《Red》


 Chapter 1 Beginnings

    Chapter 1 Beginnings


    The candle swayed slightly, animated by the light breeze coming through an open window. Its wavering orange light alone was fighting against the darkness of the night. A bed, a table and a chair¡­.all that was seen in the shadowy room. A drunken shout from the streets below could be heard. The two green eyes, reflecting an orange hue, didn¡¯t mind as they engrossed themselves in the pages before them. It was apparent that little could disturb the young girl sitting in her bed, for what could wake an absorbed reader? Another hour passed before the girl shut the book and went to sleep. Another light source vanished when the candle died, and the shadows went their way.


    Eleonora woke up with a start, still caught in her tormentors grasp. ¡°Breathe¡± a soft voice could be heard. It was the girl herself and soon she found herself inside her bed, in her room, the book on magic formations still lying next to her. The candle on the table was no more, only a lump of cold wax. ¡°Another one...¡± murmured the girl before she slummed down into her bed again, covering herself with her blanket. The morning was cold and mist lay over the city, the sun would soon make its appearance.


    Another couple minutes passed until the girl¡¯s eyes opened up again. She stared at the ceiling and sighed as she got up from her creaking bed and gathered the clothes laying around the floor in an organized chaos. Simple brown trousers and a white shirt marked with some dirt. Used boots and a satchel finalized her appearance. If it wasn¡¯t for her eyes and raven black hair none would look at her twice.


    She closed the window and looked at herself in the rather faint reflection. A sad smile made its way onto her face before it vanished as the turned around. She put the book on magic into her shelf with all the others. ¡®Rather good one this time¡¯ she thought as she lightly brushed its cover with her fingers before leaving the room. The corridor was dark and cold. ¡®Again¡¯ she thought as she smelled the alcohol in the air and wished she could just go back to bed. Eleonora didn¡¯t open the door from which the smell originated but went straight, down the wooden stairs.


    She breathed in deeply as the smell of hundreds of different herbs filled her vicinity and she smiled. ¡°Good morning to you too...¡± she whispered as she walked up to the door. A staff was leaned next to it. Wooden but well made, some cuts and bruises marked its extensive use. Eleonora grabbed the staff and went outside. The air was fresh for an autumn day. ¡°Good morning Dunewatch, you stink as shit as always...¡± the girl said as the stepped onto the street, paved with stone. ¡°Talking to yourself eh?¡± the voice nearly made Eleonora jump as she whirled her staff towards its origin. ¡°Easy easy, just making a joke young warrior¡± said the man smiling man sitting on the street next to her. ¡®Homeless¡¯ she thought.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Well maybe it¡¯s just you who stinks my unfortunate friend.¡± she remarked as she tossed a bronce coin in his direction and walked away. She could hear him laughing as a faint ¡°Cheers.¡± reached her ears. She couldn¡¯t help but smile as her step lightened a little. She made her way to the northern gate of the city, not far from where her mothers shop was. Not by accident, for the forest lay north.


    She stopped by a small bakery and got two small buns. The baker greeted her enthusiastically, like every morning. He laughed as she only nodded back leaving with the bread. Slowly life started to fill the streets as she got closer to the gate. The cathedral marked the hour with five rings of the bell. ¡®The stink is already rising¡¯ she thought as she reached the gate. ¡°Fuck off ya shithead!¡± shouted by a woman throwing out a half naked young man. He bowed to the onlookers and then made his way down the street as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Some people chuckled but most simply ignored it.


    ¡®And the noise...¡¯ Eleonora had to wave to the guard in front of her who was smiling at the scene behind her. ¡°What is it girl?¡± he scratched his face and yawned as he inspected Eleonora. Too much apparently as another guard unseen a second ago lightly punched him on the head. ¡°You live dangerously Gundar.¡± he remarked as he nodded to Eleonora. ¡°Morning Elly, out for herbs?¡± she nodded as she twirled her staff around, completely aware of how little she could¡¯ve done to shut up the guard, Gundar apparently. There was a reason they were part of the guard, protecting the gate even.


    ¡°Morning Mike, yes. Will be gone most of the day. Any interesting news?¡± she talked to him as Gundar approached a group of heavily armed people. Mike looked at them briefly but turned his attention back to her ¡°Let me open up the gate for you then.¡± He motioned for her to follow as he signaled a guard on top of the nearly ten meter high wall. ¡°Not much really, the king is still gone and the empire is still standing. I guess a dragon will come soon to doom us all.¡± she chuckled at that and nodded ¡°Yes, well perhaps our beloved king is bringing the fight to them as he roams the north.¡± He smiled and patted her back as the gate slowly opened upwards ¡°Be careful out there Elly, I know you can handle yourself but don¡¯t be overconfident.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Mike. I¡¯ll watch out for dragons, shape shifters and trolls.¡± she walked away as he saluted her with an exaggerated gesture and an overly serious face. ¡°Bring us glory Eleonora Vera!¡± She smiled again as she continued on northwards. She liked Mike for his humor, especially because the guard normally was all about being serious business. Not without reason of course and it wouldn¡¯t be without consequence if any higher ups saw him saluting the daughter of a herbalist.


    When she first asked to leave the city walls to gather herbs and lay traps most of the guards just laughed at the then 10 year old girl with an oversized staff. He was the only one taking her seriously and asked her to show him she was ready to leave on her own. It took two years until he finally felt she could defend herself to an acceptable degree. But he was always there, ready to mock battle the little girl with her staff. After a couple months he took on more of a teaching role rather than it simply being an amusing start to his day.


    She was still only a twelve year old girl and without being awakened would not be able to bring too much to a fight but he was confident she could at least scare off a young wolf or hurt a mans leg or groin enough to run away. At least as close to the city as she was allowed to go at that time she would be safe.

 Chapter 2 Excursion

    Chapter 2


    Eleonora was in a good mood as she crossed the bridge overseeing the Thain, the river that truly marked the beginning of the north, and thought about some of the more enjoyable memories of her past. After crossing the river she started to run, while moving around her staff in complicated patterns around her trained body. She continued on for an hour before pausing and trailing off road towards some traps she had laid out three days prior. The wood was filled with the sound of nature as birds called in the new day with their calls. It was orange and brown all around as autumn claimed the forest.


    ¡°Only two...¡± Elly removed the two rabbits from her traps and redid them. Seven snares in total. It would be enough food for a while though so she wasn¡¯t too worried. She just couldn¡¯t sell more to buy better tasting meals. She walked towards the road and sat on a small tree trunk. The rabbits were expertly skinned and gutted. She stored them inside her satchel covered in some cloth and licked the blood off the knife before storing it on her leather belt and continuing down the road.


    The sun was slowly rising over the horizon and illuminated the forest and the running girl with her staff swinging about in unpredictable patterns. After another hour of running the girl sat down next to the road and breathed heavily as she drank from the water skin in her satchel. She suddenly got up and hid behind the nearest tree while staring down the road. There was likely no danger but precaution was one of the best allies in the wild...and not wild. Precaution and a lack of overconfidence were hammered into the girl by Mike for years now and it has saved her life at least three times so far.


    Talking voices slowly made their way closer to where she was hiding before she could make out a band of armed travelers talking to a peddler sitting on his wagon. It was highly unlikely that they were up to anything nasty with their joyous behavior but she needed to make sure. As they closed in she could see the dull golden tags around their necks and let out a breath she didn¡¯t realize she was holding. It would take years to get a golden tag at the guild and they would be banned immediately if they attacked a random girl on the road and someone found out.


    Of course they likely wouldn¡¯t be found out but the risk was none the less too high. At least for what she was carrying. And there was a woman in their band so she assumed what she was carrying on her bones wasn¡¯t in much danger of being taken either. Not that there was much on the 17 year old girl to begin with, although Eleonora did notice more stares in the city as the years went on. Another reason why she liked leaving that stinking pile of stone as often as she did.


    An arrow was drawn but not aimed at her as she left the trees with a non threatening attitude. One man in the group immediately scanned the surroundings and another run into the woods in a speed Elly could barely follow. She heard a ¡°Clear!¡± a couple seconds later as the arrow was put back into its quiver. One of them, presumably their leader approached the girl with a greeting ¡°Good morning, now tell me. What is a young girl like you doing alone in the woods?¡± They were still on edge as she could feel but less so than they were a moment ago.


    ¡°On my way to a lake north west of here to gather herbs. My mother is a herbalist in Dunewatch. And who might you be adventurers?¡± The woman in the group covered her face with her hand ¡°Why fucking adventurers, it sounds so stupid...¡± she murmured as the group visibly relaxed upon the answer from the girl before them. ¡°Forgive the threatening behavior, there are rumors of a shape shifter going around in these parts. Name¡¯s Jaime, these are Patricia, Keith and Aron.¡± Jaime said as he pointed respectively to the woman dressed in a light blue robe covered with intricate symbols, the man next to him shouldering his bow and the man coming back out of the woods with two daggers on his belt.


    The two men nodded to her while Patricia simply seemed to ignore her. ¡°We¡¯re the Limping Horses, golden seal from Onarith.¡± Jaime continued as he approached her and shook her hand. ¡®The capital¡­.and what about that name.¡¯ Elly thought as she shook his hand and smiled about the name. ¡°He thinks it makes people underestimate us...gives us an edge.¡± Keith said and continued ¡°Sounds stupid but can¡¯t lie about it working. That¡¯s why he¡¯s the boss.¡± Aron just grunted at that.


    Patricia seemed impatient as she continued further down the road, walking right by Eleonora. ¡°Can we move on, it¡¯s a long way still to the border...¡± Jaime had an apologetic expression on his face as he turned back to look at Elly ¡°You must excuse her, we¡¯ve been traveling for weeks already and can¡¯t stop at Dunewatch. She misses her bed.¡± ¡®I can sympathize...¡¯ Elly thought as she looked towards the woman with a sad expression. ¡°Herbs.¡± said Aron as he seemed to absentmindedly look into the woods. ¡°Oh yes, young lady you mentioned you were the daughter of an herbalist?¡± Jaime went towards the peddler and searched through the bags on the wagon. ¡°As I said we can¡¯t stop and if my friend here sells everything alone I can¡¯t trust him to play fair...¡± he winked towards the old man sitting on the wagon who only smiled in return. ¡°If you have money we can sell. Would help each of us save some time and get what we need. What do you say?¡±


    Elly hid her smile immediately ¡®Perfect, let¡¯s see what they have. Maybe I can spend some of that gathering time reading in bed¡­.¡¯ she walked towards Jaime to look at what they had ¡°That is agreeable...¡± They bartered about the herbs for a couple minutes before she filled half her satchel with various plants. ¡®Not too bad..¡¯ she thought, as she carefully stored the only plant she didn¡¯t know out of the batch. A red lotus, or so it seemed. ¡®I¡¯ll find out what it does later on but I guess I won¡¯t have to gather for as long as normal today.¡¯ Elly was overjoyed as most of the plants and herbs were usable by her in the shop ¡®Or my mother, if she lays off the booze for once...¡¯


    She parted with two silver coins and three bronze coins. Not much considering the amount of herbs she got and the time she saved. She could make different mixtures, creams and medicinal drinks with those herbs getting at least five times the worth back when selling them. ¡°Take care then young girl. Didn¡¯t catch your name by the way...¡± Jaime said ¡°Eleonora, pleased to make your acquaintance oh brave adventurer¡± she answered with a smirk and walked further north humming a happy tune while waving at the departing group. ¡°Same to you lady of the herbs¡± Jaime said and gave an exaggerated bow before catching up to Patricia. The others waved and went on their way.


    The lake was only another couple hundred meters further into the woods and Eleonora reached it after walking or rather skipping happily towards her target. There was a serene silence next to the lake and she grinned happily as she saw all of the different herbs growing around it. The smell alone was calming and nearly intoxicating. Her black hair glowed in the sun, fractured by the leaves above and her eyes seemed to glow green as she looked at the scene before her. The moment was only broken when a low growl alarmed her.


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    She immediately readied her staff and crouched low while focusing on her surroundings. ¡®Focus, sound, movement, breathing, surroundings¡¯ She slowly backed up towards two trees close to each other, her back covered she waited. Holding her staff at the ready in a defensive stance. Another growl, ¡®Direwolf, young¡¯ she thought and a moment later the wolf showed itself, barring its massive teeth, its snout still covered in the blood of the unfortunate creature that crossed its path before. ¡°Well then come out little doggies, I know you never hunt alone...¡± the girl said in a mocking tone as her body tensed, ready to strike at a moments notice. Her heartbeat slow and steady, her breathing controlled. The opposite of what it was the first time she came across one of them. She had barely made it back alive to the city even though it was a single wolf and a young one at that, probably lost or left by its pack.


    She knew now after dozens of encounters that the wolves wanted easy prey, nothing that would fight back. Why would they not? The forest was full of animals and all the people that had the guts to leave the city walls were likely strong enough to fight a bear, let alone a wolf. They weren¡¯t magical creatures after all, no monsters...simply animals. ¡°You kill to eat, not to kill...now come...¡± she whispered as two more wolves appeared from the underbrush. They were naturally cautious around a human for most humans they encountered were powerful beings, holders of mana. The girl before them did not possess such power though, a power they felt immediately and ran from in fear...a power they themselves never had.


    Of course the wolves were acting on instinct and instinct told them that the human before them was no threat, just a meal. Meat to feed their young. The wolf in the middle moved in, trying to bite at Elly. The staff was faster though, the girl ready. The wolf veered back as its snout was badly hurt by the powerful and fast blow delivered by its prey. The other two wolves flanked her as she moved around the trees in a swift motion, dodging the one to her left and swinging the staff in a practiced and powerful motion to the leg of her predator to the right. She could feel the pressure going up her arm as the staff shattered the wolves leg but she didn¡¯t stop. Her back again to the two trees, now on the other side she circled it, facing the wolf she dodged before.


    A wicked grin formed on the girls face as she carefully moved around her heavy wooden staff. ¡°My turn...¡± she said as she swiftly approached the wolf with controlled steps, observing her other two adversaries behind it still recovering. The staff moved and caught the wolf on its head. Blood started to soak its hide. Confused and afraid the wolf ran away, nearly losing its orientation because of the heavy blow. Eleonora noticed one of the wolves was limping away in the opposite direction while the presumed Alpha was facing her, locking eyes they waited. The wolf lowered its head and slowly backed away, following its insured mate. Elly stayed on edge and ready for another five minutes, scanning her surroundings before moving on with the gathering. ¡®This is just better than sparing in some weird way, even though I get my face smashed in by Jonathan and these wolves can barely touch me...¡¯


    She finished carefully gathering and storing everything she needed in under two hours. Normally she needed at least five, but the plants she bought from the Limping Horses was helping tremendously. ¡®Maybe I can visit old Jeffrey today and borrow some books¡­.its been months since I¡¯ve seen him last.¡¯ Jeffrey was an old friend of her mother and he still lived in the village her mother and grandmother lived in before she was born.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ve been standing around long enough...¡± she said as she started jogging again, trying to focus on the magical energy that supposedly filled all of existance ¡®Stupid mana...¡¯ she kept running but stopped focusing on some unseen power after another complete failure at grasping it.


    The village was called Honhill and was located a bit north of Dunewatch, north east to be precise so it wasn¡¯t exactly on her way back. With the additional time she had it seemed fine though. The way back was uneventful as the wind blew in her hair and the autumn forest smell filled her nose. The road was generally rather safe to travel by daylight because most animals kept clear of it and most magical beasts either didn¡¯t prowl the woods before nightfall or were too strewn about to be an issue, except if you were incredibly unlucky. Elly was at least confident on her escape though...from most creatures that is.


    She reached the village in only three more hours, the sun was already starting to set. The guard immediately saw her and asked her to stop as his hand went to the hilt of his sword. ¡°Who are you? State your name and purpose!¡± she quickly replied ¡°Eleonora Vera, here to see Jeffrey Sanders, he¡¯s an old friend.¡± The guard immediately softened up and greeted her, letting her pass. She had heard of it before but now it was apparent. The shape shifter was a real concern. Elly had read plenty about magical beasts, or more commonly just monsters. Shape shifters could change their appearance to beings they had killed and eaten before. Some speech was possible but they apparently were incapable of understanding and responding to questions. Or generally holding a conversation really.


    That explained the caution of the guard and the adventurers before. The shape shifter was not a common magical beast and was incredibly powerful and dangerous. A horror story to scare children, a true one nonetheless. The worst about it was that it only lived to kill. No trick or payment other than death could appease it...and its hunger was endless.


    Elly felt her stomach turn a little at the thought of a near beast like that but kept going, to find Jeffrey. He was at his house, smoking some weeds she had shown him previously that would cloud his mind. The pain in his back was getting to him at his old age. His mind seemed to still be rather sharp, at least four months ago when she saw him last.


    He immediately smiled as she approached but didn¡¯t make a move to get up. ¡°Elly my dear! Or are you the shape shifter everyone is droning on about? My eyes are getting bad so you have to excuse me if I mistook you for a monster!¡± Elly laughed and carefully hugged him on his chair, not to cause pain in his back. ¡°Still not dead you old fart?¡± she said while smiling and entering his house. ¡°Have you eaten yet oh wise old man?¡± he only grunted something akin to a no as he kept sitting there, smoking his weeds and looking at the falling sun. ¡®This smells horrible¡¯ Elly thought as she entered the house and opened every window, door and other opening she could find to exchange the air inside with the air outside. Then she started to cut up some of the herbs she found and prepared the rabbit and a fire. It didn¡¯t take long until old Jeffrey overcame his comatose state in favor of a wonderfully smelling meal.


    ¡°I love you girl, are you sure you¡¯re not ready to marry yet?¡± he opened a cupboard and got two mugs ¡°This old beautiful man is free you know?¡± he winked in her direction as he filled the mugs with a brown brew he stored inside a barrel. ¡°You sure you¡¯re up for the task old man?¡± she asked while rising one eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re a herbalist, I¡¯m sure you can find a way to help me...¡± they both started laughing as Elly served the stew she made in two bowls and Jeffrey put the mugs down on the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s been lonely...you know, since you and your mother left all those years ago¡­.and...your grand..¡± he was interrupted by her coughing ¡°Let¡¯s not start this again Jeffrey.¡± she took a deep swig from her mug ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you. Sorry I can¡¯t visit more often, it¡¯s been¡­.difficult.¡± He only looked at her with sad eyes and grunted ¡°Ye, can¡¯t be easy living with a banshee like that...if I had known Elly...¡± she stopped him again with a gesture ¡®This might actually be why I don¡¯t visit more often Jeffrey...¡¯ she thought as she started eating. ¡°So how¡¯s life going in the bustling city of Honhill?¡± she changed the subject and he accepted. ¡°Boring...my kind of life. After all I went through this is a perfect evening Eleonora.¡± she smiled and they continued eating for a while in silence.


    When they finished she put away the dishes after cleaning them. ¡°So how¡¯s the old hut doing?¡± he just nodded ¡°Same as always, if you wanna get stuff just take it, I know she wouldn¡¯t have cared.¡± she nodded ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be there for a while then. The bed still free?¡± he got a key from a drawer and handed it to her ¡°Ye, nobody been there since last you came. Have a good night Eleonora.¡± he kissed her on the forehead and went outside, back to his chair.


    She packed her things and left the house too. It was dark already, the stars out and the two moons shining above the Empire of Trinesfall. It was a clear night and the autumn wind was making her shudder under her thin clothes. She quickly said her goodbyes to Jeffrey and walked through the village. Nobody was in sight anymore except the two guards assigned by the city to watch over Honhill. A bit outside of the village was an old hut, where the girl slowly opened the door to find old memories...¡¯but more importantly...¡¯ she approached a specific part of the room and removed a rug. Below it was a trapdoor that led to what she assumed was her grandmothers secret dwelling.


    It was always a treat for Eleonora to go down there and read the old books her grandmother had left behind. Not much was left, but enough for the young Elly not to have read all of it already. She only discovered the secret door three years ago and she couldn¡¯t take many of the books with her. It would create questions¡­.questions that would lead to the room she was standing in. And if they found what other books were in there...death would be the least of her worries.

 Chapter 3 Shifter

    Chapter 3


    ¡°Hello again my dear friends...¡± she walked up to the shelves filled with books and checked if anything was disturbed. This and other little things were just another precaution she put in place so that she wouldn¡¯t be found. It was necessary she thought as she took out the most dangerous piece of literature she had ever held. It was a small book, not bound in leather but more an assortment of notes. Notes from her grandmother, or so she assumed. She has never met her and there was no name on the notes. There was a feeling though, a feeling saying she was right.


