
Alk: Oh please. I can take you. ...As long as you don't get, you know... TOO serious.
Yuwel learns that the Swallow Knights, a brigade he formed to protect the Farlands when the nobility would not, disbanded in his absence. But he swears he will not lay down his sword until all suffering has been banished from the world.
Guild Staff: Cleaned up that quest pretty fast, did you? Well, here's payment. Keep up the good work, Stella.
Stella: Thank you.
Stella: Yuwel, we are done... here...
Yuwel: Yes, that's the one. Do you know what's happened to them?
Adventurer: The Swallow Knights, eh? Well, there's a name I haven't heard in a while.
Adventurer: They've disappeared. Swallowed up by the Kaleidoscope, no doubt.
Yuwel: ...
Yuwel: Sorry to keep you waiting, Stella... Everything's all right now. Let's go.
Yuwel: Wait.
Yuwel: We're being followed. Who's there? Show yourself!
???: Yuwel... It's really you, isn't it? It's me. Don't tell me you've forgotten poor William!
Yuwel: Will... I can't believe it...
Yuwel: So everyone's alive...
Will: Yes, but the Swallow Knights... We all broke up and scattered. I'm sorry, Yuwel...
Yuwel: Don't be. The cracks in our fellowship formed long ago... even when I was there.
Will: Are you still fighting, Yuwel?
Will: Are you going to go on fighting?
Yuwel: I must.
Yuwel: I am all the Swallow Knights have left.
Stella: Was that a friend?
Yuwel: I don't know... He WAS once a comrade.
Stella: Would you mind telling me the full story?
Yuwel: No, but... It's a long and bitter tale.
Yuwel: A long way from Palpebra, there lies a place called the Farlands. It's ruled by a king and Nine Noble Houses, and it's where I was born.
Yuwel: Some time ago, monsters began crawling into our towns and cities. Each year, the bodies of those slain by their claws grew higher and higher.
Yuwel: But the nobles only stood by and watched... It was unbearable.
Yuwel: I gathered to me a group of warriors. Fighters, who would use their swords for the people. And that was the start of the Swallow Knights.
Yuwel: But, well... what power can such a ragged band wield? Our funds soon ran short, and we were driven into the Kaleidoscope, seeking treasure.
Yuwel: ...Funny, isn't it? We had hoped the labyrinth would save us, but it's what delivered the final blow.
Stella: ...
Yuwel: The Kaleidoscope swallowed me.
Yuwel: While I was gone, the Swallow Knights disbanded. It was for the best, I suppose...
Stella: What happened to the Farlands?
Yuwel: It was saved... if you can call it that. The king's family learned that the Kaleidoscope was the source of its troubles, and demanded reparations.
Yuwel: In place of money, Palpebra shared all that it knew about the Kaleidoscope. Armed with this knowledge, the nobles waged war on the monsters... and banished them from our lands.
Stella: But you haven't stopped fighting.
Yuwel: Yes. Until the day all suffering has ended, I will not lay down my sword.
Stella: You really are similar.
Yuwel: Hm?
Stella: Light said you remind him of himself.
Stella: Alk found the idea funny, but now, I see what Light meant.
Yuwel: You do? Heh... Well, thank you.
Yuwel: ...I can't let my journey end before I've lived up to those words.
Alk: Yep. Now stop planning your retirement, and come eat dinner.
Yuwel: Retirement? I never said a word about retirement! ...How long have you been there?
Alk: Long enough to be STARVING. Come on, Yuwel... Light's waiting.
Yuwel: *sigh* Life is never dull with you, Alk.
Yuwel meets a former Swallow Knight in town, who has found his new calling as a vegetable merchant. Both realize that there is pride in any work, as long as it serves to protect or foster happiness.
Yuwel: ...And having saved the kingdom, the brave champion set forth on a new adventure. But that is a story for another time.
Boy: Heroes are so awesome! Guess what I'm gonna be when I grow up?
Yuwel: Not if you don't study more.
Boy: Whaaat?!
Yuwel: Well, the champion wielded magic, didn't he? And you can't hope to use magic if you don't attend to your studies.
Boy: Aww... No faaair!
Yuwel: Oh, isn't it? ...Now, that's enough excitement for one day. You'll have to come back if you'd like to hear more. And be careful on your way home.
Girl: Okaaay... I can't wait until next time! Bye, Yuwel!
Light: I never knew you were such a gifted storyteller.
Yuwel: It isn't me. It's this book. My mother gave it to me when I was young.
Yuwel: I was a sickly child. When I couldn't go outside, these tales and pictures kept me company.
Light: They're about a champion, right? I know he and I aren't the same person but I almost feel... self-conscious.
Yuwel: Really? I see you reflected in every page of this book, Sir Light.
Yuwel: ...The children need something to hope for. Even if that something is a distant dream.
Light: All great deeds begin with a dream. May I return for your next reading?
Yuwel: I'd be delighted.
Yuwel: Ah right... Alk asked me to pick up a few things for supper.
Yuwel: Excuse me. I'd like a few of those pump... kins...
Yuwel: Will?
Will: Yuwel! What are you doing here?
Yuwel: Well... I'm buying supper. So... you have your own shop now.
Will: Oh. Yes. There's, er... no place for me back home at the moment, so thought I'd settle here for bit and earn a spot of money.
Will: And I don't hate being a merchant! Not at all. It's a good feeling, knowing you're helping honest folks feed their friends and family. Think this was my calling, actually.
Will: ...Not that I regret taking up the sword. Oh, me and my big mouth. Now I've gone and made you feel bad.
Yuwel: No. Don't be sorry.
Yuwel: Now, I'd like couple of pumpkins, a pound of chickpeas, and handful of those herbs.
Will: These ones over here? They're mighty pungent.
Yuwel: We have a capable chef, Will. He'll be the one cooking, not me.
Will: Oh. Well, that's a relief.
Yuwel: So, how much do I owe you?
Will: It all comes out to thirty-two gold, sir.
Yuwel: That's too much.
Will: It's market price.
Yuwel: Then market price is too much. Give me a discount, won't you? For old time's sake.
Will: Oh, fine. I'll lower it to thirty, but no less.
Yuwel: Come now. You can make it twenty for a friend, can't you?
Will: Aw, you wouldn't turn your "friend" into a beggar, would you? Twenty-eight, and that's my last word on the matter.
Yuwel: Very well. Twenty-eight it is then.
Will: Yuwel!
Will: There's going to be a gathering soon. A whole lot of us from the Swallow Knights. Won't you come and let everyone know how you're doing?
Yuwel: Of course, Will. I'll be there!