Yuliko

"'Wait... You think... there really is a place... for people like me?' ~ Yuliko asking Ezra when he told her she shouldn't disregard herself."Yureego Dalvidee, also known as Yuliko was an Elven mercenary from Spears of the Shore and former soldier of New Unity of Kadarys' Second Children. She had a deep hatred for all things magical and elven due to past personal trauma. After committing treason in the army, Yuliko escaped her home country and sought asylum in Elpia where she was sheltered by an elderly human couple before departing again north to sell her gun in order to support her now adoptive parents, later joining forces with Grey Ghost and Ezra Hume.

Appearance
Yuliko was an averagely build woman with messy short dark purple hair, swarthy skin and large black eyes. Unlike most members of the Elven race, Yuliko could be considered average-looking at best, mainly due to personal neglect. She frequently wore a tense frown on her face. Later on, she started putting more care into keeping herself neat, growing her hair longer, and started looking rather beautiful.

Her usual attire consisted of a deep blue tunic with dark brown shirt underneath, leather pants and knee-high boots. She also had a worn-out steel breastplate armour, with belts and buckles around her torso for ammunition.

Later on, she replaced her mercenary uniform for one of a low-ranked Elpian military official - a rank she had gained alongside Ezra when they assisted the Elpian government with their internal affairs.

Yuliko was always seen carrying some sort of a weapon, alongside an arsenal of home-brewed military tools. She had a large self-made rifle, made out of a special metal relic from the old ages, with a large spike-like bayonet on the tip.

Personality
Yuliko was often cautious and serious, quick to express her anger and prone to paranoia. She has seen experiencing minor schizophrenic episodes due to deep traumas from her past (their exact origin never been openly explained). She considered her life worthless with void of meaning, yet was too afraid to end it herself. Yuliko was often heard of calling herself a "tool" or a "weapon to be used". Due to fear of being hurt, she opted to shielding herself from people, preferring to judge them from first glance rather than engage with them. That made her look anti-social or the very least introverted. However, when she managed to find a common trait in a person or when someone managed to break through her defences with kindness and understanding, she was quick to trust them and was even willing to give her life for their sake.

After discovering the fate of her adoptive parents, she experienced a major shock. With the help of Ezra, she managed to overcome it and gradually started becoming a better, more emotionally-balanced person.

Powers and Abilities
Yuliko is an experienced, seasoned mercenary that specialized in firearms and contraptions. She was also an apt swordsman and a demolition expert.

Self-taught
Yuliko used to be part of the New Unity of Kadarys' army, but didn't caught on to magic, so she had to educate herself on how to fight using firearms and explosives.

Weapons expert
She knew how to use most weapons one could find on the battlefield.

Gunslinger
Yuliko was fanatical about firearms and knew all there was to be known about them. She was able to modify weapons and create blueprints of new designs. She was also able to produce her own ball ammunition.

Tactical mind
Yuliko was skilled at reading the environment and the movement of her enemies. She was able to warn her allies before potential hits were taken, as well as make diversion attacks. During the siege in Burningland, she was quick to formulate a defence plan.

Before the events of the story
Yureego Dalvidee was born into the family of a now-decaying noble family in Salvin, New Unity. She was the only child of the Dalvidees and was to be heir, despite being female. Her mother was quick to abandon her at a very young age, divorcing her husband and eventually remarrying somewhere deep south in the New Unity. Her father was a former soldier and alcoholic that disassociated himself with his family's noble duties, eventually ending up dead in a low-profile tavern in home town.

Due to that, Yuliko was raised in the old Dalvidee household by her grandfather Almeero Dalvidee. He was a former politician, now in pension, and he raised Yuliko as he did his son. He was stern and authoritative, treating her as a man and a soldier. Due to not having other grandchildren, he entrusted his vision of the future into her, planning to make her a general in the New Unity of Kadarys' Second Children's army.

Yuliko proved to be a sturdy and athletic person, but lacked the most essential quality an Elf must have - magical prowess. She was barely able to maintain spells of the most basic form, taking thrice as long to understand them than normal. That made Almeero despise his grandchild, her not fitting in his ideal for the perfect soldier and leader. Despite everything, he enforced her in the army at the still young age of 21, where she spend about 2 years as border patrol on the Elpian border.

One sunny day, on July 1205, her squadron intercepted some Elpian forces on the border. The slaughter that ensued managed to instil nightmares into Yuliko till her last days. She felt helpless during the battle of swords and sorceries between the two powers, crawling up in a burrow for cover. In that burrow, she witnessed the duel between her commanding officer and what seemed to be an Imperial mercenary or military observer that wielded a rifle. The duel was short and brutal, ending with the decapitation of the Imperial soldier. Her commanding officer noticed her hiding and proclaimed her a traitor and deserter, deserving of capital punishment. Afraid and cornered, Yuliko took the rifle of the fallen man and, without much knowledge of the inner working of the complex weapon, took a shot at the Elven officer, killing him outright. It was at that moment that Yuliko decided to abandon everything and frantically run for the Elpian territories.