    ¡®Bloodmagic...¡¯ she didn¡¯t even dare saying the word out loud, lest a ghost or shadow hear her. The notes described rituals, spells and the basics of the school of magic. A school that was more than frowned upon by the Empire...and all other kingdoms she was aware of too. It was fascinating to her though, combined with her knowledge of plants, herbs, medicine and different magical formations she learned from Jonathan and books he provided she was sure it would someday be possible for her to learn it. ¡®Still no breakthrough though¡­.¡¯ she thought as she put back the notes. The notes she read so often now that she could write them on paper from her mind without thinking twice. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to destroy them though...they held some connection, some memory to her family that she wouldn¡¯t want to lose, even with all that has happened¡­


    There were only five books remaining in the room that she hadn¡¯t yet read. Two of them were on history and the other three simply stories of heroes fighting evil. She left those three for the end on purpose for they held the least interest to her. ¡®Let¡¯s start then...¡¯ she thought as she took the history book she started already with her upstairs and went into the bed she first freshened up to read. The smiling girl read for a couple hours before sleep caught her exhausted body.


    Eleonora shot up from the bed, covered in sweat breathing heavily. ¡°Let the past be the past.¡± she whispered and calmed her breathing. She was about to go back to sleep before she heard people talking outside. She got up and sneaked to an open window. ¡°Please help me mister...¡± a womans voice was heard, quivering and afraid. Elly raised her head and looked outside. A woman covered by bloodied rags was standing near one of the guards. He run to the woman trying to talk to her when the second guard came out of their assigned quarters.


    ¡°Don¡¯t...¡± Elly whispered in shock. ¡°DON¡¯T!!!¡± the second guard yelled but it was too late. The woman suddenly grew hauntingly long nails and teeth and ripped apart the guard in front of her while laughing. Blood and pieces of the guard flew for meters and an eerie silence covered the night. Ellies eyes were fixed on the scene as a strange interest overcame her. She couldn¡¯t look away as the second guard unsheathed his sword as he slowly backed away saying a prayer to whatever god he worshiped. He seemed experienced but one guard was likely not enough to stop a shape shifter. He moved back to a more open space while shouting. ¡°WAKE UP!!!¡± he got into a defensive stance as the shape shifter ate what it could from the first guard it killed. ¡°WAKE UP AND FLEE!!!¡± the guard shouted and movement started in parts of the village.


    Elly and the guard both knew that once they fled there was only a small chance of them surviving. He was the defense against anything that would approach the village but once they left it everything that was prowling the forest would be their predator. They would need at least three hours to reach the city even if they ran. A guard was enough to easily dispatch everything living so close to the city, even magical beasts. A shape shifter was different though, they didn¡¯t stay in their territory, all they wanted was kill and eat. The only thing stopping them was a group of trained warriors and even then they often experienced losses.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°SPREAD INTO GROUPS AND RUN TO THE CITY, LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND AND DON¡¯T LOOK BACK!!! I WILL HOLD IT BACK AS LONG AS I CAN!!¡± the first people left their houses in a scramble, horrified by the prospect. They fled down the road after getting over the shock. Some simply stood there murmuring something to themselves. The shape shifter slowly stopped eating, its form of a woman now completely removed, two meters tall and twice as wide as a human. Terrifying teeth and claws were glinting in the moonlight. Its white skin shifted as it prepared to move.


    Three brave men with swords and a spear came to the guards help. ¡®Stupid, you will only hold him back...¡¯ Elli thought from her spot in the small yet undiscovered hut. The guard closed his eyes ¡°Mirana, goddess of light. Fill me with strength and courage...¡± he opened his eyes as power flared up, a glowing hue partially covering him ¡°to banish what lays in the dark¡­.¡± his eyes started to glow golden as he prepared for the shifters charge ¡°to protect¡­.¡± the shifter didn¡¯t wait for him to finish, neither was it important. His power was already there and he was ready.


    The shifter charged and the ground cracked where he jumped off. Blood filled the night as one of the men was instantly cut in two. The guard cut at the beast with incredible speed and power, the sword blurred to Eleonora¡¯s eyes and the sound of it scratching against the skin of the monster made her cover her ears. The shifter hissed as it backed up and looked at the guard. A burning line appeared on its skin where the sword had touched it. ¡®Not enough...¡¯ thought Elly and so did the guard.


    One of the men screamed as his pants filled with warm liquid and he ran. The guard couldn¡¯t even shout before the beast was upon him, tearing his head off. Only two were remaining now. ¡°The night is dark...¡± started the man ¡°...yet here we stand.¡± finished the guard. And so they stood and the monster charged. It focused on the guard. As its claw ringed against his sword the remaining man stabbed his spear into its side. A swipe of its other claw destroyed both the spear and the mans torso. He went down without another sound. The guard was superior in technique, dodging the beast and striking in retaliation but his sword couldn¡¯t cut deep enough. After another three hits the guard finally managed to cut deep, one leg of the beast nearly coming off. His sword was stuck though and he barely dodged as he let go of it to not be mauled by the beasts claws.


    The beast hissed and removed the sword. It threw it away with its massive strength, the landing was neither seen nor heard by anyone present. The guard got to one of the swords on the ground in time to strike at the charging shifter, shattering it in the process. He blocked one of the beasts clawed hands with his arm, cutting deep but not through. ¡°AAAAAAHHHHH!!!¡± he shouted as he plunged a dagger he had on his belt into the beasts face. It couldn¡¯t pierce its skin. The beast closed its clawed hand around the guards neck and lifted him up.


    A horrifying crunch resounded as it bit down on the mans head, killing him instantly. The silence returned and Elly watched on. Both scared and fascinated by the scene she just saw. Her legs were trembling and her heart was beating faster than it had in years. Her instincts took over as she moved a step back. In the silence of the night the beast turned to look at her. Their eyes met and Elly was overtaken with fear. She stumbled backwards as the beast charged towards the hut. She crawled on the ground behind the bed and tried to open the hatch to the secret cellar. It opened as the shifter reached the window and tore through the stone wall with its massive claws.


    Eleonora fell into the hatch as it closed behind her, landing painfully on her back. She moved backwards to the wall while quietly sobbing ¡°Please¡­.Please...Please...Please...¡± her back hurt tremendously and one of her ankles seemed to be broken but the adrenaline overshadowed the pain. A warm feeling spread around her groin as the smell of piss filled the room. All her experience and training so far with both Mike, Jonathan, surviving in the woods¡­.and her mother...changed the next seconds in a way that would lead to her survival.

 Chapter 4 Stories

    Chapter 4


    Eleonora calmed her breathing as much as she could and opened the satchel that was on the table next to where she sat on the ground. All the herbs that were there she took in and immediately ate one of them. She was bleeding on her leg, a cut. She rubbed one of the herbs on it, not to heal but for the effect to reach her bloodstream as fast as possible.


    Her sight started to clear and her mind became less overwhelmed with fear and adrenaline. Not by much, but enough to let her think. She ate another herb against the pain that would overwhelm her soon. ¡®Smell...I need to do something against the smell¡¯ she thought and started to tear herbs apart and throwing them over herself, her piss and her blood. It was green husk, one of the strongest smelling plants she knew. One the beast wouldn¡¯t know or wouldn¡¯t associate with flesh and blood. At least that¡¯s what she hoped. She knew little about shape shifters, at least not about hiding from one. She further slowed her breathing and heart beat down and quietly chew on some herbs. The effect of all of them would not be as high as when consumed with their respective best method. The smell in the room changed, the blood and other fluids didn¡¯t prevail anymore. The noise upstairs quieted down and after ten minutes of sitting there, silence settled in.


    Eleonora stayed in that position for two hours processing what she saw. After that she moved very slowly trying to make no noise at all. She cut up her shirt and bandaged her leg, then tried to make out what was wrong with her back. The herbs against the pain were making her a bit dizzy. The devil bloom she used to get her mind back on track long since lost its effects. She could make out two broken ribs and a generally bruised back but no blood. ¡®Hopefully nothing internal either¡¯ she thought as she sighed and quietly prepped anything comfortable looking under her back. Then she tried to sleep but it wouldn¡¯t come.


    After four more hours she moved a little to get a book from one of the shelves. One that she hadn¡¯t read before. One of the hero stories that she was neglecting so far. She liked them as a little girl but the real world was rather different she thought and many of those romantic thoughts were ripped out of her with pain and disappointment. ¡®Maybe this is exactly what I need right now¡¯ she thought as she opened up the book and started reading.


    It was a nice story, Asalbul, a great hero in a desert country and his fight against a great necromancer. In the end he defeated his adversary Kul Ahmyk and buried both himself and the enemy army underneath a prison of sand and stone. The book seemed foreign, likely a folklore story of a nation far away. ¡®Grandmother must have traveled far and wide to have this in her possession.¡¯ Elly didn¡¯t realize that she read through the whole book in six hours and the sun has already been out for hours. It wasn¡¯t a big book to be fair but she was completely engrossed in it.


    ¡°Maybe I should pick up stories like that again¡­.¡± she murmured as she examined herself. She knew that shifters could tolerate the sun but didn¡¯t like it. ¡®It¡¯s probably already left hours ago...maybe hunting the people from the village...¡¯ ¡°Jeffrey!¡± she yelped as she tried to get up hastily, immediately falling down again. She lay there in pain for a moment before slowly getting up. After examining her body again and checking the bandage on her leg she went up the ladder and listened for five minutes without making a single sound.


    The hatch opened with a creak. Two green eyes looked through a slit to check on any movement. It opened a little more to reveal raven black hair and a girl of around 17 years climbing out of a cellar. The house was nearly completely destroyed. There was a claw mark on the ground right next to the hatch. If she hadn¡¯t already left some blood on the ground when stumbling the beast would¡¯ve very likely found her. Only one of the three walls was still standing, the rest ripped out. It was apparent where the beast went. ¡®It must¡¯ve left minutes after I fell down...¡¯ she examined the tracks the beast left. It wasn¡¯t hard with clawed feet half a meter long.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Outside the air was filled with the smell of blood. Parts of the men who died the previous night were still laying around. Elly immediately went towards Jeffreys house. Inside she found what remained of him. ¡®He must¡¯ve stayed there and after the beast lost track of me¡­.¡¯ tears filled her eyes as emotions overwhelmed her logic. She left his house towards the back, grabbed a shovel and started her task for the day.


    The pain was horrible and in her battered state it took hours to dig the five shallow graves. Evening was approaching as she closed up the last of the graves and remembered the dead. The guard still fascinated her. ¡®If only I was stronger...¡¯ she knew she couldn¡¯t have done anything. Even if she were awakened and could use some sort of magic or power, it would take years to be able to fight a shifter. The guard looked at least forty and with awakened people it was nearly impossible to tell their age. But still it angered her, that she wasn¡¯t able to fight and protect someone she cared about.


    She heard the hoofs minutes before the men rode into the village. She was too tired and hurt, both physically and mentally to react in a cautious way. She simply stood there as they approached the village center. Two of them immediately looked at the bodies and started to analyze the tracks. One man spotted her and walked towards her after dismounting his horse.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± he asked casually. ¡°Shifter¡­.¡± she briefly answered, aware that it was likely a test to see if she was what they were looking for. His lack of caution frightened her. ¡®He¡¯s either very stupid or incredibly capable...¡¯ she thought ¡®...likely the latter...¡¯ she completed as she spotted the dark red glowing tag he wore around his neck. ¡®Two above gold...¡¯ City guards were normally around the gold level of a guild member.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± the man said as he gestured towards the graves. ¡°You¡¯re hurt, I will send someone.¡± he was about to leave when he heard the girl talk. ¡°The others? The ones fleeing into the woods...how many?¡± he briefly stopped and continued walking ¡°Eleven.¡± ¡®Eleven...¡¯ she didn¡¯t know how to feel ¡®There were at least thirty people fleeing...¡¯


    A woman of very thin stature quickly came and helped her move to a clean bed in the village. Eleonora slept after she was cared for by the woman, a healer presumably.


    She woke not having dreamed at all. ¡®Not a good sign...¡¯ she thought as she examined her body. Her leg was healed completely and her back felt much better. Bandages covered her whole torso. ¡®A healer, a good one at that.¡¯ she concluded. There were certainly some good healers but not as many as fighters by a large margin. For them to awaken their talents they would have to survive a dangerous situation and survive...them not being mainly fighters didn¡¯t help. That was the reason why many a man and woman would find themselves rather surprised after starting a fight with a supposed person of healing.


    There was water and some food next to her bed and she managed to eat some before a woman entered the house. She wore the mark of a Dunewatch guard and introduced herself as such ¡°Good day, Irina. Officer of the guard. Pleased to see another living soul from this cursed village.¡± she nodded towards Elly and sat down on a chair next to the bed. ¡°You must have questions so I¡¯ll start with the obvious ones. You¡¯ve been asleep for nearly a full day. Don¡¯t worry about the shifter, a group of very capable people is already on its trail. Eleven people survived from the village...twelve with you, let¡¯s hope your relatives are among them.¡± Elly nodded ¡°They are not. I already found him. And buried him.¡± Irina was quiet for a moment before she continued ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss. Truly. Our guards weren¡¯t enough apparently. I will dispatch all the manpower I can to increase security in close villages around Dunewatch. Did you see the guards stationed here?


    Elly told the story, leaving out some unnecessary bits and the secret cellar of course. Irina was quiet for a while. ¡°If only it was someone more experienced than Marvin. Maybe more would have survived. But what is past is past. William saved twelve people from dying and they gave their lives for the Empire. They will not be forgotten. You buried them?¡± Elly only nodded ¡°I¡¯m the only one left here, can you take me with you when you go back to the city? I want to sleep in my own bed.¡± Irina understood and after leaving for a while she came back to carry Elly herself to a wagon that would bring them back to the city. She was rather embarrassed at the scene but none of the other people there thought of ridiculing her. An atmosphere of sadness and respect for the dead was hanging over the village. The way back was a quiet one.


    Eleonora could finally truly relax when she saw the city of Dunewatch in the distance, its high walls promising safety. The second and third ring protecting nobility and royalty. Its west flank was half built on the mountain, the keep towering above all, half chiseled into the mountain rock itself. ¡®A beautiful and powerful city¡¯ she thought. Evening was already coming and the sun was setting over the gray houses of Dunewatch.


    After ensuring Irina that she was completely and utterly fine on her own Elly went home. Her mother wasn¡¯t home ¡®lucky¡¯ she thought as the went to her room and went to bed. The green eyes and black hair vanishing in the warmest blanket in the world, at least in Eleonora¡¯s opinion.

 Chapter 5 Mock battle

    Chapter 5 Mock battle


    The following night brought nightmares again and Elly woke early. ¡®At least I know these aren¡¯t real...¡¯ she thought as she got ready for the day. Irina gave her some money for helping the adventurers find the shifter. ¡®I didn¡¯t really help...she probably just felt bad for me.¡¯ she thought but still appreciated the money. A whole ten silver. This would be enough to feed her for a while. ¡®Good food too...¡¯ she thought, as a smile spread on her face.


    She didn¡¯t want to sort through her satchel right now so she put it into an empty closet on the ground floor and simply took another one of the many laying around. Her mother wasn¡¯t there and she was completely fine with that. Today she¡¯d meet with Jonathan. ¡®First though¡­.food.¡¯


    Eleonora left her house and breathed in the stinking air of Dunewatch. ¡°Ah how I¡¯ve missed you my beloved.¡± she said and expectantly looked to her right but found nobody responding with a sarcastic comment. She grunted a bit annoyed and started walking. The opposite direction than the day before, towards the city center.


    People in all colors and shapes were walking around, nearly all human though. So far North one barely found any other races than humans. Eleonora reached the market after half an hour of walking. She really wanted to run over the roofs but the prince had outlawed such behavior a couple months ago and the fines were no joke. Having a guard running after you without any magic of your own wasn¡¯t fun. ¡®Not fun at all...¡¯ thought Elly as she started to look through goods on the marked. Well food mostly and there were rather exotic goods being sold on that day.


    ¡®Dragonfruit...what a preposterous name to give to a fruit...¡¯ she thought as she bought one of them. ¡°They¡¯re from very far down south missy! Very exotic!¡± the man said. ¡®Sure, let¡¯s see how it tastes thought.¡¯ she only nodded as she removed her knife from the satchel she wore and continued on her inspection of the food stands. Hundreds were going around in the market. It started at a big central plaza and continued into several side streets that would lead to more plazas. Dunewatch was the central trading hub in the north east of the growing empire and many wanted a piece of the yet to be distributed metaphorical cake.


    Of course the city had been there for dozens of years already but establishing more territory farther north or east had been difficult. It would happen though, everyone was sure. So getting trade going in Dunewatch was a reliable investment into future earnings, at least that was what many of the merchants thought.


    Eleonora continued towards the south as she ate her dragon fruit ¡®It¡¯s good I think...¡¯ she watched some people from the south prepare a meal she didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°The free countries of Dormos present!!¡± the cook said as he finished the dish with some sort of oil that he ceremoniously poured over the huge pan he was using. The smell filled the onlookers with wonder as many immediately started to get their money out. Elly was way ahead of them as she stood before the cook with a couple bronze coins, her green eyes sparkling as she looked at the meal before her.


    ¡®This is amazing...¡¯ the smiling girl sitting on a bench overlooking a market square thought over and over as she continued shoveling the dish into her. Apparently it was something called rice. It was very spicy and even though Elly normally didn¡¯t like spicy food this one was different. She watched a small brawl below as a customer seemed to not have been in agreement with a merchant and the price of his wares.


    It ended when a guard jumped into their middle from a nearby rooftop and simply looked at them sternly. They then talked the issue out as he kept a watchful eye. ¡®Boooring¡¯ thought Elly as she finished the bowl and then jumped down to the square. She faintly felt something touching her belt ¡®That¡¯s more what I¡¯m talking about¡­.let¡¯s see how good you are.¡¯ she thought as she pretended to not notice. As soon as the sensation left she turned around and barely registered the small boy moving through the crowd with high speed.


    ¡®The race is on...and the winner gets my money¡¯ she started running and dodging expertly through the crowd. It seemed like a bad bet but the cards were actually quite against the young thief and Eleonora was confident in her victory. She chased the boy through the market district and into a middle class apartment one as they dodged and jumped around people, crates and animals. The laughing girl quickly caught up and soon had her staff on the cornered boy¡¯s shoulder. She simply patted him on his hand and he threw her the small bag. ¡°You need to get faster and use friends for distraction. Don¡¯t get caught again...you know what normally happens.¡± she left the boy to his thoughts as she checked the contents of the bag, lest he was better than he looked and took something out before he got caught. He wasn¡¯t though to her disappointment.


    ¡®I really shouldn¡¯t run with a full stomach¡­.¡¯ she thought as she looked around ¡®time to see Jonathan...¡¯ she turned into a side street and started walking. The cathedral told her it was already ten. She walked towards the second wall and looked at the people and shops around her. The city was alive as always. Music could already be heard from some street corners and children were running around playing guard.


    The guard at the gate to the second ring stopped her before she showed him the sigil she got from Jonathan all those years ago. The guard nodded and immediately let her through as others were stopped behind her. The noble district wasn¡¯t too different from anything outside the second wall. Bigger houses mostly and better dressed people but nothing else that Elly cared about too much. There were rumors around of course but where was that not the case? And where rich people were, there was extravagance and possibly some shady blood magic cult that sacrifices little children. ¡®I hope I find them someday, I need a teacher...¡¯ she thought as she went higher up towards the mountain top while looking at the last wall.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She was getting glances as she continued on, but soon reached the district she was looking for. A massive building as impressive as the cathedral itself grew before her as she got closer to the Whitefall Academy. Named after a great mage from the second demon war four hundred years ago it was the most impressive building in Dunewatch next to the palace and the cathedral. Although the palace was built more for practicality and defensibility rather than aesthetics, something Elly thought was a rather wise decision.


    She entered the property and was immediately stopped by some mages. ¡°A commoner huh? Or is that dress a new fashion statement?¡± said one guy as he tried to get a laugh from his companions. They did indeed laugh until a voice behind them could be heard. ¡°That¡¯s Eleonora Vera, although yes she is a filthy commoner...¡± she winked towards Elly ¡°she¡¯s the punchbag for our lovely Jonathan...and you know who he asks to spar if he has nobody to smash his fists in?¡± The group immediately stopped laughing and the guy who made the comment gulped ¡°Thank you for your sacrifice¡± he nodded towards Elly as he and his friends walked away whispering about what they heard about the crazy rock mage senior of theirs.


    ¡°Here to get punched again?¡± the girl walked up to her ¡°He¡¯s already training...as always. Usual place.¡± then she walked away towards the main building ¡°Have fuuuun...¡± Elly looked at her back and squinted her eyes ¡®Twat...¡¯ she thought as she weighed life long imprisoning, torture and ultimately execution to seeing that girls face smashed in with a staff...her staff. ¡®It might be worth it...¡¯ she thought but again she stopped herself. ¡°Too many books still to read, too much food still to eat...¡± she whispered her mantra that usually stopped her from throwing away her life. ¡®What is pride against the warmth of a blanket and a good book after all?¡¯ she asked herself as she continued towards the training grounds of the academy.


