Chapter Fifty-Seven


    Elayne snorted,


    “Really, Stroud? Sinkin’ to that level? That war has been over for a long time ya know?”


    Stroud winced,


    “You should really keep that mouth shut, lowborn. Your bumpkin, lowborn accent offends my ears.”


    Ambrose leashed the sudden heat that suffused his chest, reigning it in. Elayne had to defend herself, getting involved would not help her.


    She shrugged,


    “Ya came to talk to me, kin fucker. I suggest ya leave me alone if ya don’t want to hear my dulcet tones.”


    Some people, when angry, got loud. Their body tightened, their face became an angry scowl and they let you hear their anger. Maybe they attempted to break something, or do you harm. Perhaps they devolved into insults or incoherent screaming.


    Some had more control than that, like Ambrose, and showed you nothing of their emotions unless they wanted you to see it. Inwardly, Ambrose wanted to test out his new portal abilities and use this elf as an experiment. Noelle was glaring, ears almost flat on her skull, and if it weren’t for Ambrose sending her mental waves of calm, she’d be growling.


    Stroud was neither of those people. He was the kind who just went blank. His whole face went neutral, his eyes becoming chips of ice. He swept that icy gaze over Ambrose and Noelle.


    He sniffed once,


    “I hope you keep an eye on each other in the forest. Advancement Trials can be…dangerous.”


    He turned and walked away. Ambrose almost used [Retributions Gaze] on him but chose not to. He had a nagging feeling he’d get his chance, and he didn’t want to chance that the elf would be alerted. Best to wait.


    “What was that about? There was some slurs there that suggest…history.”


    Elayne nodded, her body slumping slightly as she leaned on her staff.


    “It’s an old score between the high elves and us regular-” she put finger quotes around the next words,


    “Lowborn elves.”


    “I couldn’t see much of a difference other than he’s male.”


    She smiled slightly,


    “That’s the trick, there is no difference. Biologically we are the same race. It’s a class thing.”


    “Ah, I see. A certain group saw themselves as being elitist, oppressed yours and then your group rebelled?”


    Elayne waggled her hand, If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    “It’s not that simple. We oppressed them, actually.”


    Ambrose blinked.


    “I guess I shouldn’t have assumed.”


    She laughed,


    “I see why ya did. Short version is that his ‘group’ as ya put it rebelled against mine, and rightfully so, but they didn’t stop there. The oppressed became the oppressors. It spawned a big ol’ war, we almost went extinct. Now we have the Emerald Conclave Concord, or the ECC. But there’s still a lot of bad blood as ya can plainly see.”


    She turned away from Ambrose as the steward began to say something new.


    “Each team will enter at the same time, and be teleported to different areas of the forest. The trial begins in one hour, good luck participants!”


    Ambrose was still chewing over the interaction with Stroud. He was going to be a problem, he was certain of it. That kind of grudge bred a burning hatred that urged action. He knew it well, and so too, did Elayne.


    “We’ll see him again,” Ambrose said.


    Elayne ground her staff into the ground, blowing a strand of her out of her face with a puff of breath.


    “Yeah, we will. I’m sorry. Ya don’t deserve to be pulled into my problems.”


    Ambrose waved a hand,


    “We’re a team.”


    Noelle nodded firmly, face firm, and determined.


    “You’ve participated in this trial before? Stroud seemed to imply that you have.”


    Her ears went pink again,


    “Yeah, I have. Sometimes they do different things, but last year was the same trial.”


    Ambrose stroked his beard,


    “Since you have the most experience, what do you suggest our plan of attack be?”


    Elayne studied him,


    “Ya know I failed last year, right? Yer really askin’ me?”


    Ambrose nodded,


    “I am.”


    Elayne stood a little straighter then, and she considered for a moment, lowering her head. Moments later, she spoke,


    “Well then, if things go like last year, then the first thing we should do is establish a base.”


    “Why?”


    “Because people are gonna fight by just stumblin’ into one another, and its chaotic. Random chance is not a good way to win this. If we establish a good area, we can scout from there, and plan our attacks. In the meantime, people will whittle each-other down.”


    Ambrose pursed his lips, and shook his head once.


    “Establishing a base isn’t a horrible idea, I’ll give you that, but you’re wrong.”


    Elayne looked offended for a moment, but Ambrose held up a hand to stop her.


    “I’m not trying to be insulting. I understand why you have that thought, but there’s something you’ve missed. In order for us to achieve top three, we need to get as many flags, kill as many people and as many monsters as we can. Sitting back while people kill each other off and waiting for them to come to us isn’t going to accomplish that. We have to be aggressive, we have to go after them, there is no other option if we want to win. This is as much a race as it is a trial.”


    Elayne digested that for a moment, clearly unhappy that her plan wasn’t good enough. Her face looked like a lemon for a moment, but she finally sighed and nodded.


    “Yer right. I’m not good at this.”


    “If you just wanted to pass the trial, it’s not a bad plan at all. It doesn’t make you bad at this, it just doesn’t fit with our goal is all.”


    Elayne squirmed, her hand tightening on her staff.


    “I don’t feel good about killing folks.”


    “I understand, but you’re going to need to come to terms with it,” he pointed in the direction Stroud went,


    “That guy is going to try to kill you. He has a burning hatred in his heart anyone can see. Others will to. I admit, I don’t know much about Midgard, but I do know the System and what it did to my world. The weak will not go far unless sheltered by the strong. You can either be weak, or be strong. I’m not saying become an unfeeling psychopath, but you have to be willing to kill.”


    Elayne looked uncertain as she pursed her lips. She said nothing in response.


    “Everyone! It is time to enter the forest! Merely line up and touch the orb and you’ll be teleported to a random location in the forest.”


    The crowd quickly oriented itself into a line, with each person touching a silver, glowing orb and vanishing.


    He, Noelle and Elayne waited in line until it was there turn. As one, they touched the orb and there was a flash of silver light that faded away. It was replaced by the familiar sight of the forest outside of the town.


    “Why do I always end up fighting in a forest?” Ambrose muttered to himself.


    First Avalon, now Midgard. It was beginning to become a pattern.


    Tree’s swayed, and with it came a subtle signal.


    The trial had begun.