She was on the streets for six months, travelling from city to city, until she reached Andria. She was found collapsed on the street near the household of a childless couple of tailors and shoe-makers, getting taken into by them. Yuliko lived with the couple - Streno and Marta of Andria - for more than a decade. She managed to issue herself an Elpian citizenship, renaming herself Yuliko of Andria. It was during the summer of 1220 that she decided to go earn money for her now elderly family. She tried blacksmithing, but the pay was no good for the needs of the old adoptive parents. So she once again took the rifle, same one she took that fateful day and had been training to use for half a decade now - and headed for the New Millennium Empire to offer herself as mercenary. After changing a few companies, she found herself with the Spears of the Shore where she met Grey Ghost and eventually departed on her quest of a lifetime.

Death
Yuliko met her end when in a siege in Burningland island while standing off against advancing forces of the Temple of Seiraba  she was  directly targeted by a  powerful  anti-materiel spell from a mobile channeling rod, which disintegrated her instantly. Her ashes were discovered by Jorga Tarx.

Relationships with other characters
Yuliko rarely allowed people near her, but for the few she did, she was willing to sacrifice everything.

Ezra Hume
Yuliko was quickly drawn to Ezra's good nature and felt secure in his presence. His honourable attitude and desire for a better future made her willing to follow him when he and Grey Ghost split off. She gradually began getting closer to him during the course of their travels in Elpia and developed feelings toward him that she couldn't really process. Yuliko discovered within herself the desire to stand by his side and help him achieve his goals, whatever they might end up being. When the word for his abduction and later disappearance reached her ears, Yuliko was quick on the action to try and find him.

Grey Ghost
At first, she was wary, even afraid, of Grey Ghost, mostly because she found him dubious and couldn't deduce whether he planned to hurt her or not. However, she eventually grew fond of him and saw a lot of herself in him. In retrospect, she deeply regretted turning against him when he and Ezra were hostile against one another. When they reunited, she saw him as a precious ally and even a friend, and hoped he'd be able to forgive her.

Marcus of Andria
Marcus was one of the first people Yuliko managed to deeply connect with. She saw him as kindred sprit and his easy-going and simple attitude made her feel safe. Yuliko trusted him so much as to let him use her rifle - an item she was very protective of. She griefed deeply after his untimely demise in the outskirts of Tanavet, taking his rifle as a symbol of carrying on his will.

Kaus Teilantirv
Yuliko was often at odds with Kaus, him being both a magic-user and an elf. She was frequent to doubt his decisions and question his ideas, to the point of him pretending she didn't exist. Later on, she felt more positive toward him, willing to trust him and follow his lead.

Jorga Tarx
She felt positive toward Jorga from the very beginning, seeing how he was honest and good hearted. His rather introverted demeanour was something she could understand and respect. However, it was after the unfortunate death of his family that Yuliko grew truly fond of him. She saw a reflection of her past self within him and felt a deep desire to help him find revenge, as well as protect him with his life. She considered accompanying him and Vellyt on their answers-seeking journey, but decided to continue travelling with Ezra and Grey Ghost, feeling attached to them. Later on, her desire to protect him grew even deeper, turning into a sisterly affection. She was quick to throw everything behind and go rescue him, to the cost of her life.

Vellyt
Yuliko had a casual relation with Vellyt, somewhat enjoying her company and respecting her willingness to forgo magic for a more direct confrontation. While she travelled with her around Maeror, she eventually formed a strong bond of camaraderie with the Imperial priestess.

Zaree Mastemei
During their first encountered, Yuliko grew to hate Zaree due to her seemingly smug nature and aura of self-importance. She kept a deep grudge toward her for stealing her ammunition and throwing it in the river before while she was sleeping, swearing to kill her. Later, she found it in herself to forgive her, asking for a financial compensation for the lost bullets. After that, Yuliko admired the determination and self-sacrificial attitude displayed by Zaree, but was also annoyed at her seeming buffoonish nature.

Taimez Vetaa
Yuliko never liked Taimez, considering her an enemy and a threat to the Millennial Empire and Elpia. Even when she found herself being in an alliance with her, she never got to share her views nor was willing to follow her lead.

Seimora Kei
She didn't have time to know Seimora very well, but she considered him a kindred spirit, perhaps even the person with the closest mentality and world-view as her. That made her quickly grow fond of him, willing to have multiple casual conversations on different topics with him, finding herself mostly agreeing with him.

Adaleth Makela
Yuliko was suspicious of Adaleth due to her magical nature and the fact she could barely contain it. However, she was interested in her explanation of Verde and what she had found there, being the only person that believed her story.