    Nobody else looked at her in a weird way. The freshmen rarely frequented the rather traditional training grounds, often thinking themselves above them. The professors did a good job at talking and punching that out of them. ¡®Most of them.¡¯ she thought as she nodded back at some students that recognized her. Growing up with privileges will do that to you, even if your parents did a good job raising you. Getting your ass handed to you by a guard or an upperclassman will sober up most. And if that doesn¡¯t help, a night in the wilderness won¡¯t just sober them up but throw them from their comfortable beds into an icy river.


    The space was used for all kinds of training. Some were fighting with swords, some doing hand to hand. Many were working on their spells. It wasn¡¯t a big space and although there were many students it was enough. Magic abilities couldn¡¯t be trained for a long time each day before mental and depending on the spells physical exhaustion set in. Some were more persistent but the pain was enough to discourage most from continuing. Jonathan was of the opinion that you only even start to improve once the pain sets in so those rules probably didn¡¯t apply to him. He was widely regarded as crazy though.


    She reached his space that he was always training in ¡°Mornin Jon...¡± she said as she removed her satchel and stored it on a nearby bench. Some people, especially freshmen were looking on in interest as that seemingly frail girl entered the space of Jonathan. ¡°Fucking finally. Training has been so boring yesterday. Time you showed yourself you mad cunt...¡± he said but a grin was plastered on his face as he changed his attention from the battered rock in front of him to her.


    Some of the students were murmuring and concern could be seen on some of their faces. Others just grinned. Most of the women around left, sighing and talking about domestic abuse. Eleonora stored her own staff next to the bench and grabbed one that Jonathan brought every time. She didn¡¯t want to break it after all. ¡®And if he pays for it...¡¯ she thought as she mirrored the grin he showed her ¡°Yes, awfully boring fighting some lowly direwolves...¡± she didn¡¯t mention the shifter as her 175cm and 75kg form faced the 210cm and 120kg man. Neither of them looked as heavy as they weighed. The rigorous training that they both undergo each day did that to them. Although Jonathan¡¯s form was rather intimidating to most and Elly knew that once his power was active he weighed closer to twice that weight and was even faster than normally.


    They tried fighting with his power active before and she nearly died when he punched her. An agreement was struck for him to not use it or only with the intention of not going at full power. They were always going full though so mostly he didn¡¯t use it. ¡°Oh how I envy you to be able to leave this god forsaken city...¡± he said as he got into a stance. ¡°For the powerful to be chained down...¡± she said as she readied her staff and got into a stance herself. He didn¡¯t use any weapons in general even though he did work on using a massive great sword from time to time. ¡°Why use a weapon when I can be the weapon?¡± he always asked. ¡°Unarmed and staff?¡± he asked and strengthened his skin with his power. A crunching could be heard as he got bigger and his skin showed some few cracks. Apparently the cracks would disappear once he completely controlled it. He was much further than many older rock mages though, mostly because of his persistence and early awakening. He apparently fought four rabid dogs when he was twelve years old. They didn¡¯t survive.


    She nodded to his question ¡®I need to let off some steam before you punch the fuck out of me...¡¯ she thought. He didn¡¯t mind, just glad that he had a willing and capable training partner. Something that got harder and harder to find as time went on and he got stronger. They knew each other for a long time now and more words weren¡¯t necessary as they rushed each other. She kept him at a distance and got several fast jabs in with her staff. His right knee, hand and elbow were the first victims but he barely seemed to notice as the wood splintered on his armored skin. He was fast and moved in time after time but could never reach her.


    ¡°You¡¯re too fast like this...¡± he said after fifteen minutes of the same thing. His skin showing more cracks than before ¡®At least I think so...¡¯ thought Eleonora as she dropped the staff. His lack of patience and passion for fighting would soon bring him to use his power to get faster and stronger. ¡®I¡¯m not quite ready for death¡¯s embrace...¡¯ she circled him without her staff ¡°Hand to hand then.¡± she said. He didn¡¯t stop armoring his skin, he had to use his power to improve it. They charged at each other again and Elly dodged as well as she could, getting punches and kicks in as much as she could. She didn¡¯t recognize one of his faints and caught a punch to the stomach. She nearly flew backwards for two meters before landing on her feet.


    Holding up a finger to the approaching mass of muscle and stone she stepped to the side and threw up. ¡®It tasted better going down¡­.¡¯ she wiped her mouth as she faced him again. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± he only grunted and charged again. After nearly an hour of this most of the onlookers had left and only the two grinning warriors remained. One bleeding and bruised all over, both of them breathing and sweating hard. ¡°You¡¯re better...¡± he remarked, not as a compliment but more a punishment for his apparent lack of improvement compared to her.


    Elly thought of her encounter with the shifter and only sadly looked at the ground. A quick pain pulsed through her chest as she felt the ribs she had broken the day before. ¡®They are healed Elly...the healer fixed them...¡¯ she ensured herself. ¡°Throw me¡± she suddenly said. Jonathan only shrugged ¡°Needed a break anyway.¡± he walked up to her and picked her up as if she was barely a pound in weight, his power improving his strength. ¡°Throw me on my back.¡± she said. She had learned early on from Mike how to fall and not get injured¡­the fall into the trap door showed her though that apparently it wasn¡¯t deeply enough ingrained.

 Chapter 6 Fire

    Chapter 6 Fire


    He happily threw her on the ground as she got up again and again, not breaking a single bone this time. She signaled him for a break after she stopped counting the throws. ¡°Thanks, got any food?¡± he nodded ¡°No worries, not everyday you can train throwing a willing person around.¡± She followed him after he motioned her to do so and they sat down on the bench as he got some food out of his bag. They ate in silence.


    A couple minutes later a small voice behind them got their attention. ¡®There she is again, my little angel...¡¯ she turned her head to see a small girl in a beautiful robe standing there looking at the ground ¡°Hello Michaela, we¡¯re having a break so you may join us.¡± she said and the girl¡¯s eyes immediately sparkled as she shyly approached. Her hands outstretched towards Eleonora who simply nodded. She carefully put her hands on the bruises and wounds of Elly as she started concentrating ¡°Mirana, let your light shine through me. Let your healing touch free her from her pain...¡± her hands started to glow a little as strands of light formed around them. Elly immediately felt her body relax and her wounds close. The bruises got better and the swellings lessened. ¡®She¡¯s getting better.¡¯ she thought as she stared at the incredibly beautiful girl before her ¡®I don¡¯t want to know what happened the day she got her powers...¡¯ she thought as she felt inclined to touch the girl before her. ¡°You¡¯re incredibly good looking Michaela.¡± she said as the girl jumped back with embarrassment evident on her face and in her body language. ¡°Thank you...¡± she stammered out before leaving them again.


    It wasn¡¯t every day for a healing mage to be able to train on a real target. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure if you¡¯re into men or women...¡± said Jonathan sitting next to her still eating some meat. ¡°Well what you¡¯re into is quite evident by how quiet you get when she¡¯s around...¡± she rebuked and laughed at him choking on his food before dodging a swing that would have bruised her face badly had it hit.


    ¡°You fuck...¡± he said as he grinned and charged at her again. ¡°What I know for sure is that you like the pain...¡± he said as he closed in on her. She didn¡¯t answer as she dodged and weaved under his barrage of attacks. They trained for hours and paused whenever they were exhausted to talk about magic theories they studied. He provided her freely with books she could borrow from both his family and the academy. His status as a student was high enough and he trusted her that far. Normally a commoner would not be able to access such knowledge or only to a very limited degree. One that wasn¡¯t awakened yet had even less of a chance.


    ¡°Participating in the tournament this year?¡± she asked after the fifth session. ¡°You know I won¡¯t...¡± she knew why he wouldn¡¯t want to participate. With a good ranking in the tournament more people would recognize his ability and would want to include him in more political affairs, would want to marry him to their daughters or have him train their precious little sons and daughters. ¡°I don¡¯t need the attention...¡± she knew that all but still couldn¡¯t shake the thought of him wrecking some of the more annoying young nobles of the city. Them flaunting their arrogance was the only reason she didn¡¯t watch the tournament anymore. ¡®And very few of them would stand a chance¡­.of the annoying ones at least.¡¯ The tournament was comprised of several different contests of ability. The main thing people cared about was the one on one tap out battles for everyone in the university, regardless of age.


    He would certainly not win, not with his 17 years. The earliest graduates were usually older than twenty and some much older. ¡°This is my last one today. I have dinner with my father and some cunty noble friend of his.¡± he said. They normally went on till long into the evening but the sun was barely setting. ¡°Shame, and I was having so much fun...¡± he laughed at her bleeding face and brilliant smile ¡°You¡¯re fucking mad Elly...¡± he said as they got up again.


    The hour passed in a flash. The sun already set and the cathedral told them it was six o clock already. ¡°Thanks for playing punching bag again.¡± he said as he packed his stuff. Elly only nodded and scanned the yard for Michaela with a hopeful expression on her face ¡®She¡¯s not coming eh...shame¡¯ the pain didn¡¯t bother her too much and she couldn¡¯t rebuke the comment by Jonathan that she even liked it in a good fight. ¡®Let¡¯s you know you¡¯re alive...¡¯ she always thought but closing the wounds and washing all the blood away will be annoying. The healing magic would have taken care of that for her in an instant.


    ¡°Thanks for wrecking me.¡± she said and winked in his direction ¡°You wish...¡± he said as he touched his crotch. They shared a laugh and left the training grounds. Only a couple students remained, they usually were the last ones leaving. ¡°I have to grab some stuff from my room before heading home. Before you leave though...¡± he got closer to her and whispered ¡°You know I¡¯ve been outside rarely but you can travel free...I don¡¯t know where you¡¯ll be tomorrow or next month so I¡¯m telling you this. Try to avoid the east, there¡¯s trouble brewing with Karith. Sleep well.¡± he punched her shoulder and left ¡°You too¡­.¡± she said as she turned towards the street. ¡®Karith hmm?¡¯A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Her head was full of thoughts as she went down towards the gate. She passed unhindered and walked towards the city center. The further away from the noble district the more people she encountered out an about. It was a cloudy evening, already darker than the last night had been. She soon reached her favorite pub, the white wolf. They had a brilliant cook and served late into the night. Normally she¡¯d be the one eating among the drunken patrons, maybe today was different because of the early hour.


    ¡®They¡¯re always drunk...¡¯ she thought as it felt the exact same as all the other times she¡¯d been there. And she liked it. The people in the white wolf were drunk yet easy to get along with. Many veterans or former guards. She paid and soon enjoyed a great meal in her usual corner of the room, observing the people around her. A toast was said after a bulky man with scars on his face got the attention of the pub ¡°To Rodrick!! He has awakened today in the woods of Narra!¡± some people lifted their mugs ¡°Survived seven direwolves attacking and even injured one!¡± Everyone cheered and lifted their mugs. So did Elly ¡®They awaken with seven direwolves and I piss my pants against a shifter...¡¯ the boy seemed about the same age as her, maybe a year younger. Rather late awakening she thought. ¡®Not that I¡¯m one to talk...¡¯


    Apparently he was becoming a warrior, having gained an internal magic to improve his speed and power. ¡®Pretty standard, same as Jonathan, just four years later and non elemental. Might become a capable guard at some point though.¡¯ the toast left a bitter taste in her mouth and she soon got ready to leave, her body still bloody and battered. Not that anyone in there cared much or even noticed while being that drunk.


    Outside in the winds she noticed band of riders. ¡®It¡¯s getting cold, might need to change to warmer clothes soon...¡¯ she thought as she curiously looked at the somewhat familiar group. The red tags hanging over their armor were less obvious than the head of a shifter hanging from one of their horses. ¡®That¡¯s the one...¡¯ she thought as she recognized the beasts head. Somehow she felt the beast had a mocking smile on its disfigured face, saying she would never get her revenge.


    She felt her mood right in the gutter as she left the street and walked through the alleys. It was around ten and she felt like walking. After a couple hours in the cold thinking she felt much better and went home. Ready for her bed she entered the house and went upstairs. She froze in the hallway as she stared at what was happening at the end of it.


    Her mother¡­she was there. And a being of shadow holding her by her neck. The feeling that gripped Eleonora was different than when she looked at the Shifter. Complete fear. Every cell of her body told her to run. She couldn¡¯t think. All her training and instinct made her move as she went downstairs as quietly as she could, her mind screaming that there was death behind her. A shadow covered all of the walls and she was unable to open the door to leave.


    ¡®I have to get away, get away, get away...¡¯ she thought her whole body trembling with fear after looking at the being upstairs for only a second. She couldn¡¯t get away though so she did the next best thing. She hid. She went into the closed that was empty before nearly stumbling over the satchel from the day before. She closed the closet as quietly as possible and sat down waiting. ¡®What was that¡­.¡¯ she was trying her best to stop her body from trembling, the fear wasn¡¯t as strong when not looking at the being directly. ¡®A being of shadow...¡¯ never had she even read about something like this. It looked like a dark mist with even darker eyes.


    And then she heard it. A voice so full of power she couldn¡¯t focus on anything else. ¡°Lena Acantha¡­¡± Elly didn¡¯t feel the heat in the room rise, the voice filling her head ¡°Rather disappointing really¡­considering your mother. A herbalist, really?...You wouldn¡¯t know where she is, would you?¡± it asked, seemingly knowing the answer already. ¡°Well less of your blood is always a good thing I suppose, even if you¡¯ve wasted it.¡± Lena didn¡¯t answer, either unable to overcome her fear or unwilling. Elly heard a snap and she knew that her mother had died.


    The voice didn¡¯t say another word and Eleonora¡¯s focus returned to her. The pressure she felt before left too but she suddenly noticed it was incredibly hot. And it became harder for her to breathe. For some reason she knew the being was not there anymore and had either not noticed her at all or hadn¡¯t cared. She slightly opened the closet and immediately closed it again, screaming as she held her burned face. Half of it badly singed.


    A flame had immediately assaulted her when she opened the closet. It would burn too in mere seconds, maybe a minute. She knew normal fire wouldn¡¯t burn this hot, even with her high pain tolerance and her training it was hard to think clearly. ¡®M..magic fire!¡¯ the thought scared her. Only demons were able to do this, but they couldn¡¯t talk. They were monsters. The possible implications scared her but she shoved it in the back of her head as she focused on her current situation as best as she could.


    ¡®The fire will kill me in seconds if I leave the closet, or I will die in seconds after leaving the door¡­.if I reach it that is.¡¯ she immediately emptied the satchel she put into the otherwise empty closet and only saw the herbs she left in there and the rabbit she had left. ¡°Might as well die doing something I love...¡± she said as she started eating all the herbs, starting with the red lotus she got from the Limping Horses. ¡®Maybe there is some property I don¡¯t know about that will help against magic fire¡¯ she chuckled madly as she shoved the herbs into her mouth, her throat burning. After the herbs she took the dead rabbit and looked at it, the flames eating through the closet already burning her badly.


    The pain was so intense she could do nothing but scream. No sound came out from her throat as the heat and smoke had long since completely dried it out. The last thought Eleonora Vera had was an amusing one, thinking of the fate she shared with the rabbit. ¡®Maybe a stew...¡¯ said some distant voice in the back of her mind while she was consumed by pain and fire.


    The fire burned through the whole house, word of a demon had already reached the guard. Veterans and rookies were tense as they rushed to the scene in trained formations.

 Chapter 7 Awakening

    Chapter 7 Awakening


    The flames crackled and pieces of wood fell down. The house completely painted in orange creaked and cracked signaling its coming collapse. In a seemingly empty closet on the ground floor was a burning form, tendrils of red energy formed around it before intricate red glowing marks let the shape be recognized as human. Bone, muscles and skin reformed under the glowing energy before a naked human girl of around 17 years stood inside the raging inferno and opened her eyes.


    Her sight was clear, clearer than it had ever been. Eleonora looked at her hands and saw the glowing tattoos and the tendrils moving away from her body. Her green eyes shined as a smile spread on her face. ¡°Finally...¡± she said to no one in particular. She felt the heat around her, saw the flames and most importantly she felt the magic. She felt the magic and the power behind it...the power insider her and around her. The fire couldn¡¯t even touch her, comparable to a warm summer day. This was all she wanted...all she was waiting for. ¡®Now I don¡¯t need mother anymore...¡¯ she thought and remembered what had happened only half an hour ago. Her green eyes looked out into the flames as she started to take her first step for the second time ¡°I have awakened.¡±


    Eleonora Acantha walked through the flames, completely overwhelmed by a dozen different thoughts in her mind. She heard shouts from outside and instantly cleared her mind ¡®Magic fire, demon¡­likely bloodmagic...¡¯ her smile grew even wider as the thought of bloodmagic crossed her mind ¡®they will assume its me, even if it wasn¡¯t they would kill me immediately.¡¯ she knew there was only one way, escape. ¡®If I wait they will surround the house and hunt me down, even with¡­.all this power I feel. I don¡¯t feel confident fighting one guard alone.¡¯


    And then she moved. More sure of her steps than she had ever been before. And faster, more powerful than she had ever been before. She reached the street outside in less than a second, analyzing her surroundings in even less time. Two guards had reached the house already and they looked at her with shock and fear in their eyes. They didn¡¯t have time to evaluate what they saw as the girl before them was already gone down the street in a flash.


    She moved at an incredible speed, thinking faster than she ever had ¡®They will have closed off the city already. Leaving is impossible, or I¡¯ll be hunted down immediately by the strongest of them. A bloodmage or a demon. A trophy nobody could ignore.¡¯ She moved down an alley and rushed through the waking city, the bells already ringing, signaling everyone to stay inside or seek shelter. She knew her magic would be felt if she was close to another Awakened. ¡®I need to stop using it, need to learn to control it.¡¯ she ran through another five alleys before nearly crashing into a guard.


    His face was quickly filled with shock before he caught himself and tried to swing his sword. Eleonora dodged easily, her speed increase and experience completely overshadowing the guard. ¡®Dangerous¡¯ she thought as she felt the power of his swing. After dodging she was under his guard and kicked him. To her surprise the guard shattered into the wall opposite her, letting go of his sword and coughing up blood. She was already gone before he recovered...if he would recover at all.


    ¡®I need time, the streets aren¡¯t save.¡¯ Luckily for her the central government from the empire had financed the building of sewage systems for all the major cities of the kingdoms it ruled over two hundred years ago. She came across a gully cover after searching for ten seconds. ¡®How will I open it...¡¯ she thought before simply reaching down and grabbing one of the openings. The cover was surprisingly light to her as she easily lifted it up with one hand. She went in and covered the opening afterwards.


    She ran through the sewage system trying to find a way further down and soon cowered in the deepest spot she could find. ¡®I need to focus, control it...¡¯ she thought through all the magic theories and techniques she read about. Everything Jonathan and Mike described to her. What she saw from magic users and even what she read in romantic stories and history books. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be hard to simply use or not use her power. She knew some people had to use up all their power after an awakening to be able to get out of it.


    ¡®How do I use it then¡¯ she thought. She was of course already using her power but a more direct approach was necessary. Internal use was apparently not depleting her energy fast enough. She thought of the easiest way to deplete her energy. ¡®I am obviously an internal user, using something external will be the most efficient way to deplete my mana quickly...¡¯ she concluded and tried to concentrate on one of the most basic external spells nearly all schools of magic had. So why not bloodmagic? A bolt, spike or something similar. Shooting and mastering it was the first step on the way of an external magic user. Using it at the start wasn¡¯t something that usually took long for an Awakened she knew. So she concentrated, tried to form her energy into a bold or projectile of some sort.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    After five minutes of concentration she felt her power drain as a small ball of red glowing energy formed in front of her. She willed it to fire as soon as she felt the strength leave her body. Her sight became cloudy as she slumped down into the pleasant mixture of excrement and other fluids.


    She woke up a couple hours later. ¡°Eww...fuck...eww!!¡± she shot up, slipped and fell right back into the beautiful broth. ¡°Fuck..motherfucker!¡± she then sat up ¡°Ha...hahahahahahahahaha!¡± she was elated by her success. Even her looming capture, the implications formed by what she saw and heard from the shadow being couldn¡¯t bring down her incredibly happiness at her Awakening. She looked at the opposite wall where a two by two meter hole could be seen. ¡°That was me? Holy shit!¡± she touched the wall, not believing what she did ¡°And I¡¯m not even an external...¡± she said. ¡®I need to leave here. A naked girl next to a hole in the wall looks pretty bad.¡¯ She moved after listening for any noise.


    ¡®I can¡¯t go to Jonathan, he would kill me immediately if he knew I was a bloodmage¡¯ they didn¡¯t have that strong a bond outside of their training and some help. Being a bloodmage was very bad. Not as bad as a demon but close. As close as a sentient being could come really. ¡®Maybe necromancers are worse but they¡¯re probably even rarer...¡¯ She walked down the sewage tunnel ¡®Mike would help but I can¡¯t do that to him. His whole life would be over if they found out. Like this he can even deny knowing what I was.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t know where she was and simply kept walking, thinking of some way of escape. ¡®It¡¯s still night but everyone is on high alert now. The sewage system will be searched too but with less priority than the streets itself.¡¯ she suddenly stopped and went back the way she came. Running this time ¡®They will have thoroughly searched our shop and the blocks around it already. Some guards will be stationed around it...¡¯ she retraced her way and soon reached where she went down...at least she was fairly sure it was there. ¡®There won¡¯t be any guards around three to four blocks away from our shop¡¯ her reasoning was that the guards spread their search away from where it started. It was the best plan she had right now. ¡®Staying down here means death...¡¯ she thought as she looked for a different but close exit and went up the ladder.


    She looked up through the opening seeing a dark alley and hearing nothing. She easily lifted the cover and went up. ¡®How am I this strong? I¡¯m not using mana right now...¡¯ she closed the cover again and looked for any open doors or windows in any buildings she could find. ¡®Not the time to think about it...¡¯ it was hard to find anything that was opened. The bells would signal everyone to close everything up and get to the most save place in their house they could reach.


    She also couldn¡¯t stay outside, the guards or adventurers would find her in time. She soon found an opened small window to a cellar of a nearby house. The people there likely closed all windows and doors but forgot the cellar in the panic. ¡®First time I don¡¯t mind my lacking bust...¡¯ she thought as she squeezed through the small opening. She immediately and quietly closed the window behind her, checking if any stains were left that would lead anybody there. She had tried to clean her feet as best as possible on anything she could find in the alleys she walked through before. ¡®First time also that I enjoy the city being as dirty as it is...the shit will likely not alarm anyone immediately.¡¯


    She looked around her and found herself inside a rather large cellar. ¡®Let¡¯s see what we can fiiind¡¯ she thought as she rubbed her hands together and started to quietly search through cupboards, boxes, chests and closets. After looking through all of it in the span of a couple hours she took some food and clothes. Practical pants and a shirt that was a bit loose on her. She even found a brown cloak that would be perfect at hiding her features. She then hid inside one of the bigger closets and slumped down on top of some old clothes that were way to big for her.


    She ate the rocky bread she had found and went to sleep, exhaustion taking her.


    Eleonora¡¯s eyes opened slowly as she yawned and covered herself in more of the clothes that were in the closet. ¡®Coooold...¡¯ she thought and shuddered a little. She didn¡¯t dare speak if there was anyone in the cellar or close enough to hear her. She stayed inside the closet for a couple hours and started analyzing her body. ¡®I¡¯m way stronger, denser muscle, stronger bones it seems...and even tougher skin.¡¯ She reasoned it was because most of her body was destroyed in the fire before the awakening took place. People often recovered lost body parts or healed wounds after an awakening and sometimes those parts had special attributes.


    ¡®Guess the pain wasn¡¯t for nothing after all...¡¯ she stayed there for another couple hours before boredom overcame her caution. The closet slowly opened and a girl clothed in a bit too big clothes came out. She covered herself in the cloak she found and looked out the window. ¡®No movement...¡¯ She thought the city would likely still be on alert. ¡®The magic fire was obvious so for anyone seeing it the existence of a demon in the city was unquestionable. Considering their nature they must¡¯ve already concluded that it has already left to where it came from...¡¯ Demons normally appeared and disappeared in minutes to days, wrecking havoc in that period of time. ¡®The problem is that some of the guards saw me but I read about some demons taking a close to human appearance, plus I didn¡¯t show intelligence...but I was fleeing, demons never flee¡­.¡¯ she bit her lips ¡®fuck...¡¯


    ¡®So worst case they know about some girl that sprinted out the house and used weird magic. Maybe the guards didn¡¯t recognize it as bloodmagic...not even I have heard of an internal bloodmagic user...¡¯ she turned around and started walking through the cellar again, maybe she missed something. ¡®They would conclude that I¡¯m not a demon so the overall alarm level would be lowered and a simple criminal mage would be searched. Possibly a couple guards and adventurers looking for a bounty. Not the best ones though, they wouldn¡¯t hunt on mere rumors...I hope...¡¯

 Chapter 8 Hideout

    Chapter 8 Hideout


    She found some dried fruits she hadn¡¯t found at first. ¡®They know the shop that burned so everyone who knows me will be especially alert for someone of my appearance. Or they¡¯re looking for me. Jon won¡¯t be, he¡¯ll hear of it being my house in a couple days earliest. Mike and possibly Irina are the most dangerous at the moment...¡¯ She started eating some of the fruits while looking at an old painting that hung on a cellar wall ¡®The general population won¡¯t know about a girl, they will know about a demon and nothing else...¡¯ she concluded that her best bet would be to be discovered by whomever owned this house and play the hurt helpless girl. Only if they¡¯re not awakened though, then she could knock them out if they weren¡¯t cooperative. ¡®I¡¯ll pretend to be some small time thief who left their gang and is hiding from both them and the guard...¡¯


    ¡®I need to hide at least a couple days. I¡¯ll try to simply sneak up and steal the things I need from whoever lives here...if they find me I¡¯ll go for the story and hope they¡¯re not some retired dragonslayer...¡¯ For a couple hours she just stood next to the door leading to the ground floor and listened. ¡®Nothing...¡¯ no sound for quite some time until later in the evening. ¡®One person...¡¯ a sighing could be heard ¡®man...no idea about the age...¡¯ he walked to a different room ¡®steps uneven, untrained...at least in close combat.¡¯ No trained guard would ever walk in such an uneven manner...only perhaps to confuse an enemy but it was unlikely that someone was that cautious.


    She listened and nearly fell asleep with boredom next to the door as she heard the man preparing a meal. ¡®Fuck it smells good...¡¯ she thought. The man was singing while preparing the meal. ¡®He¡¯s likely living here alone...now what a chance to find a frightened young girl in your basement looking for shelter?¡¯ the plan was set. Parts of her caution thrown to the wind because of this beautiful smell.


    She made some noise and prepared herself. ¡®At least I¡¯m dirty enough to make it believable...¡¯ The man opened the cellar door after hearing the noise. ¡°Anyone down here!?¡± he shouted, clearly tense. ¡®Perfect, he¡¯s not a warrior at least...¡¯ she moved around some more, ready to shout or attack him if he made the intelligent decision to leave and get a guard. He didn¡¯t, luckily for her. He found her in a corner covered by presumably his old clothes and immediately lowered his guard as he looked at her. ¡®Man Shifters must have it easy...¡¯ she thought as she looked at him, trying to seem afraid and non threatening.


    ¡°Oh...hello there...¡± he fumbled with his words. ¡°I though¡­.man this is stupid...hahaha¡± he gathered himself ¡°You know with the demon and all¡­.what are you doing in my cellar by the way?¡± He was a tall man, around thirty she assumed. Brown hair and rather slim. She explained her made up story and he ate it all up. She found herself at his table after mere minutes of explaining. ¡°Thisch foood isch amazing!¡± she said as she smiled at him. He returned it and tried to have a conversation.


    Apparently he worked in a nearby inn as a cook and they were closed today because of the demon attack. Few customers would be willing to leave their homes today. ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± she said after he was done explaining. It really was to her but she had a bit more important things on her mind right now. ¡®The food really IS amazing though¡­.¡¯ she thought.


    Talin was his name apparently and he agreed to let her stay for a couple days to hide from her fellow thieves. ¡®He¡¯s lonely¡¯ she noted and tried to talk to him as much as she could. He talked about cooking a lot and the inn he works at. He did have some very entertaining stories that he experienced over the years. And there was a woman working in a bakery opposite of their inn that he apparently really liked but she assumed he was too afraid to ask her out.


    ¡°So what would you tell her?¡± she asked, three days after she first entered the cellar of her now friend Talin. ¡®He¡¯s a bit too trustworthy but I guess he was lucky with me.¡¯ he looked at her ¡°What? Who?¡± she took another bite of the food and swallowed after chewing ¡°Hina...if you could write her a letter...what would you write?¡± he didn¡¯t like to talk about it at first but after they drank a couple mugs of ale together he opened up and told her about Hina.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    After five days Eleonora was ready to leave. The city was back to normal and she didn¡¯t notice any additional guards or commotion from any windows in Talin¡¯s house. ¡®I¡¯d love to stay a little longer for the great food though¡­.but I guess now is the ideal time to leave.¡¯ She left the thank you note for Talin on the table which also informed him about what she was about to do with the other letter she prepared.


    Hina was quite perplexed after a brown cloaked girl with striking green eyes handed her a letter that she apparently wrote for an admirer she knew all too well. She thanked her and reassured her that she won¡¯t give him any chance of escape. ¡®We can be rather scary...¡¯ thought Eleonora as she left the bakery to finally leave the city. She went to the western gate to not see Mike and checked the on the guards. ¡®I could wait...or sneak into a merchants chart...¡¯ she scanned the people around her ¡®or¡­.¡¯ then she quickly vanished into an empty side alley and looked above. ¡®I didn¡¯t yet get the chance to test my new body¡­.¡¯ she tapped the ground with the tip of her shoe twice and ten crouched. She jumped three meters high to the wall on her left and from there to the right. Another two jumps and she was on top of the roof. ¡®Oh my, I¡¯m awesome...¡¯ she thought as she checked if any of the guards saw her.


    They hadn¡¯t so she waited for an opportune moment and jumped right on top of the city wall. There was a six meter gap between the houses and the wall but she still easily managed it. She managed to land incredibly quietly, checked on the guards and then let herself fall down the other side. From this angle nobody would be able to see her. She however could see the guards¡¯ spears from this angle and knew exactly where they were. She walked next to the wall until she was close to the gate and when a big company of merchants left she simply integrated with them. ¡®Now how cheeky can I be¡­.¡¯ she quickly scanned her surroundings and then jumped into one of the wagons that still had a little space in it. It was full of different goods to be sold in the more central kingdoms of the Empire. ¡®Perfect, guess I¡¯ll stay for a while and get some stuff that¡¯s useful.¡¯ she thought as she started to quietly search through the goods in her wagon. There luckily was a small bag she could strap around her back and a bunch of food that would come in handy. Some cloths too to keep her warm from the coming cold time.


    In the coming night she sneaked away from the carawan and made her way northwards, straight to a place she knew would help her think. And as always...she started running. Elated by her massively improved speed and power in her legs she reached the lake in just an hour, without tiring once. She didn¡¯t have her staff to whirl around but it was still impressive. There were no wolves there today yet the serenity and smell of the herbs immediately calmed her. She jumped up a tree and sat down between two branches to overlook the lake.


    The sun illuminated the water and the smell of the herbs was coupled with a fresh wind from the lake. Eleonora sat there for a while thinking about her next steps. ¡®I could visit the capital...I heard and read so much about Onarith...¡¯ she was dangling her feet down from the tree ¡®Or maybe become an adventurer...now that I have awakened everything is possible...I¡¯m finally not bound anymore by the walls of a city or by my mother¡¯s title as herbalist...¡¯


    Her thoughts were disturbed when she heard distant voices. She didn¡¯t move on the tree, her brown cloak hiding her nearly perfectly and simply listened. ¡®Who would come here? There is nothing but herbs and animals here¡­¡¯ she thought. ¡®They can¡¯t possibly be looking for me can they?¡¯ She stayed silent as she thought about the possible reason for the trespassers in her sanctuary.


    They took longer to get close than she thought. ¡®My ears have gotten better too¡­¡¯ she thought as she heard the conversation going on below her and around thirty meters away. ¡°This is it?¡± a man asked, his voice a bit tense. ¡®Six of them, experienced¡­on edge¡­¡¯ she thought as she continued listening. ¡°Seems like a nice place¡­not somewhere a demon would go, or an evil witch¡­¡± said another man. ¡®So they are looking for me¡­¡¯


    ¡°Shut it, we don¡¯t even know what we¡¯re looking for so stay alert.¡± Said another voice, seemingly authoritative. The others continued quietly. After another minute one of the men exclaimed ¡°Someone was here¡­.very recently.¡± He said ¡°Incredibly recently¡­¡± he said before Eleonora heard him unsheathe a weapon. ¡°Are you still here my friend?¡± he said to her, the other people in his group stopped moving and Elly could feel power surging as they prepared their weapons. Whoever the one challenging her was they seemed to trust his judgement.


    ¡®They will find me. If I attack or flee they will immediately turn hostile¡­if they aren¡¯t already.¡¯ She slowly moved and jumped down the tree thinking her best option was to talk to them first. ¡®Maybe get their guards down so I can flee, I¡¯m pretty confident in my speed¡­depends on them though¡­¡¯ as she descended she scanned the group. ¡®Golden, adventurers¡­six people as assumed. Balanced group.¡¯ Four of them seemed to be close combat specialists while two were ranged. ¡®An external mage I¡¯m assuming, escape will be difficult.¡¯


    ¡°Wonderful day, isn¡¯t it?¡± she stated more than asked as she looked at the tense group. ¡®Why am I so confident¡­¡¯ she thought to herself. She wouldn¡¯t even have dared confronting a single silver level adventurer on her own a week ago. ¡°It is indeed.¡± Their apparent leader said as he slowly approached her. He stopped a couple meters in front of her ¡°So you¡¯re the famed demon of Dunewatch?¡± he asked with a small smile on his face ¡°I think not.¡± He concluded and sheathed his sword. ¡°The green eyes match though and some people are quite interested in the magic you¡¯ve used. They¡¯re paying pretty well so I hope you¡¯ll come with us without any resistance.¡± He said ¡°Just to talk¡­¡±

 Chapter 9 Escape?

    Chapter 9 Escape?


    ¡®Sure sure, a talk with a burning knife in my knee¡­¡¯ she thought as she felt the power around her and in the group before her. ¡°I think not.¡± She mimicked his response from before. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious missy¡­¡± he motioned with his hand and one of the men charged her at incredible speed. ¡®A week ago I would have barely seen him¡¯ she thought as a faint red glow started to shine through her clothes, the tattoos on her hands and parts of her head were easily visible. She dodged the hand that tried to grab her and punched the man in his stomach.


    ¡®You¡¯ll do as an information source¡­¡¯ she punched his face trying to knock him out but heard a massive crunch as his head close to exploded into a mist of blood and junks of bone and flesh. ¡°Oh fuck¡± she said as she took a step back. She saw an arrow approach her in the edge of her vision and dodged it. ¡®I can dodge arrows¡­nice.¡¯ She ran up to the group, tendrils of red energy seemingly charging the air around her as she moved.


    Two of the men charged her, one with two axes and one with a claymore. She quickly dodged in a way that would prevent the archer and mage to attack her from a distance. The last guy was moving slow with his two handed halberd, not a concern to her right now. The dodged the claymore as it passed over her head. Feeling the wind on her face she kicked towards the man¡¯s knee and was satisfied with the new angle his leg showed. She barely registered the scream of the leader that tried to keep upright with a broken bone sticking out of his shin as she dodged an ax swing coming towards her.


    Her adversary was more cautious after seeing her move and kept a defensive position as he tried to get the halberd wielder into the game while giving his ranged companions a change to strike at her from a distance. The arrows only annoyed her a little as the tried to close in on the ax wielder. She fainted and suddenly turned and ran at full speed towards the archer. He didn¡¯t react fast enough and she jabbed his throat getting the mage behind him so he couldn¡¯t interfere. The archer went down grabbing at his bleeding throat. Eleonora didn¡¯t stop as she held an arrow in each hand. The two standing close combat adventurers were still out of position as she approached the leader who swung his claymore at her.


    He was out of balance though because of his leg and she jabbed the arrows into his eyes after dodging the swing that went over her head. He died instantly. Elly faced the two remaining men as she felt a surge of power to her right. She crouched and jumped forward as fast as she could as a vertical gust of wind cut the dead leader in half. ¡®Don¡¯t fuck with the wind¡­¡¯ she thought as she weaved through the attacks of the halberd wielder. He was incredibly big, using a massive full metal pole with a one edged tip. The weight of his weapon made him slow though and Elly was inside his guard after only a couple of his swings. She punched him in his stomach three times before moving behind him and facing the axman.


    She felt a surge of magic again but it faded quickly as she was between the two men now. ¡®Luckily the mage isn¡¯t better at aiming.¡¯ She thought as she heard the man behind her cough and collapse. The axman charged her in a frenzy, giving her little opportunity to attack. She nearly stumbled over the corpse of the man behind her. ¡®I can¡¯t get in on him¡­¡¯ she dashed to the side as a small gust of wind grazed her arm. ¡®I need range¡­¡¯ she picked up the massive pole on the ground, thinking perhaps that her increased strength would allow her to use it, at least to an extent.


    It was reinforced steel. Around 1m 80cm in length with an additional 30cm one edged blade on top. ¡®One piece of steel¡­¡¯ she noted. It must¡¯ve cost quite a lot. ¡®I can¡¯t tell how heavy it is¡­¡¯ she thought as she moved it around as easily as she would her wooden staff. It was a bit longer but she¡¯d get used to it rather quickly. The axman was nearly upon her but with her new weapon he didn¡¯t stand a chance. Their blades clashed into each other with massive force but he was quickly overwhelmed. A parry left him open and he looked at her in shock as the halberd pierced through his heart.


    She felt magic build up behind her as she whirled around and jumped upwards. The gust of wind passed below her, the mage preferring horizontal attacks. She landed in a roll and threw the halberd coming out of it. She watched as the mage flew several meters with the halberd piercing through his chest.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Silence filled the forest, as the waves of the lake became the only noise heard. ¡°Wow¡­¡± she breathed out as she unconsciously twirled the massive halberd in her hand. ¡®Forgot to keep one of them alive¡­¡¯ she planted the halberd in the ground and grabbed the claymore. ¡®Let¡¯s get to work then¡¯ she assumed there would be nobody coming in a while. She cut the corpses apart with the claymore after undressing them all. She put the weapons and clothes in two separate piles. The cut up body parts she threw around, splattering as much blood as she could.


    She was done after a couple hours and thought about what to do with the weapons. After thinking about it she started to glow in a faint red and threw each weapon into the lake. Her strength surprised her again as she threw them as she threw small stones only a week before. The weapons wouldn¡¯t be found for a long time, if ever. Not if someone went out of their way to find them. The sun was already setting at that point. She got what she could carry from their packs, taking one backpack and filling it with food and necessary items.


    As the sun fully set she started the fire. The smoke wouldn¡¯t easily be seen from a distance. The pit she dug with the clothes in it could easily be mistaken for a simple campfire. She took her new halberd and shouldered her backpack and satchel, then jumped up the tree she was on before. This time she climbed hire being careful about the weight she was carrying. She assumed the halberd was at least 60 kilograms but couldn¡¯t be sure with her changed body.


    As soon as she reached a high enough point she prepared for some sleep. The wind from the lake and smell of the herbs below helped her find sleep rather quickly. She didn¡¯t mind the blood.


    Her green eyes shot open in the middle of the night as she heard growling and fighting below. She smirked, her plan a complete success. She soon fell asleep again hearing the crunching of bones between powerful jaws below.


    Eleonora woke up as the sun was rising. She winced as she moved ¡®Sleeping on trees is definitely not recommended¡­¡¯ she thought but after jumping down and moving around a little she was quickly back to her old self. Well her new old self that is. Looking around she couldn¡¯t find a single piece of flesh or bone anymore. Only blood was remaining but that could be explained in different ways. The pit had some scraps left which she carefully removed and stored in her satchel to be disposed of at a later time. ¡®I¡¯ll just bury it a couple miles from here.¡¯ She thought as she whistled, moving around her 60 kg halberd with ease.


    She walked straight north. ¡®First I¡¯ll get away from here¡­¡¯ she thought while walking and eating a fruit from one of the adventurers. She kept different things from them. Four gold, twelve silver and twenty coppers. ¡®Around 5.5 gold nearly, not sure when I¡¯ll be able to use it though¡­¡¯ some general necessities like flint, sharpening tools for weapons, oil, different cooking utensils, a sleeping bag and warm clothes. She kept the six golden dog tags from the guild, planning to melt them down at some point. They were personalized and could be activated to glow a little when the assigned user would flow his power into it so they were no use to her other than the base material.


    She walked undisturbed for a couple hours, not using the road. Some wolves approached her but fled as soon as she activated her magic. She ran through the woods swinging her weapon around and dodging through the trees for training. She made camp near a small stream before the sun started to set. She found a good place to put her sleeping bag on the tree, not confident enough to sleep on the ground alone. One unlucky strike before she woke up would be enough to kill her or leave her injured enough for other beasts to finish.


    She cleaned herself in the stream after undressing and starting a fire. Then she cooked some water and ate some dried meat. The fire was quite a distance from her tree, just to be sure. She was sitting in the tree, covered by her sleeping bag and warm clothes as the sun was setting. ¡®Maybe now I can think undisturbed¡­¡¯ she organized her thoughts, frankly still overwhelmed by her awakening. ¡®I¡¯m so strong now¡­six gold adventurers¡­six guards. There¡¯s a bounty on my head now though. Maybe there will be an additional search because of the vanished adventurers and stronger ones will be looking¡­¡¯ she closed her eyes ¡®I need to get stronger¡­.the southern kingdoms would be the safest option, considering what Jon said about Karith. Like this there is nearly no chance of me crossing the whole empire undiscovered though.¡¯ She opened her eyes again and looked at the halberd next to her.


    ¡®Rather unconventional, no ax part but it¡¯s not a spear either...¡¯ she thought as she looked at the long pole with the single expanding blade on top ¡®like a one edged short sword...on a pole¡­.I like it though.¡¯ She had cleaned and sharpened it before and it glinted a little in the sunlight. The blade on top had some interesting designs carved into it. She had seen the language before but wasn¡¯t sure where. ¡®Magical writing¡­¡¯ she thought ¡®Likely not personalized so I won¡¯t have to worry about someone knowing it¡¯s not mine¡­we¡¯ll see about that though.¡¯ She covered the blade with an additional blanket she was carrying so she would be more difficult to discover. ¡®So south and east isn¡¯t an option right now..¡¯ she shuddered when thinking of the west and the vast ocean that lay there. Even though she had never seen it in person all she read and heard about it terrified her. ¡®The unseen that lay below¡­¡¯ she looked out towards the north. ¡®It¡¯s decided then¡­at least until I am stronger.¡¯ She smiled and felt finally free. Finally able to go on the adventure she dreamed about for years already, unable because of her limiting strength. ¡®I might even survive now if I¡¯m careful.¡¯ She knew she shouldn¡¯t get overconfident and knew that there were uncountable things out there that could rip her apart in the blink of an eye but she couldn¡¯t help but feel invincible. The sun set and Eleonora was ready for her unknown yet free future.

 Chapter 10 Yes apparently Im into caves

    Chapter 10 Yes apparently I''m into caves


    She woke up before the sun rose and looked confused into the horizon. ¡®No nightmares again¡­¡¯ she happily thought before looking at what was left of her camp below. She finished what the unknown beasts started and made sure that even an experienced tracker would need some time to recognize what he was looking at. Some tracks couldn¡¯t be erased after all.


    Then she walked north. Leaving the forest behind her, she entered the rocky and largely uncharted terrain. After walking for several hours, she encountered her first northerner. A white tiger like creature, freezing the ground wherever it threaded. ¡°Breathtaking¡­¡± she said as she let her pack fall to the ground and readied her halberd for the approaching predator. Its blue eyes fixated on her and It pounced. She couldn¡¯t keep up without her power and blocked the paws with the pole of her weapon, sliding back over a meter. Her tattoos started to show as she slashed towards the retreating tiger.


    They circled each other moving in and out without one of them getting the upper hand. After she dodged one of the beast¡¯s paws she managed to get a slash in on one of its hind legs. It instantly buckled and growled at her. She took a firm stance and slammed the back end of her weapons into the ground. A loud clunk resounded as she fixated her eyes on the beast¡¯s while she circled her power through herself. It broke eye contact and showed its back while walking away.


    ¡°Good boy¡­¡± she said, using a similar tactic she used on some wolves before. She didn¡¯t doubt that she could kill it but there was no need and she thought it a beautiful creature. ¡®Very old too¡­¡¯ she thought as she looked at the beautiful fur. When the thought of a comfortable blanket reached her mind the beast was already gone. She walked on as the winds got stronger and the temperature colder. The mountain range to the northeast was impassable but even here she could see the terrain rise to a height similar or higher than the mountain Dunewatch was built next to.


    So she climbed and soon found the first snow she¡¯d seen that year. Dunewatch would soon be covered too but another month or two would be needed. ¡®The latest time at which they¡¯d lose my tracks¡­¡¯ she thought as she looked down over the terrain she had traveled. She couldn¡¯t see the forest in the distance anymore. The sun was setting as she turned around with a smile and covered her face against the cold.


    She found a small crevice after a quick search and got into her sleeping bag. It didn¡¯t help much against the cold as only the wind was blocked by the crevice. ¡®Need to train it anyway¡­let¡¯s hope nothing is stupid or strong enough to walk through this storm¡­¡¯ she thought as she activated her power. The cold immediately vanished as the tattoos became visible. Eleonora kept her power active for several hours as she ate and tried to sleep. After unleashing one¡¯s magic, at least with an internal one it would need conscious will to not use it anymore so it was technically possible to sleep while it was active. Few did this because simply having it activated was a pretty inefficient way to train and one would suddenly wake up with a horrible headache.


    It was necessary in this situation though, otherwise Eleonora would likely freeze to death, even with her improved body. Considering her recent awakening even having the power active would improve her ability by a good margin. She found sleep after only a couple minutes and had a nightmare free night in the northern storms.


    Eleonora woke up to darkness and after a quick panic she punched through the snow in front of her and came out on the other side after digging for half a minute. Only after getting out did she realize her power was still on and she didn¡¯t have a headache at all. ¡®Interesting¡­I¡¯ll have to test further once I find a safer place to do so.¡¯ She thought as she deactivated it, dug out her pack and halberd and continued on her way north.


    The sight of the sun rising over the snowy wild lands was breathtaking and the next hours of walking were very enjoyable to Elly. She wasn¡¯t confronted in the morning by anything but had to hide for a while when a couple dangerous looking birds flew towards her. She didn¡¯t know the species but wasn¡¯t confident after feeling their power. Her magic was activated on and off while she tried to get used to both her normal and empowered new body. Her weapon was surprisingly not much of an issue, the weight and length difference to her wooden staff nearly unnoticeable to her.


    She travelled like this for several days, fighting when she had to and trying to keep her energy active as often as possible and for as long as possible. She didn¡¯t manage to reach the point of having a headache but she was cautious too not to overdo it either, let a stronger beast attack her.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The storms were vicious and sometimes prevented her to travel even with daylight. After nearly two weeks of this she found the entrance to a cave system. The change was welcome as she entered the frozen cave. She didn¡¯t feel anything inside and could neither see nor hear anything alive. It went deep and she couldn¡¯t explore all of it after a couple hours. ¡®This will do and I guess I can run away in different directions if I have to.¡¯ She thought as she found an open part of the cave with three tunnels leading away from it. Eleonora stored her things on some nearby rocks and again focused on feeling and hearing anything that might be a danger to her. There was nothing.


    So she started to train. Her power flaring to the highest possible output she managed at the time. The light of her tattoos was reflected by the ice on the walls around her as she twirled around with her halberd, slashing and dodging against an invisible foe. After an hour of this she started to attack parts of the stone wall and was surprised by both her strength and durability of the halberd. ¡®This weapon is much better made than I suspected, although I¡¯m no smith so that is a given¡­¡¯ she thought as she tried to remove the now deeply stuck weapon from its new sheath.


    Eleonora stayed in her little part of the cave for over two weeks, no animal or monster made itself seen. She couldn¡¯t make a fire as there was no wood but she had realized soon after reaching the snowy mountains that her new body wasn¡¯t as picky with what it was given. She ate raw meat from the beasts she had killed on her way to the cave but her rations were coming to an end.


    The pain started after five hours of active use and she could tolerate the pain for another three. ¡°Take that Jonathan¡­¡± she said when the pain overwhelmed her for the first time. He proudly proclaimed once to be able to continue for two hours after he reached his normal limit. Luckily the cave wasn¡¯t cold enough to kill her in her sleep. She had tested that when painfully staying awake in her sleeping bag for six hours straight.


    ¡®I need to hunt.¡¯ She thought as she finished her meal and saw there was only one more piece of meat remaining. ¡®So let¡¯s see what else this cave offers¡­¡¯ So she tried the two ways she hadn¡¯t went into before. One of them went on for around three hundred meters before she reached a dead end. Bones littered the ground. ¡®Peculiar¡­¡¯ she thought as she saw something behind the ice on one of the walls. She took her halberd and smashed through the ice. Her normal form now close to as powerful as she was empowered fighting against the six adventurers only a couple weeks prior. Her progress was astounding but it wasn¡¯t enough for her. She was several years behind after all.


    She knew of course that few her age would be able to stand up to even one gold level warrior but she wanted to go to the most dangerous places, and fight the most powerful beings. That was the goal of any adventurer, or it should be she thought. The thrill of the fight and the feeling of discovering a long forgotten ruin or new species of plant or animal. The legends and history books she had read fueled her in her pursuit. ¡®Maybe I¡¯ll even discover some old recipes¡­¡¯ she thought as the ice shattered before her and revealed a tattered old flag. She didn¡¯t recognize it and there was nothing else apart from the flag.


    The color had long faded from the fabric but a distinct symbol was recognizable. The flag was fastened to the wall, the metal used crumbled as soon as she got through. The fabric completely frozen, still held by the ice around it, sat there and stared back at the two green eyes looking at it. ¡®There were people here then, either an expedition or someone a long time ago. Perhaps there is habitable land after this endless white land of ice¡­¡¯ her adventurous nature awakened again to its highest she ran back to the intersection she trained at to try the last tunnel.


    She followed it for half an hour ¡®This is weird¡­¡¯ she thought as she noticed the walls were becoming more and more even. ¡®Somebody built this¡­¡¯ she concluded and her assumption was confirmed when she reached an open circular room. It was less cold than the tunnels before and she could feel magical energy in the walls around her. There was a door on the other end of the room, shut tight with glowing symbols on it. More importantly though there was a figure standing in the middle of the room.


    It was a two and a half meter high humanoid looking statue. Intricate lines and symbols covered all of its body and magic periodically pulsed through it. Eleonora walked around the room and didn¡¯t notice a change in any of it. She closed in on the figure and immediately fell into a defensive stance as she felt magic from the walls of the room flow into it. Blue eyes started to shine on the statues head as ice started to crack around its body. Then it moved. ¡®Fast¡¯¡­thought Eleonora as her tattoos flared up and she blocked the one edged nearly two meters long sword. Her arms trembled as she tried to withstand the pressure. After another three hits she knew there was no chance of her winning. She dodged another blow and moved backwards more and more, towards the exit.


    As soon as she reached the elevated platform, the statue stopped and went back to the center. Its eyes stopped glowing as it returned to its previous posture. She breathed out and sat down. ¡°Wow¡­you¡¯re one hell of a beast¡­.¡± She remarked. She sat there for a while ¡°A test maybe? Or a guardian?¡± she remarked. ¡°I could simply destroy the magical sources in the walls¡­but where¡¯s the fun in that¡­¡± she smirked as she approached the statue again. It reminded her of the knights that guarded the capital city of the Empire. She¡¯d only read descriptions but it seemed similar. ¡®Full plate armor and a hair like addition to the helm.¡¯ She got to full power as the statue charged her again, this time it was upon her even faster. She smiled as she blocked and dodged as well as she could. After two minutes a block nearly knocked the halberd out of her hands.


    She laughed out loud as she retreated and saw the knight move back to the center. ¡°This is PERFECT!!¡± she exclaimed and instantly ran back to the intersection, getting all of her supplies. ¡°A warmer place to stay and a training partner.¡± She realized halfway back that she still didn¡¯t solve the food problem, which dented her mood a little. She moved her stuff into the round room and reluctantly went back out, this time to hunt.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    She checked different tunnels for hours until she finally found a couple lux like creatures. They fell quickly under her attacks, one of them nearly managing to get a bite in. She killed three of them moved them back to her newfound training room.


    The girl with green shining eyes was circling the cautious knight as they exchanged blow after blow. An overhead swing by the knight was easily dodged by the girl. The knight crouched under her halberd and punched in her direction. She caught his fist in her left hand and kicked his leg, getting him off balance. She didn¡¯t use that chance to get a hit in and moved back again. The fight continued for over an hour, the untiring knight trying his best to best his foe. Eleonora stopped with a huge grin on her face. It¡¯s been two more weeks and she had improved considerably. She nearly destroyed the knight when she had gotten the first opening. Its defenses apparently much worse than its ability to attack.


    She could keep up her power without any pain for half an hour longer now and it was much stronger. Her unpowered body got much stronger too and she set her goal to be able to fight the knight without any magic before she would destroy it. Few would enjoy this kind of training and she stopped counting the times she nearly died after ten. Another ability she discovered was the powerful self-healing that occurred whenever her ability was active. It improved the more she got hurt and had to heal herself. She got hurt a lot and could now even see the difference when her power wasn¡¯t activated. She might have even gotten hit on purpose a couple times but the knight hit hard, even though her toughness increased as much as her speed and strength.


    ¡°Alright Tommy, another round?¡± she asked, as she jumped into the ring again. Their dance continued and was only interrupted by sleep, hunting or eating. She trained for a whole month like this before she could fight Tommy, the name given to him by his foe, toe to toe without using her magic. Another week and she would dominate. Her days could be considered boring and there certainly wasn¡¯t much variety. She continued for various reasons though. For one she loved fighting, as much as she loved sleeping, eating and reading. So she could do three of those things, although the food was pretty bad too because she ran out of spices and herbs after three weeks. The most important reason though was that she knew how hard it was to find an equal sparring partner, one that would fight to the death but would stop if a certain condition was met.


    She had basically found another Jonathan in this cave but she wasn¡¯t sure right now who would win if they fought again for real. The way she remembered he wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against her current self but as soon as he¡¯d get out of the city and started to hunt and kill for real she wasn¡¯t sure anymore. She grinned at the prospect of fighting him again, him not having to hold back at all¡­and maybe him being the one who bled for once.


    After all this time though she was sure that the knight couldn¡¯t offer her anything anymore except perhaps endurance training, but that she could do on her own anyway. She was ready to move on. ¡°Well Tommy¡­I guess this duel ends now¡­.I deeply thank you for your guidance.¡± She bowed ceremoniously to the knight who remained in his stoic stance. ¡°As always, my unshakable rock¡­¡± she jumped into the circle and blocked Tommy¡¯s attack. After dodging two more her halberd smashed through his head. Its body continued moving though, and only after removing both legs and arms did the statue collapse. She won without using her active magic. Eleonora started feeling a faint magic power around her even when she didn¡¯t actively use it a couple weeks ago already, this meant that both her normal form would be stronger but also easier to detect.


    She would have to find a way to disguise her power, both when active and inactive. Lest a being notices her that is much more powerful than her. ¡°How long has it been¡­.¡± She said as the symbols on the door receded too and it seemed to be openable now. Elly had lost her track of time without sunlight and her constant fighting.


    She felt that whatever she¡¯d find in the next room there was no danger. Elly grabbed her pack, that had gotten a lot lighter over the past weeks, and walked up to the door. She looked back towards the crumbled statue that had become somewhat of a partner and nodded her thanks again. Her emotional moment was broken when she couldn¡¯t open the door. The rock was likely stuck after hundreds of years of no use. So she hacked into it with her halberd.


    After long pounding noises light broke into the room as the tip of a blade cracked through the stone door. A girl soon followed as she looked into the pitch-black room. It was suddenly filled with red light as her power flared up, the air crackled with energy. She found a torch on one of the walls and lit it with her flint and halberd. She stood inside an empty corridor leading to another door of stone. Again she smashed through and found a dimly lit room on the other end. Not really a room, more a hall. ¡®What is this?¡¯ she thought as she walked further into it, extinguishing the torch as it was no longer necessary.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    There was a table with plates on it. ¡®Old...¡¯ she touched one of the plates and lifted it. Dust fell out of the metal plate. Eleonora continued through the room and found it rather similar to something you would find in a home in Dunewatch. There were some things she thought strange and she couldn¡¯t read any of the language but otherwise it was obviously just a house...a big and nice one but that¡¯s what it was. She found the front door of the house after investigating it. There was sadly nothing of interest to her. When she opened the door she found herself on a street.


    ¡®Marble, everything is marble...¡¯ she could see a way that lead upwards and followed it. After getting to the highest point she found herself on an observing platform. ¡®¡­.¡¯ Eleonora was at a loss of words as she stared at the city before her. Kilometers of perfect white marble spread before her until her eyes couldn¡¯t reach any further. A faint blueish light came from what she assumed the ceiling of the cave two thousand meters above her. ¡®Ain¡¯t that a find...¡¯ she thought. The city was bigger than Dunewatch she was sure of it.


    She stood there mesmerized by the sight for a couple minutes before she could think clearly again. ¡®It¡¯s quiet...¡¯ she noted. She couldn¡¯t see any movement and couldn¡¯t hear any noise coming from anywhere. Nothing at all. ¡®They left?¡¯ she didn¡¯t yet move. Her sense of adventure suppressed by the eerie silence and atmosphere. ¡®This is too big for me alone...¡¯ she nearly went back and wanted to get Dunewatch involved before she remembered that she was sort of wanted. ¡®I guess I have no choice but to find out what this place is...¡¯ she concluded and then jumped down onto the roof of a nearby building. After activating her magic she felt a strong energy coming from the presumed center of the city. A huge pyramid like building stood there, as big as the whole noble circle in Dunewatch.


    ¡®I don¡¯t like this...¡¯ goosebumps covered her body as she sensed the energy. ¡®What incredible power.¡¯ she moved again, jumping from building to building. After half an hour of traveling like this she could see the pyramid a little better. The buildings around it were higher than where she stood and generally more impressive ¡®City center probably, government and higher ups.¡¯ she concluded and moved on. When she was barely a couple kilometers away she heard a sound behind her.


    Eleonora¡¯s power activated as she barely evaded a massive two meter claw that cut deep into the marble where she just stood. She would have screamed at the sight but the adrenaline and her experience prevented it. She ran away from the creature, back to where she¡¯d come from. She had never ran as fast as she did right then before she had to evade another massive claw. The monster wouldn¡¯t ceases its attack and it was faster than her. Not by much but she wouldn¡¯t escape.


    Eleonora jumped onto the roof of one of the bigger buildings and steeled herself as she turned around. Before her landed an abomination. Four arms that morphed into claws at the end. A horribly disfigured head and torso with bones sticking out here and there. It looked worse than the shifter in its real form. Skin hung loosely from the beast before her as it quietly charged at her. The smell was probably the worst thing about it. ¡®Nothing should be able to smell like that...¡¯ she thought as she avoided one claw and blocked the other with her halberd. She stood her ground but the beast was relentless. It tirelessly hacked into her without giving her the chance to attack even once. She could only partially parry one of the claws and was flung away.


    Eleonora landed with grace and moved to the side. She had to think of a strategy. Standing there, her breathing calm and controlled she watched as the beast rushed her previous location and hacked into the stone there. It looked around, seemingly trying to sense her. ¡®It can¡¯t sense my magic...no eyes then?¡¯ she didn¡¯t let the opportunity go as she swung her halberd into the monster¡¯s side cutting deep. It didn¡¯t seem to care as it focused on her again and commenced the attack. ¡°Motherfucker¡± Elly said as she got into a defensive stance. The beast¡¯s attacks were powerful and fast but she quickly noted that they were less controlled and flawless as Tommy¡¯s had been. As her flight went on it got more and more easy for her to parry or evade its attacks. Her endurance allowed her to fight for hours before tiring so she had some time.


    She led the abomination away from the pyramid and realized that the further away the slower the beast got. Not by much, it was still as fast as her but not faster. After one parry her blade sliced through one of the beast¡¯s arms, completely removing it. She stayed focused and managed to remove the other front arm after a series of attacks. It didn¡¯t stop and simply turned around using the other side to attack. Without the speed and control of four legs it was only a matter of time though before none would remain.


    Eleonora stood before the still living but utterly silent torso of the nightmare she¡¯d fought for over an hour. ¡®Disgusting¡­.¡¯ she didn¡¯t dare make a sound as more might show themselves. The thing lay before her, its last arm next to it. She turned it around with her halberd and looked at it. ¡®Looks like a person...disfigured.¡¯ she thought about it for some time, standing above the abomination in silence. ¡®Could be some kind of demon spawn, I read that some had a resemblance to humans...but then I wouldn¡¯t be alive right now.¡¯ she lifted her halberd ¡®I don¡¯t want to think about it right now.¡¯ then swung downwards. The beast died.


    ¡®I need sleep¡­.and a distraction.¡¯ Elly ran back to where she entered the city, out into the cave system. After searching for an hour she found what she was looking for. Some wolves made their home inside the cave, they hunted small critters that lived in there with them to survive. ¡°I wanted to do this for a while...but now I REALLY need it.¡± She said as she approached the three wolves before her. They looked at her in fear feeling her power. When she actually activated it they whimpered and tried to clumsily get away. She approached them slowly and then touched one of them on its head, then rubbed it.


    After twenty minutes of careful conditioning she was cuddling with three still slightly terrified wolves and caressed their fur. ¡°You guys know I only let you live because you¡¯re warm?¡± she asked and the only response was more whimpering. She fed them some of the meat she had left from a previous hunting trip, not wolf meat obviously. They lay there for hours, the wolves getting more and more comfortable around her. She long since didn¡¯t use her power in its activated form anymore. She soon fell asleep in a ball of three wolves, each nearly as big as her.

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    Eleonora Acantha woke up to a wolf licking her face. She laughed and cuddled with it before suddenly shooting up and running down the tunnel. ¡®Am I insane...how stupid am I??¡¯ she told herself as she reached Tommy¡¯s arena. She quietly made her way towards the corridor and noticed that the dust in it wasn¡¯t disturbed. At least not by a four legged abomination. Sighing she stood there and saw the beast¡¯s head in her mind, remembering something Mike had told her once, about fear being the real enemy. The frail looking girl knew then, that if she didn¡¯t walk through that corridor right now, she would never have the courage again to do so.


    After ten minutes of standing there a clunk could be heard as the girl¡¯s pack fell to the ground. Red energy started to surround her as tattoos came to life all over her body. Her expression turned resolute as her green eyes glowed in the dim room. And then she walked. ¡°The night is dark...¡± she said as she entered the tunnel. ¡°...yet here I stand.¡± she finished the old saying as she emerged from the corridor.


    No further words were spoken by her as she rushed to the center of the marble city. She moved as quietly as she could and as soon as she felt herself close enough she started to throw stones. Closer and closer she got to the pyramid before she found what she was looking for. An abomination similar to the one she had killed before attacked the spot where her stone landed. Then she moved, the beast following close behind her. As soon as she reached a big roof she threw what she held in her free hand into the air.


    Dozens of small stones fell in a radius of five meters as she silently moved to a different spot. The beast landed and attacked. ¡®I was right...¡¯ she thought but no smile spread on her face, the fear too recent. A clean cut slashed right through one of the monster¡¯s front arms and this time the fight only continued for twenty minutes before it lay dead before her. ¡°Let the hunt begin then...¡± she said, as the trace of a smile grew on her face. In the next five hours Eleonora slaughtered twenty of the beasts. On the twenty first one the beast managed to slash her. Her arm nearly came off as she used the opportunity to stab through its whole torso, killing it instantly.


    ¡®It¡¯s not healing.¡¯ she looked at her arm, her red energy seemingly fighting against something else, burning it slowly. This continued for a couple minutes before her arm started healing again. It was back to normal in a couple minutes. ¡®Is it poison?¡¯ she wasn¡¯t sure but swore to herself to be even more cautious when fighting them.


    When she returned to Tommy¡¯s room she found a happy surprise. The three wolves had moved and nearly jumped her as she came out of the corridor. ¡°Oh my god, I love you guys...¡± she said as she drowned in a charge of fluffiness. She slept for a couple hours before going back in there, fairly sure that the abominations wouldn¡¯t leave the pyramid on their own and if it came to that she now had three alarm dogs around her.


    After that day Eleonora fell into a rhythm. She would explore the city for four hours, trying to find and move anything interesting to Tommy¡¯s room before killing abominations for six hours. There was no higher reward in her mind and the beasts were no direct threat to her, she confirmed that they wouldn¡¯t move further out after only a couple days, but there was something wrong with letting them exist. She HAD to kill them, all of them. There was something she felt was wrong with those beings, something that disturbed her greatly but she couldn¡¯t quite explain what it was.


    The days went by as she continued her routine, weirdly feeling stronger every day. Progress was normal, especially for an Awakened but she sometimes thought she literally felt much stronger after a couple days. She also could more and more easily deal with the corrupted, as she came to call the abominations, and sometimes even fought two or three at a time now. After a couple months of this Tommy¡¯s room was nearly full of things she was slightly interested in. Books mostly, and things she hadn¡¯t ever seen before. After two weeks she didn¡¯t even have to hunt for food anymore as her three companions took care of that for her. The critters they brought weren¡¯t much but they hunted more and more to feed their new alpha, or Queen as she liked to think of it. Plus she rewarded them with cuddles so it was fine.Stolen novel; please report.


    Eleonora tried to learn the foreign language but was unable to grasp any of it, even after over half a year in the city. She was fairly sure the city itself was called Isindur and it was part of an empire or kingdom called Usir, or the other way around. Some of the letters were similar to the common language that at least most of Trinesfall, Karith and the southern kingdoms spoke but there was too much she didn¡¯t understand. Her lack of education earlier in life didn¡¯t allow her to grasp a foreign language, at least not this fast. She found some maps along the way, which helped her prioritize places to search. Searching all of the city would take one person more than a lifetime she thought. It was massive, Duneswatch with its nearly hundred thousand citizens couldn¡¯t come close to what Isindur had once been.


    The more she learned about the city the more she formed some theories about what might have happened. How could so many people live here, so far below the earth in the icy climate of the north? How could they get food and energy? And most importantly where had they gone? Eleonora realized that the only answer to their disappearance lay in the abominations she was slaying day after day. They must have once been citizens of this city. She wasn¡¯t sure how it happened and what it caused but her best guess was that there were answers in the central pyramid of Isindur.


    Two years passed like this as she started to decipher the language of Usir and her collection of documents, books, artifacts and art reached far into the cave system she had come to call home. She still fought and killed the corrupted, a need that she could never quite shake off. She could at that point fight countless corrupted at the same time and slaughtered her way through the streets of Isindur which she now knew nearly as well as her old home in Dunewatch, at least parts of it around the center. Her search only included important historical or government buildings that were marked on the maps and her fighting was limited to the center of the city. Tens of thousands had fallen to her blade but her task would not end soon. The city had once held over five hundred thousand and although she thought it impossible for the center to hold that many, she knew it would take a long time to even just reach the pyramid. Eleonora would doubtlessly have given up or would have broken under the loneliness of the new purpose she found in this city of old, were it not for the wolves that now came closer to family than her mother ever could. They had cubs along the way and with her help became the dominant species of the cave system. Eleonora improved every day and neither the fighting nor scavenging became any less interesting to her. Quite the opposite, as she got stronger the fights got more exciting and with her starting to understand the language all of what she collected held more and more meaning.


    The core of her resilience in a situation like this was something that she didn¡¯t expect in the beginning though. It was the corrupted. She didn¡¯t have hard evidence yet but she was sure that they were once human. In that she felt like with every corrupted she slew another soul was freed.


    In the summer the harsh temperatures would became less extreme and it became possible to leave the cave, even for the wolves. Whatever they managed to hunt she stored for the other parts of the year. Eleonora didn¡¯t limit her scavenging to the city itself but explored the cave system as well. It wasn¡¯t as big as she expected and after the first year she had mapped it out completely. There were several species living in it. She killed everything stronger than her wolves, allowing them to thrive. Nothing was comparably strong to the corrupted.


    In the lowest parts of the caves mushrooms grew, which brought some direly needed variety to her diet. Not that her body needed it but what she missed most about her old life was the food and the seasonings.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s see where we¡¯ll go today...¡± talking to herself Eleonora was studying the map before her that showed parts of the north east side of the city. A map with all of Isindur on it wouldn¡¯t help her find much, perhaps as a wall carpet but she wasn¡¯t lucky enough to find one yet. Countless marks were all over the map before her, some were already on it and some she had added. ¡°Now where have I seen you before...¡± the wolf beside her cuddled up to her side as she scratched him behind his ear and inspected a symbol on the map. She got up and opened a piece of parchment after looking for it in a closed shelf.


    ¡°Here it is¡­.that¡¯s...¡± she looked towards the corridor ¡°here.¡± she finished. ¡°Another passage then?¡± she hadn¡¯t found a single one in her two years in Isindur. No big doors or massive gates that lead towards an outside world. It seemed the people of this city lived in complete isolation, which didn¡¯t make much sense to her. With the first target of the exploration set she got up and walked through her home, enjoying the feeling of the carpet on her bare feet. Eleonora dressed herself in light and easy to move in Usir clothing which consisted of black pants and a long sleeved dark shirt, covered by a black jacket and light armor. She didn¡¯t know the material but it seemed comparable to steel, much lighter though and it could withstand a direct hit from a corrupted.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    Eleonora had found the armor in what she assumed was an army building. Most of it was too big for her but apparently the commander or whomever had owned the massive room at the top of the structure was rather slim, likely female she thought but she didn¡¯t want to assume a gender. She had tested its durability by throwing a bigger one at a corrupted which immediately attacked it. The armor was only severely damaged after two hits.


    Elly looked at herself in the rather royal mirror, which she had carried through half the city, and smiled at the still spotless armor. ¡°Two years and not a single hit...¡± she said, not counting all the times she had nearly lost an arm or leg, her healing preventing her from dying. The corruption didn¡¯t stand a chance against her strong healing anymore. Not after two years of cuts and bruises. It wasn¡¯t poison but the corruption itself she concluded, after testing with one of the creatures from the cave that annoyed her more than any others. It showed similarities to her foes after she sliced it with a severed corrupted claw.


    Eleonora got her trusted halberd and moved through the curtains that now hung at the corridor entrance. Her weapon felt the same as two years ago, its metal as strong as anything she¡¯d found in the city. The only difference was that Elly didn¡¯t even notice its weight anymore, not that it was ever an issue.


    She came out on the other end of the corridor, now barred and guarded with huge metal spikes. Not that it would make a difference against the corrupted but it helped her sleep and it marked a barrier between her home and her battlefield, at least mentally. Moving into the city and one of its many empty houses had never occurred to her, the whole place felt dreadful and deserted. She closed the makeshift gate behind her and looked upon Isindur with her green eyes. ¡°The night is dark...¡± she said ¡°...for here I come.¡± her form blurred as she ran towards her destination, jumping from roof to roof, her weight and power leaving cracks on the marble.


    Three corrupted that strayed a little farther than most crossed her path as they silently charged the black haired woman before them. ¡°Only three.¡± she said as she parried the first beast with her weapon. The killing blow followed instantly. A side swipe of her halberd severed two arms of the beast on her right as she moved a single step in its direction to evade a claw from her left. Her blade pierced the monster and she finished the injured one with a final slash before continuing on, her tattoos still unseen.


    Even with her speed she needed nearly an hour to get to the place marked on her map. It was on the opposite side of the city as her home. The faint light coming from the ceiling high above let her see the building she was looking for. It was huge, not higher than any of the adjacent buildings but nearly as long and wide as some of the biggest structures she¡¯d searched so far. After entering Eleonora found herself inside a massive marble hall. There were tables and benches all over and at the end of it a line of receptions could be seen. She disregarded the items scattered all around the place as she approached the receptions.


    Not the receptions itself but what she saw behind them made her curious. A massive passageway. ¡°It leads downwards...¡± she said. Nothing she¡¯d found so far led further down than a couple dozen meters. Cellars, underground storage and what she thought of as a dungeon were built into the stone below but nothing to this degree. She followed the massive tunnel that was easily two hundred meters wide and fifty high for ten minutes before she started to run. After another hour she paused and looked up. ¡°I¡¯ve long since crossed where the city should have ended.¡± she said to herself ¡°Is this another part of it?¡± the slope wasn¡¯t steep and became even less so as time went on. Pillars started to appear around her as the ceiling rose. It actually stayed at the same height but combined with the slope the distance to the ground increased.


    The tunnel soon stopped going down and after another couple hundred meters Eleonora stood before a massive closed gate. It was nearly a hundred meters wide and just as high. ¡°Now, how am I going to open You up?¡± she asked, not truly expecting the door to answer. After looking around for a couple minutes she found a small door to the right of the gate, leading to what she assumed was a control room. Magically powered machines and pipes covered the walls as she walked through it. ¡°An immense power would be necessary to even start this whole thing up, let alone move that massive gate.¡± she mused, again impressed by the craftsmanship of Isindur. There was no way to the other side. This didn¡¯t stop Elly as she looked up and started to climb up some pipes after attaching the halberd to her back. She had added two small pliers to her armor that would snap around her weapon and keep it in place if needed.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Smithing was certainly not her profession of choice but she had time and attaching a couple pieces of metal to a backplate wasn¡¯t exactly a master¡¯s craft. After climbing for a couple minutes she entered a small shaft. A massive contraption like this could after all not go without maintenance. She had to remove her halberd again, not enough room for it to be in a vertical position.


    Standing now at what she assumed the opposite side of the gates she swung her halberd at the metal. A loud noise traveled through the shaft. ¡°Not a dent...¡± neither the wall nor her halberd were stronger. ¡°Well if not the wall...¡± Elly said as she looked up and climbed higher, soon reaching the ceiling. No metal covered it but undoubtedly much of the outer walls reached far into the rock. ¡°Let¡¯s start then.¡± her weapon dug into the stone above as she attacked it with all of her non empowered strength. The digging didn¡¯t take long as she found the edge of the metal wall only twenty meters higher up. ¡°Hah, only twice as tall as the wall of Dunewatch. Not as impressive as I thought...¡± she remarked sarcastically and punched through the rock.


    She had to dig down again to actually reach the tunnel on the other side. Looking down at the ground she let herself fall. The air rushed around Elly before she gracefully landed in a slight crouch. The force of a hundred meter landing barely noticeable to her. The ground was covered in a slight film of snow. ¡°The third winter already.¡± her breath clearly seen in the cold air. ¡°So Isindur wasn¡¯t all...¡± a valley opened up before Eleonora, mountains to the left and right. Buildings covered most of it, some made with stone, some with marble. A lake claimed nearly a third of the valley, touching the snowy hills to the left.


    Compared to the city inside the mountain behind her she could see trees in the valley. Many had grown around and into the buildings, showing the incredible age of this civilization. Even more so when considering that they had little time each year to grow, as even the summers were cold and short.


    The sun was already setting and Eleonora considered going back to her home. Her curiosity overwhelmed her though as she took her first steps towards the city before her. It was around a fifth the size of Isindur. ¡°As big as Dunewatch.¡± She stopped near a tree and touched its bark as she thought about what to do, where to start. ¡°Should I prioritize exploring Isindur or maybe..¡± her monologue was interrupted as the snow behind her shifted, revealing a snow covered corrupted, his clawed arms already closing in on her. It was too close and fast for her to evade, not without her power. It didn¡¯t matter though as she couldn¡¯t see or hear any more of the beasts.


    One of the claws cut into her leg and stopped already before the bone while the other easily sliced through the tree. Eleonora caught its claw with her hand, blood flowing from it as the beast struggled to slice through her. Her halberd blurred as it entered the beasts torso. Removing the claw from her leg she scanned her surroundings. ¡°Clever girl...¡± she whispered as she yanked her weapon free in a spray of blood. Her leg was already healing and it would only take another minute for it to be back to normal.


    ¡°So far out...¡± looking at the corrupted before her she concentrated on the magic around her. ¡°I can¡¯t sense the pyramid at all...¡± resuming her walk she was now more on alert, ready for any sudden movements ¡°There must be another source of power here...¡± not feeling anything but the normal amount of magic in the space around her she was perplexed ¡°They might have followed someone out here and got stranded after they lost the pyramid.¡± She had tested how far away the corrupted would follow but they never stopped, not until they couldn¡¯t hear or feel her anymore. She became rather proficient in hiding both her magic and her general stealth trying to get away from a swarm she accidentally drew to herself. They always left for the pyramid again after a while.


    ¡°What if they don¡¯t have the pyramid to guide them though.¡± her conclusion about the buried corrupted made sense to her ¡°That means there were people unaffected by the corruption...maybe even people that survived.¡± she got excited at the thought of meeting one of the survivors when she realized it had been hundreds if not thousands of years since a living thing walked the streets of Isindur.


    The sun had set as she arrived at a big building overgrown with trees, cracking the stone around them. She encountered only two corrupted on the way but seeing how she was more in an exploring than fighting mood she tried to hide herself as well as possible. The corrupted didn¡¯t emit magical energy though, didn¡¯t make a single sound and didn¡¯t move up until they attacked so detecting them was very difficult. The smell was normally the only thing but covered by snow and ice even that didn¡¯t help Eleonora much as she quickly dispatched of them before entering the building.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I slept under an open sky...¡± remembering her nights in Honhill she prepared to sleep on the roof of the building. The cold wouldn¡¯t be a danger to her, not anymore. And the corrupted wouldn¡¯t move until they sensed or heard something. If there was no corrupted attacking her now, there wouldn¡¯t be in a hundred years. The stars shined above and below as the lake reflected the cloudless night. Eleonora fell asleep with thoughts of the past.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    Two months earlier...


    Another beast finally went down as her blade removed its last leg. An open cut on her shoulder she would soon have to heal. ¡®Just one more...¡¯ she thought, as she walked on. ¡°You¡¯re wounded Selena, and it¡¯s getting dark¡± the deep voice cleared her mind and she stopped in her tracks. ¡°You¡¯re right Selmar.¡± she sheathed her two swords and joined her companion, a huge man, armed with a greatsword and a wooden staff. They walked back to their camp, an old watchtower from the empire of Usir. ¡°We¡¯re getting closer.¡± the man remarked as he waved at the guard standing on top of the tower.


    Another guard saluted as they entered the shelter. ¡°The closer we get the more of those...things...we encounter.¡± she said, with a bitter tone in her voice. ¡°And the more we encounter, the more we can kill.¡± a third voice joined their conversation as the burly woman sitting to their left exclaimed, drinking deep from a waters skin. ¡°Fuck how I miss beer...¡± she said, with a longing look in her eyes. Selena ignored her, the scene having repeated itself more than she could count. ¡®Nearly three years already...¡¯ thinking back to the start of their expedition Selena couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    It was a fruitless expedition. Her friend thought it a grand idea to conquer the north but all they found was death and ice, the only thing driving them the dream of glory. And the shame upon themselves should they return without it. Her friend sighed as he approached the ice mage standing around a table with her companions, looking at a map on top of it. ¡°Report.¡± he stated as he joined them.


    Alice bowed her head, the silver hair covering the beautiful face beneath. ¡°We scouted another five kilometer to the south, more villages and more...monsters.¡± she paused, looking at the ground ¡°Another guard has died. Ron. He was pierced through the heart, no chance for healing or removing a limb. I¡¯m sorry.¡± the man closed his eyes ¡°Only twenty one remaining...¡± he murmured as he looked at the map on the table. ¡°I¡¯m sure you did your best Alice. You and your group¡¯s contribution will be rewarded.¡± a promise he had made three years ago, the fulfillment of it becoming more and more doubtful as the days passed.


    ¡°We¡¯re close now.¡± he stated, the map showing more and more marks. ¡°Lucien.¡± his voice getting the attention of another man sitting a couple meters away, books and papers strewn around him. ¡°Any new insights?¡± he finished, looking at the mage and scholar. ¡°Ah yes...¡± Lucien got up and joined them at the table. ¡°I have translated more, the language won¡¯t be much of a problem in another one or two months. Sadly most of the books seem to be simple stories, military records or history would help me much more at understanding what we discovered.¡± he tapped his finger on the map, a part yet left blank ¡°This is the direction we want to continue in. What I have gathered from the stories is that the people of Usir were a very religious bunch. They built their homes facing some sort of central spiritual place. I¡¯m not sure how to translate the word but some sort of source is mentioned in several of the books, even in stories.¡± He connected the discovered villages that formed an angle. ¡°If I¡¯m right they would have settled around that source, trying to be as close as possible, with space needed they moved further away.¡± he got another piece of parchment from the ground as he started to draw.


    ¡°So like a big circle?¡± asked the biggest man in the room. ¡°Yes Peter! Like a big circle, and at the center of it lies what we¡¯ve been looking for all this time...¡± the hope in Lucien¡¯s voice was apparent and the mood in the room barely lifted as they thought of the prospect. They had felt hope when they found a flag deep in the north, hung on a tree. It had taken them over a year to find the place it belonged to. And now it was filled with abominations. For months they had been fighting to explore as much as they had already, Lucien the only one remaining with somewhat of a high spirit.


    He finished the drawing, a circle with numbers all over. ¡°So if my calculations are right, and Josh correct me if I¡¯m wrong...¡± he looked towards the healer of the adventurer group ¡°...then the source, whatever it is, lies around ten kilometers farther north.¡± He placed a nearby rock in the middle of his drawing to solidify his point. The group thought about it before Josh scratched his beard and said ¡°A goal then. A target we can focus on.¡± he looked at the group, their eyes fixed on his ¡°We¡¯ve been out here for three years, fighting and surviving without something as clear as this. I say it¡¯s the best we have, the best we¡¯ll ever have.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Some nodded, most of the guards having joined them as well. ¡°It¡¯ll take ages to clear all those villages out though...¡± one of them exclaimed and getting some nods and murmurs of approval ¡°Who says we have to?¡± Selena asked, getting their attention ¡°Those beasts wait in the snow, they don¡¯t move and seem to have no purpose. What if we ignore them and go straight to the center, who cared about some villages?¡± murmuring and discussions broke out in the tower, their next steps uncertain.


    ¡°What do you say?¡± Selmar looked at Alice who only nodded. ¡°It¡¯s decided then, let¡¯s just hope they won¡¯t fall in our backs.¡± he finished as he left the table. The atmosphere was lifted immediately as an old, nearly forgotten purpose filled the group. They weren¡¯t wandering around aimlessly anymore, simply fighting for their survival.


    They were ready and well rested the next day as the crippled mounted the few horses they still had. Not many had remained after being in the north for so long, the new enemies didn¡¯t help, as they sliced the horses apart from their hideouts in the snow.


    Traveling towards the supposed center of Usir the group of thirty made good time. They didn¡¯t move too fast, always ready for an enemy to jump from the ground. After a couple hours Selmar stopped. ¡°The storm is getting too thick. We need to take shelter, lest a single one of those things might spell disaster.¡± Alice nodded and sent two of her adventurers out to scout the immediate area. Their expertise in stealth would prevent too many of the monsters to see them. Four of the guards left the group as well, trained in scouting and stealth.


    Selena was nervous, not liking the thought of those beasts in her back. Even though she knew they likely were mindless monsters only reacting to movement or sound she didn¡¯t like it. After encountering the first of them they had talked only in whispers whenever they arrived in uncharted territory, more noise only drawing additional foes.


    Walking up to Selmar she whispered ¡°What are you thinking?¡± stopping next to him she looked into the white snow before them. ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡± he said ¡°You¡¯ve been feeling it too haven¡¯t you?¡± his head turning to her, his blue eyes sad yet firm. ¡°Those things aren¡¯t natural...and I don¡¯t mean that they¡¯re Demons or normal beasts. I can¡¯t detect any magical energy from them...¡± Selena kept looking in front of her ¡°They could be hiding their energy. I don¡¯t disagree with you though, something here isn¡¯t right. I¡¯d rather be fighting Demons to be honest.¡± remembering the encounter she had with one of them nearly a decade ago she shook her head, trying to forget it again. ¡°These things here are even worse...¡±


    Selmar put a heavy hand on her shoulder and they kept silent until the scouts returned. ¡°Nothing here¡± reported on of the guards, the rest of them also returning unsuccessful. Alice motioned for them to join her as her scouts returned too. ¡°Linda found a cave nearby, it¡¯s big enough to hold all of us.¡± whispering she motioned to the slim girl next to her with a bow strapped to her back. Selmar nodded towards her and motioned for her to lead the way ¡°Let¡¯s not waste anymore time out here then.¡±


    The expedition group continued after a day in the cave, the storm too much to guarantee save traveling, even without monsters waiting under their boots.


    ¡°Cover me!¡± Linda shouted, Peter jumping in front of her, his huge form blocking the two beasts that were about to get to her. Loud bangs rang out as their claws rebounded on his massive tower shield as he was struggling to press against them. Two arrows were released from Linda¡¯s bow, traveling only around ten meters as they entered a monster¡¯s torso, distracting it as Matt cut two of its legs off in quick succession. Erica¡¯s ax buried itself deeply into the maimed beast, killing it quickly.


    ¡°...into the cold of winter!¡± Alice finished her incantation as her spell reached its maximum power. Two ice lances flew downwards and pierced the two monsters still trying to get around Peter¡¯s shield. They were stuck on the ground as Peter finished one off with a swing of his sword as an arrow pierced the other one. ¡°Reform¡± Alice¡¯s voice getting their attention as they ran towards her and continued running towards the group of guards fighting another two monsters, not faring as well as they had.


    One guard was already dead on the ground, the poison already turning him into their enemy. The other two were trying their best to stay alive, relief on their faces as the Rising Moon came to their rescue. By no means were the guards weak, they were the best in their old lives but the north had changed their perception of strength. These beasts not being close to the strongest being they had encountered in the past three years. They were by far the fastest and most vicious though. If they had an advantage in numbers not even the Rising Moon would survive for very long, the famous adventurer group priding themselves in great teamwork.


    The two beasts fell with their combined efforts. The turning guard dispatched and his dog tags removed they regrouped with Selmar and Selena. ¡°Pierce.¡± Alice said as Selmars grip around his weapons tightened. ¡®That makes it 29.¡¯ he thought as he looked around to see his men and women exhausted from the fight of the past days.


    The sun settled over the village as Selmar returned his gaze from the overgrown houses to the interior of their lodgings. The embers of a small fire still warmed the room as the group sat around it. ¡°Lucien how does it look?¡± Josh asked the man sitting above his maps filled with scribbles. ¡°Another week or two and we should reach it.¡± Lucien looked towards the group ¡°...or...or a little longer...¡± he had told them it would only take two more weeks to reach the center over a month ago.


    They hadn¡¯t accounted for the increase in beast attacks. The closer they got the more of them lured in the snow and abandoned houses. More villages, streets and even a small city were found as they closed in on their target. Twenty five of them were remaining, their injured had died to an especially bad attack where they couldn¡¯t be covered. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have made it.¡± Selena told him and he knew she was right, but losing so many of his most trusted men and women so close to their goal. It was agonizing. The only thing he could do was to push on, and so they did.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    ¡®Blocked too...¡¯ the slender woman passed silently between the houses, carefully looking for an opening in the enemy lines. ¡®There are just too many...¡¯ she though as she held her breath, nearly alerting one of the beasts standing around a corner. She sneaked back to their shelter in a cellar of a massive building they cleared out before. The distance was only a hundred meters but she needed over half an hour to reach it, dodging the slowly moving creatures all around her, now knowing the distance they could feel her suppressed power or hear her silent steps.


    Emerging silently from the door, Linda shook her head at the questioning glances of her companions. Nobody had died in the past four weeks but their goal seemed more and more unachievable. ¡°There has to be a way...¡± Alice muttered as she looked at the map before her, several spots left blank. ¡°Are you sure this is the way?¡± she looked at Lucien who was absorbed in a book he had found in the cellar. ¡°YES! The more I read and understand the more I am sure this is the way!¡± he said excitedly before a hand covered his mouth. Peter only lifted a finger to his mouth before releasing him again. ¡°Sorry, sorry...¡± Lucien had an apologetic look on his face as he looked at the bulk of a man before him.


    ¡°We only have to get up there, I¡¯m sure we¡¯re very close.¡± he continued in a whisper. If it wasn¡¯t for his expertise in understanding patterns, maps and history that he proved and proved again they would¡¯ve started to doubt this whole endeavor a long time ago. ¡°There are too many, the steps are full of them.¡± Linda whispered and marked his map on the relevant spots. ¡°Is it the only way up?¡± Matt asked ¡°The only passable ones¡­.except you wish to climb.¡± Linda said, then thinking about it she marked two spots on the map. ¡°These would be the best bets to actually make a climb but once we¡¯re up there...¡± she looked towards Alice ¡°..we¡¯re not going down again.¡± Alice finished.


    The noise of the climbing and falling ice would alert many of the beasts below and once they were up, it would be swarming below and thus sealing their way back. ¡°What about your magic?¡± Selena asked Alice who thought about it but ultimately shook her head ¡°Twenty five people is too many, I could maybe do three people including myself.¡±


    ¡°Then we just split up. You take me and Selena first, we find a shelter and wait for you to take the others. It will take days if not weeks but honestly what else but time do we have at this point?¡± Selmar made his point and nobody argued. It was the safest option they had. Linda went out again to scout the two possible points of ascent, leaving in but a whisper of wind. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for Linda and Matt to go first?¡± Josh asked ¡°They could scout out whatever is up there already.¡± Selmar thought about it but ultimately declined ¡°They¡¯re the ones that could get us out if the beasts make an unexpected move. We two might be able to avoid them without Linda¡¯s help but the twenty two of you likely wouldn¡¯t. So it¡¯s a safer choice to keep them with the bigger group. They¡¯ll come up once there are less people down here.¡±


    Josh nodded and so they waited. Trying to occupy themselves surrounded by the untiring monsters they¡¯d been fighting for months now. ¡°What do you think they are?¡± Peter broke the silence with a whispered question, asking nobody in particular. The room stayed silent for a minute before Matt answered ¡°There are no skulls...no skeletons.¡± he stated. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Erica asked. ¡°We haven¡¯t found a single skeleton. There must¡¯ve been thousands living in this place. No idea how they did it in such a climate but there was definitely something living here. And now they¡¯re not anymore. No skulls though, no skeletons.¡± the room was silent again.


    ¡°So either they all left everything they had behind...¡± Peter said ¡°...or they¡¯re still here.¡± Matt finished. An eerie atmosphere filled the room. ¡°What are we gonna do once we find this...source?¡± Erica asked Lucien who didn¡¯t answer for a while. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m still not sure what exactly it is. All the books and documents I¡¯ve studied so far have been talking about it rather mysteriously. I need more information, military or government information. Even if the people thought of it as some sort of godly thing there must¡¯ve been people who knew more, handled it or communicated with it. I do believe it was the reason these people could live in such a climate...or the climate just wasn¡¯t the same back then.¡± he thought for a while before continuing.


    ¡°There is little mention of grass or flowers in the things I¡¯ve read though so I¡¯m assuming it was always cold up here. I can¡¯t say for certain though. As I said, I need more info, I¡¯m sorry.¡± he looked down on the ground. ¡°What are you sorry for?¡± Selena asked ¡°Without you we¡¯d still be fighting these things in some village kilometers from here.¡± Their conversation got broken up as a stumbling Linda returned, immediately making Josh move towards her while whispering ¡°Mother of light, lend me power. Let thy touch fill my hands with your blessing.¡± he reached Linda and touched her on the wound on her shoulder and right thigh.


    They sat down as the others approached and watched as Josh¡¯s energy fought against the poison that tried to consume her. It took ten minutes for both his energy and the poison to fade. Linda breathed out a deep breath and closed her eyes. ¡°Sorry, I was careless¡­.thank you¡± they let her rest for a while before waking her up again. Josh closed her wounds before that. They didn¡¯t even want to think about Josh not being there, only some of the guards having healing abilities, only for their own bodies though.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Linda explained the situation after recovering. She first scratched through one of the points of ascent ¡°That one¡¯s impossible. There is a building in the cliff itself and I saw movement in there. They¡¯d catch us as we climbed.¡± so she pointed to the other point she marked before. ¡°This is it, we can leave whenever you¡¯re ready. We still have some daylight left so I advise leaving now.¡± Selmar looked towards Alice and Selena who both nodded their agreement. ¡°Let¡¯s be on our way then.¡± they didn¡¯t question Linda¡¯s capability to return so fast after being injured, knowing each other¡¯s abilities well after the three years they spent together.


    ¡°If nobody returns wait at least a week or two before making any moves. George you have the lead from our side.¡± Selmar said as he nodded towards one of the guards. Everybody said their goodbyes, knowing fully that this could be the last time they saw their companions.


    Stalking through the streets Selmar, Selena and Alice followed Linda as they closed in on what she scouted as a good spot to climb. They reached it after twenty minutes of sneaking, having to stop several times to avoid prowling monsters. Linda signaled that this was the spot and nodded towards each of them before disappearing again into the shadows. Selmar tried to spot her again but failed. Impressed again by the rogue of the Rising Moon they started their climb. It was a slow ascent, Alice having to use her power to stop ice from falling or cracking many times over.


    Grabbing the edge of the cliff Selmar lifted himself up before helping the other two. Selena sat down as they looked over the sight before them. ¡°A valley...¡± Selmar whispered ¡°this city is as big as Dunewatch...¡± he remarked, looking at the overgrown buildings, the sun reflected on the lake that covered a third of the valley on its right side. ¡°Beautiful...¡± Selena said. A quiet reverence lay over the city. ¡°We¡¯ll have to find shelter for the night, Alice you return so you can get two more up here tomorrow.¡± Selmar said as he scanned the immediate surroundings. They were standing on a cliff overlooking the city before them, descending wouldn¡¯t be an issue, doing so unnoticed was a different thing ¡°I¡¯ll get you down there before I leave.¡± Alice said as he felt a small amount of magic flare around her.


    Selmar pointed towards a big building a couple hundred meters away on the left edge of the city ¡°That¡¯s where we¡¯ll be staying.¡± he said before pointing to two different buildings ¡°And those are backup if we can¡¯t enter or stay at the first one for whatever reason.¡± Alice only nodded before they descended. Reaching the ground in complete silence Alice nodded before going back up.


    Selmar looked at Selena before silently sneaking towards their destination. They stepped lightly as they closed in to the building they set as their goal. A loud ringing resounded in the silent valley as Selena blocked a claw with her two curved swords, her power flaring up to its maximum. She stepped backwards as she could feel magic surge next to her. They had to be quiet, killing one of those beasts was rarely quiet though. Selena blocked again before Selmar¡¯s greatsword removed one of the beast¡¯s arms. Selena dodged below its other arm before removing it. He finished it with a blow to its torso, cutting deeply.


    They stood there and waited for a minute before they were sure no others were alerted. No more of the beasts attacked them on their careful way to the building. The doors were barred and no opening could be seen. Selmar motioned upwards and they climbed the two story structure, trees breaking the stone here and there. On top they were illuminated by the now already low sun. ¡°There¡¯s an opening here¡± Selena whispered and pointed towards it. ¡°The sun will be down in another fifteen minutes.¡± he looked towards the opening. ¡°What do you think?¡± he looked at Selena ¡°The other places are just as uncertain, the cold out here would be dangerous in the night though. We should risk it.¡±


    He nodded as he threw a rock into the opening. Nothing moved. ¡°Second floor clear then.¡± he said as he descended into the darkness. Selena following close behind the air around them wavered as their magic filled the room, ready for their foes. The second floor was indeed clear. They could see reasonably well in the dark as the sunlight still shined through the cracks in the wall. Nonetheless Selmar removed a torch from his small pack. Sparks lit up his face as the torch caught fire.


    They silently checked the room before descending the stairs. The floor was darker than the one above, the windows barred completely and no trees growing into it. They silently checked the room they found themselves in when a clanking resounded. Selmar glanced at Selena who had an apologetic look on her face, carefully moving away her foot from the rusty bucked she accidentally touched.


    Sounds filled the room as the clacking of claws against stone floor resounded. Selmar put the torch down on the ground and readied his greatsword and staff as Selena moved to his back and readied her swords. They waited back to back before several monsters burst through the open doors around them. There were five of them. Magic surged as a lance of lightning burned through one of the beasts, staggering it. Selena blocked and dodged as best she could, trying not to get hit, claws filling her vision. Selmar blocked with his greatsword as his staff filled with magic once more.


    The room was illuminated as another one of the beasts was pierced by electricity, joining its dead companion on the ground. Selena couldn¡¯t evade one of the claws as a burst of energy surged through her. She tackled the best before her and broke through the wall, rolling with the monster in the debris. One of the beasts followed them out as Selmar found himself facing a single one. He evaded several times before cutting off one of its arms. They circled each other, the monster having turned around, using two claws again to attack.


    He was hard pressed, trying to keep up with the flurry of attacks before an opening finally showed. His blade filled with electricity as he pierced through the monster¡¯s torso, killing it instantly. Not resting in his victory Selmar jumped through the newly created hole in the wall. Taking in the scene before him Selena was cut deeply in her right arm before she returned the favor, ending one of her adversaries. Selmar could only watch, his mana too low to send out lightning, as the monster behind his friend slashed at her back with its claws.


    Selmar didn¡¯t dare screaming, knowing it would spell his doom as well. A dull sound could be heard as the blade cut through its target¡¯s body. The spear pierced and killed the monster instantly, leaving it to slide down the pole. A figure landed next to the monster, grabbing the spear and yanking it out of the corpse in a spray of blood. Selmar was still processing the situation as the figure approached the kneeling Selena. ¡°The corruption is spreading fast, the cut is deep.¡± The halberd blurred as the woman covered Selena¡¯s mouth with her hand, the bloody arm falling to the snow covered ground with a tud.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    Selmar¡¯s remaining energy flared up as he prepared to fight the stranger. ¡°Use that to close the wound if you can, she¡¯s loosing too much blood.¡± the woman spoke, as she removed some of Selena¡¯s shirt to reduce the bleeding. Selmar recovered from his shocked state and rushed to Selena, power gathering in his hand as he let his staff fall to the ground. ¡°Reign, oh light of thunder.¡± he whispered as he touched his friend¡¯s shoulder, closing and burning the wound with controlled lightning. The stranger still keeping Selena¡¯s screams as silent as possible ¡°We need to get inside, the corrupted move more freely in the night. And a storm is coming.¡± The woman said. He didn¡¯t question the stranger as he motioned to the house behind them and she only nodded, scanning their surroundings before following him.


    They moved to the upper floor of the building and laid Selena down. ¡°Will the cold be a problem for you?¡± Selmar nodded, surprised by the question. The woman whirled her halberd and cut off precise parts of the trees in the room, ranging from smaller to bigger pieces. She then piled the smaller pieces in front of them ¡°Any way to make fire? I left my flint at home.¡± he looked at her ¡°Won¡¯t they see or feel the fire?¡± the woman shook her head ¡°The corrupted feel magic and have exceptional hearing. Their sight does not work and the sound of this fire will be drowned out by the storm.¡± Selmar nodded as he created sparks that immediately lit up the wood in front of him.


    Green eyes and black hair shined in the new source of light as he looked at the woman in front of him. She was young, barely twenty he reasoned. Her body feminine yet well trained and all of her movements controlled and with reason. Selmar didn¡¯t know if he could kill the person in front of him, he only felt a small trace of magic from her but something told him there was much more to her than it seemed. ¡°Who are you?¡± he managed to ask ¡°My name is Eleonora.¡± she said. He nodded, ignoring her leaving out a last name ¡°Pleased to meet you Eleonora. Thank you for saving my friend. My name is Selmar.¡± The woman smirked ¡°Oh I know who you are...Selmar...¡± she descended into a poorly executed curtsy ¡°Welcome to Isindur, Selmar Ilias, king of Dunewatch.¡±


    Eleonora watched the king¡¯s reaction as she revealed her knowledge of him. She wouldn¡¯t have been so open were it not for the debt he already owed her. ¡®I won¡¯t show him my magic for as long as I can though, for that I need more trust.¡¯ she looked at the woman that lay next to king Ilias ¡®The captain of the royal guard...Selena Moor...they¡¯re weaker than I expected..but then again how strong exactly am I?¡¯ she thought as she looked at her halberd ¡®Maybe they were tired out too or were hiding parts of their power because it would attract more corrupted...¡¯ she couldn¡¯t be sure. Eleonora had seen the king and the captain several times when she was younger as they attended parades, ceremonies and of course the tournament.


    ¡°The expedition left over three years ago...what happened?¡± he had already introduced himself with his first name and she wouldn¡¯t let the opportunity slide to address a king so casually. Selmar didn¡¯t seem to mind much either as he sighed and sat down with his back to the wall. ¡°It was a long journey. We found blood and ice¡­.we lost¡­.many.¡± he kept his questions to himself for now, the woman couldn¡¯t imagine what she had done for him when saving Selena. ¡°After a year or so we found a flag...the flag of Usir. And then we searched. Another year passed before we found the first outskirts of the old empire...and it¡¯s inhabitants.¡± she nodded. ¡°How many are left?¡± she looked at Selena ¡°Only you two?¡±


    He shook his head ¡°Twenty five in total remaining. Most of them my loyal king¡¯s guard. Plus the Rising Moon.¡± she had heard the name before. A band of renowned adventurers, awarded with red tags from the guild. ¡°Where are they now?¡± she asked, not yet sure how she would handle the other twenty three. Although having the king on her side already should sway them easily. ¡®And I really missed talking...¡¯ she realized as a hole inside her was filled by the words she exchanged with the lost king of her old city.


    ¡°They¡¯re still in the city below. Alice, an ice mage of the Rising Moon, is bringing them up in twos. We couldn¡¯t ascend the stairs so we had to climb. And she¡¯s the only one with whom we can do it undetected.¡± Elly didn¡¯t know about the stairs yet as she only left Isindur¡¯s core two days ago. ¡®There can¡¯t be that many corrupted though, at most a couple hundred...with how few I encountered outside the main city.¡¯ it would only take her a day to kill that many corrupted at her current strength, she of course didn¡¯t mention any of this to the king.


    ¡°They know where you are?¡± she asked and Selmar only nodded. She got some meat from one of the pockets on her pants and nearly ate it raw before remembering how that would look to someone else. She got up and held the meat over the fire with her halberd, letting it roast. It wasn¡¯t much but she didn¡¯t need a lot anyway, not since she found her power, her body seemingly becoming more and more efficient day by day.


    They stayed silent for a while before she began eating the piece of meat. She offered some to the king who refused, motioning to his pack. ¡°We have enough ourselves.¡± they had hunted frequently when still outside the empire¡¯s territory. Even inside there were some animals and beasts, although less than before. Food wasn¡¯t a problem for a group of awakened at their level, not even so far north.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°With you saving Selena I have no right to ask but care to tell me your story?¡± he asked casually, as he too removed some meat from his pack. She stayed silent ¡®Here it comes, my ticket back into the empire.¡¯ she thought. Eleonora had no intention of leaving her task here undone but if it got done she didn¡¯t want to stay in the north any longer. She wanted to travel the world and most of all go back to good food, warm blankets and the green of a living forest. ¡°You mention the caption again. Do you consider this gesture such an immense debt? I¡¯m sure your companions saved you and her countless times since the expedition started.¡±


    The king smiled at her ¡°They have, and we saved them. None of it will ever be forgotten and I owe them as much as they owe me. You on the other hand are a stranger and had no obligation to interfere.¡± his smile grew wider as he understood ¡°Tell me what you want Eleonora and I will do my best to grant your wish, be it within reason.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but grin back at him, enjoying both her ticket to a future without hunters in her back and the conversation itself. ¡°You see¡­the reason I came north. There is a bounty on my head...well they want me alive. At least back when I fled.¡± the king chuckled ¡°What was the offense? You understand that some crimes can¡¯t even be forgiven by a king...the empire¡¯s laws are absolute.¡± Eleonora wasn¡¯t sure yet of how much she should tell him ¡®Once we¡¯re back he will hear the reports of my magic and what had happened at my mother¡¯s store.¡¯ she knew that this was likely the only time in the near future where she¡¯d be able to talk to the king alone, his debt still fresh on his mind.


    It was a gamble of course and perhaps telling him the truth later on was safer but Eleonora felt it was alright to tell him. ¡®Something about him...¡¯ she thought. ¡°You are blessed by thunder. How did that come to be?¡± she asked him and he answered, not thinking the question weird in the slightest ¡°I¡¯m not sure to be honest. I was always a bit of a free spirit, enjoying fighting and exploring more than ruling. This expedition speaks for that.¡± he chuckled and then sighed ¡°I awakened when I was eleven years old fighting a bear that threatened to attack a friend of mine. Lightning filled me and I unleashed it.¡± she listened carefully.


    ¡°Do you believe the kind of power we get is an indication of who we are?¡± she asked and he thought about the question as he looked towards the ceiling. ¡°A question for a philosopher, or a scholar of magic. I am neither of those. To me the awakening gives us power, a tool to use. Even if some character traits might be relevant in the kind of power we attain I do not think it decisive of a person¡¯s core being.¡±


    Eleonora took his answer in before speaking ¡°And you claim to be no philosopher?¡± he chuckled again at this and then looked at her with stern eyes ¡°Now tell me girl, what power do you possess that would scare you so much to talk about it?¡± They stared silently at each other for several minutes, neither of them braking eye contact. A red wisp crackled in the air as a very small amount of her magic left her body. The king¡¯s eyes widened before he started laughing, still trying to stay calm. ¡°Interesting.¡± she was perplexed by his reaction ¡°Bloodmagic then. Very interesting...I can¡¯t even feel anything and you don¡¯t seem aggressive or crazy.¡± he murmured too quiet for her to hear and then looked at her.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna tell you some things now of which I do not know you are aware.¡± she nodded in response, sitting down close to the fire, her green eyes fixed on his blue ones. ¡°You know that Bloodmages are raging aggressive murderers, controlled by their power and only wanting to kill?¡± she nodded ¡°Obviously, I mean just look at me¡± she gestured at herself and tried to look as innocent as possible. The king stayed serious ¡°Yes, and to every rule there are exceptions. I don¡¯t know about the details but as far as I was told once most Bloodmages awaken through a sacrifice of life...not their own that is. And they crave to gain more and more power through any means necessary.¡± she kept listening as the fire crackled in the room ¡°Have you heard about the different properties of magic?¡±


    She nodded ¡°Someone I know is an earth mage and he told me the deeper he is underground and the more earth there is around him the stronger his power gets.¡± Selmar nodded ¡°The second property is something every magic possesses, the more of their element is around it the stronger it gets. The first one is the specific property, the one you¡¯re looking for. Earth meants the deeper the stronger, healing means the calmer the stronger. The specific properties aren¡¯t known to many and the ones who know mostly only know about their own magic. A healer will naturally realize that the calmer he is the more efficient his magic gets but he will likely account this to a clearer mind while the earth mage will account his increased power to the more available earth around him once he¡¯s deep inside a cave. You see how it works?¡±


    She nodded ¡°So it¡¯s basically part of the magic¡¯s nature but it literally increases its power. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re getting somewhere with my Bloodmagic?¡± he chuckled again ¡°You¡¯re a clever one, yes. As I mentioned Bloodmages are more often than not murderers and dangerous to civilized life. The reason for this is the property of their magic. They of course are stronger the more blood is around them but more importantly for every living thing they kill they get permanently stronger.¡±


    Eleonora was shocked. ¡®This explains everything...the reason Bloodmages are hated so much, the easiest victims are innocent non awakened people or animals, the more the better. Who would go out of their way to fight beasts out in the wild when they can increase their power by simply killing cows, horses or people?¡¯ she looked at her hands ¡®And the power I¡¯ve gained...¡¯ she grinned at the thought ¡°Does it matter what we kill?¡± the king nodded ¡°Yes, I do not know about the specifics though, never delved into the topic and most of the information is sealed...even to me.¡±


    ¡°Although I¡¯ve met a peculiar Bloodmage before. He claimed to have gained his power through killing monsters. The village he was from revered him, the people there told me he was their protector. I killed every Bloodmage I encountered before on sight, all of them except him attacked me before I would¡¯ve been able to talk to them anyway. And now you...¡± he looked at her intently before continuing ¡°So I¡¯m assuming your bounty has something to do with that magic of yours?¡± Eleonora told him about her awakening, leaving out the shadow and what he had said, only mentioning the fire and her inability to leave the house.


    ¡°Naturally awakened then¡­fascinating. Did you learn anything about Bloodmagic before awakening?. I¡¯d like to think your mother wasn¡¯t one, the thought of a Bloodmage living inside my city undetected¡­.oh I¡¯m sorry for your loss, forgive my comment.¡± She waved him off ¡°Glad she¡¯s gone.¡± he nodded, not prying further. ¡°The plant you mentioned, the blood and fire around you and perhaps parts of your character and past experiences must¡¯ve triggered the awakening.¡± she nodded, not mentioning her grandmother¡¯s notes. ¡°Considering you likely didn¡¯t know about the magic¡¯s nature and fled immediately after awakening it¡¯s unlikely that you killed many innocents. You must be aware that I can¡¯t trust you quite yet but I definitely don¡¯t believe you¡¯re a mass murderer.¡±

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    She nodded and bowed slightly ¡°Thank you for your understanding and the information you have provided.¡± he nodded, accepting her thanks. The information was after all not known to many, its use to a Bloodmage immense, doubtlessly birthing more of them if it got out. ¡°You didn¡¯t mention the time you awakened...how long has it been?¡± she stayed silent for a minute ¡°I¡¯ve been here for a long time. Fighting...killing...¡± he didn¡¯t pry too much. ¡°That explains the feeling I get about you...you¡¯re pretty powerful aren¡¯t you?¡± he didn¡¯t wait for an answer ¡°Will you explain to us what you¡¯ve found out so far about the empire of Usir once my companions are here?¡±


    Eleonora nodded ¡°I will, if you promise to keep the Bloodmagic a secret and erase my bounty once we¡¯re back in Duneswatch.¡± he thought about it and nodded ¡°I will decide later if you¡¯re really trustworthy but consider the bounty erased. And by the way Bloodmagic doesn¡¯t feel different than any other magic and most are only identified by the corpses around them. Can you show it to me again? I¡¯ll tell you if I can tell.¡± she complied and activated more of her magic, her tattoos glowing slightly.


    ¡°You! You¡¯re an internal!?¡± the king looked truly surprised for the first time in their conversation. ¡°What about it?¡± she asked ¡°Aren¡¯t there internals and externals in every school of magic?¡± thinking about what she read in the books Jonathan had provided. After calming down a little the king continued ¡°Normally you would be right but there are exceptions...or so I thought. I¡¯ve only ever heard of external Bloodmagics, strengthening one¡¯s own body and abilities with it is unheard of...at least to me.¡± he thought for a while ¡°This is great for you though, nobody will suspect you to be a Bloodmage...I only made the connection because of what you told me and the color of it is familiar to me. I¡¯ve also seen guards using similar auras but they were simple magics, not tied to an element. If you keep it to yourself and don¡¯t start shooting tendrils of blood out to kill your enemies you will only be detected by people who have actually fought against Bloodmages¡­.not many of those out there I imagine.¡±


    A smile grew more and more on Eleonora¡¯s face as she listened to the king¡¯s explanations. ¡°I can¡¯t even shoot blood...¡± she said as she remembered the small blob she shot in the sewage systems of Dunewatch, which had completely exhausted her. ¡°You should be able to but it will be very very inefficient..at least if what you tell me about your internal use is true.¡± she nodded ¡°It is, you¡¯ll probably be convinced if you see me fighting.¡± she grinned and he returned the gesture ¡°Oh I¡¯d love to...an internal Bloodmage...¡± he gathered himself again after a couple minutes.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be back to Duneswatch in a while though I have to tell you. The way is a long one and we cannot return without...well something.¡± his answer wasn¡¯t an issue to her ¡°I do not plan to leave here until every single corrupted is dead.¡± he blinked at her ¡°You¡¯re aware there are probably thousands all over this city and the villages beyond?¡± she nodded ¡°There should be a couple hundred thousand remaining in Isindur, although I have killed many.¡± he choked on her statement ¡°Hundred thousand?? There is no way this city can hold that many.¡± she shook her head ¡°I¡¯m not talking about this city...the capital of Usir...Isindur, it¡¯s located inside the mountain. And that is where most of the corrupted are.¡±


    The king nodded as he swallowed visibly. ¡°You¡¯ll explain once Lucien is here. I like you though girl and I believe you¡¯re not dangerous. At least not to the people of Duneswatch and the empire.¡± he couldn¡¯t fully tell but the king had met many people in his lifetime and he got good at reading them. The girl before him had gone through a lot, more than anyone her age should. Her heart seemed in the right place to him though and he could appreciate the humor. He was sure she left some things out but that just convinced him even more. ¡®All Bloodmages except him..and now her...had been arrogant idiots, consumed by their power.¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°Two more people should arrive sometime tomorrow so there is no danger tonight. I will sleep now, it¡¯s been a while. Do what you will Eleonora.¡± he checked on Selena again and then closed his eyes. Her green ones didn¡¯t leave him until she too was taken by sleep. She didn¡¯t need much anymore and could go for at least a week without it but that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t enjoy it...especially since her nightmares disappeared. Although she did miss her fluffy companions this time.


    Her eyes shot open as she the noise reached her ear. ¡®People fighting¡¯ she threw a small rock at the king who immediately shot up. ¡°Seems your friends have arrived...and they¡¯re in trouble.¡± She got her halberd and jumped through the hole in the roof she¡¯d noticed the night before. Selmar reached her side as she stared into the distance. Two people were holding off four corrupted. One giant man with a massive shield and sword and another man with a sword and smaller shield. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± she said as she jumped off the roof, rushing silently towards her foes.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The king was startled by her sudden action but then smiled ¡°Too long has it been, since fighting was a joy instead of a drag.¡± he said as his magic flared up and he jumped down. She reached the two men that were on the defensive and immediately sliced one of the monsters in half. She took another¡¯s leg off before evading a third one. The two men were surprised but quickly joined her as they slashed at the beasts with their swords, the fight now even. Selmar arrived and plunged his greatsword into one of the creatures just as Eleonora finished another one with a stab through its torso. The last beast was overwhelmed by the two new arrivals after they circled it and removed all its legs.


    Selmar nodded towards her and then greeted the two men. ¡°Peter and Wallis. I¡¯m glad you made it. Let¡¯s first get to our shelter.¡± they nodded while giving her unsure side glances yet thankful for the rescue. The king didn¡¯t explain her situation to the men as he asked about his companions still in the city below. Apparently Alice would make four runs a day now, meaning everyone would be here in three days time. ¡®That¡¯s way too long of an awkward situation...and he doesn¡¯t seem to want to explain my presence until everyone is here...¡¯ Eleonora though before she had an idea ¡°I¡¯ll be mapping more of the valley for a while, is that alright?¡±


    The two men were confused, thinking she had an ability to hide herself similar to Linda. Selmar simply nodded. ¡°Do as you wish.¡± And so she did. Eleonora had no intention of mapping more of the valley, there were people now ¡®Something different is finally happening!¡¯ she realized that she had fallen into a rhythm in the past two years. It was certainly not a bad life and she enjoyed the fighting and killing, the cuddling with her wolves and the scavenging in the old city but something new was something new and she couldn¡¯t wait to meet all of those people. ¡®To think I¡¯d want to meet people...¡¯ she thought as she slashed through two corrupted that were alerted to her running. Their halved corpses were still falling as she attacked another one that hadn¡¯t even noticed her before.


    She progressed through the valley at a high speed, sometimes turning around to kill the beasts she¡¯d alarmed. ¡°Ah here it is...¡± she whispered as she finally found the way down to the city below. It was nearly five hundred meters of steps on a slope. And it was crowded with corrupted. ¡®I can¡¯t kill them all here. Never show your true power until absolutely necessary.¡¯ she remembered what Mike had taught her and then shouted down the steps ¡°Oyyy fuckers!!¡± the sound traveled a great length because the steps were set in a tunnel. Most of the corrupted reacted instantly, running in her direction. Some that didn¡¯t hear her reacted to the movement of their companions, following behind at a slower pace.


    Eleonora started running, not caring about the sound she made, occasionally dodging a claw that emerged from the snow below her, still shouting as she went ¡®Might as well clear as many as possible¡¯ she thought as she reached the frozen lake, the sun reflecting off of its surface.


    The black haired woman stopped and turned around. A mass of monsters was about to add another to their silent army. She took a step towards them, tattoos started to glow wherever armor or clothes didn¡¯t cover her body. The ice already fighting to hold her weight started to crack from the immense power. ¡°...The night is dark...¡± nearly two hundred corrupted were closing in on her as she finished her mantra ¡°...for here I come.¡± the girl vanished as the ice cracked where she had been a second before. Emerging in a spray of blood, a whirlwind of blood followed her as her halberd cut through dozens of the monsters, killing and maiming as she went. Evading the uncountable claws around her she pierced and stabbed wherever she found an opening, the corrupted unable to scratch her.


    It took her nearly an hour to kill the two hundred beasts and another half an hour to hunt down the stragglers that lost her in the chaos. ¡°I¡¯m getting better. Clearing the center might only take another year at this stage...or even less if I progress more.¡± she stopped and looked at herself ¡°OH! Not a scratch, been a while since I managed that.¡± she said as she looked out on the field of blood before her. ¡°Now how do I hide this...oh...I have an idea¡± she slammed the ice with her halberd a couple times before she jumped up in the middle of the carnage that painted a part of the lake crimson.


    She landed, a burst of energy leaving her weapon as the smashed it into the lake. A loud grumble could be heard before the ice around her started to crack and break. ¡°Time to leave.¡± she jumped away as the ice gave under her, swallowing the corpses she left behind. She needed another hour to throw all the remaining corpses in the hole she created and afterwards went back to the steps.


    She ran down, her tattoos not glowing anymore. At the end she found another couple dozen corrupted. Her power back at its maximum she alerted as many of them as she could before running away with them to a secluded part of the city below. Stopping on an open plaza she turned around again. Snow was falling and the whole city was covered by a white film. The only color being the red of Eleonora¡¯s magic and the skin of her enemies.


    Readying herself in a stance she¡¯d learned years ago from Mike the first corrupted reached her. Her halberd blurred, stabbing cleanly into the beast¡¯s torsos, leaving them dead with a single blow. She moved backwards in ingrained steps as she avoided a complete surround. She lead the beasts around the statue in the middle of the plaza their mass decreased slowly, more and more corpses left behind. She finished the last twenty with a charge towards their midst and a flurry of strong blows and slashes of her weapon. One of the beasts managed to cut her arm as she couldn¡¯t evade all the six claws that came her way.


    ¡°So close to a new record...¡± she said as she killed the last of the beasts with a stab to its limbless body, looking at her arm that had already healed. ¡°Oh well, there¡¯s plenty more...¡± Eleonora went back to the tunnel.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    She didn¡¯t notice the two eyes fixed on her since she left the tunnel. They grew bigger the more they saw and when Eleonora left the plaza Linda stayed in her hiding spot for a full five minutes. ¡®Move¡­¡¯ she told herself ¡®Move move move¡¯ and she did. After arriving in their hiding place she went to her things and sat down. ¡°Anything wrong Linda?¡± Matt asked, seeing her distress. ¡°No no, just got a little too close to one of those things.¡± She said, dismissing her friend. ¡®Who was that? Why was she killing the monsters¡­that speed and power¡­¡¯ she was awed, the only thing keeping her from feeling fear the fact that the woman had killed monsters. ¡®And she was smiling through the whole thing¡­a controlled massacre¡­and that last charge¡­¡¯


    Linda decided not to mention what she saw before meeting up with the king and the people who already went up, not to create a panic or sudden shift in plans that could end horribly. ¡®What was that aura and those tattoos¡­incredible.¡¯ Linda tried to ignore what she saw for now and after claming down went back out to scout. ¡®Where are they?¡¯ she ran through the streets that just a day prior were crowded with monsters. Not a single one of the beasts could be seen. ¡®She led them away¡­the ones she killed at the plaza¡­¡¯ she thought as she looked in the direction where she witnessed the slaughter.


    ¡®There were more though¡­way more¡­where are they all.¡¯ She stealthily approached the seemingly empty tunnel to the top and looked inside. ¡®What¡­¡¯ the tunnel was completely empty. Not a single one of the monsters was inside. ¡®This is dangerous¡­very dangerous. If she set a trap¡­¡¯ she thought as she rushed back to their base. ¡®But what reason for that would she have¡­she could simply attack them outright¡­with that kind of power¡­¡¯ Linda wasn¡¯t sure if their group would be able to stop that woman. ¡®Plus she was killing them¡­¡¯ it was certainly a risk but so was waiting and splitting their group up even more.


    She made a decision then, getting up all the people in one go, not mentioning what she saw. ¡®We have to be together before I tell them, they would argue to no end and we¡¯d be stuck for even longer probably wasting the opportunity that woman created. Selmar and Alice will decide together. And it¡¯s not like we could leave at this point, even with the presence of that powerful being.¡¯ She arrived at their shelter and entered.


    Eleonora waited in a broken house near the tunnel entrance, sitting in cover, looking out a window. It took three hours for the group to arrive. ¡®Finally¡­how long do you need to use an opportunity¡­.¡¯ She looked at the cautious group as two corrupted burst out of the snow next to them ¡®Oh I didn¡¯t kill those two¡­¡¯ she thought ¡®And I guess it¡¯s reasonable that they took so long¡­¡¯ power filled the air as the group diverted into two groups, immediately surrounding the corrupted ¡®¡­it is rather strange that hundreds of them suddenly vanished.¡¯ She grinned ¡®I¡¯m like an unseen hero¡­¡¯ remembering some of the stories she read her mood was at a high.


    The group finished off the creatures after only ten seconds. Nobody was hurt. ¡®She¡¯s not here¡­.¡¯ Linda thought as she scanned the surroundings. ¡°They really are all gone¡­¡± Matt whispered. Alice motioned him to be quiet but didn¡¯t do more, it was very strange indeed. Alice took the lead and motioned for the group to follow in formation. They reached the house after only fifteen minutes, it was close to the cliff after all.


    Peter saw them from afar, crouching on top of the building and waved. The group continued cautiously as he hadn¡¯t signaled an all clear. They didn¡¯t know if any of the monsters had moved in the night and hid themselves again. Alice entered the house, greeting the guard that stood near the torn down wall. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of space upstairs.¡± The guard told them as everyone made their way up the stairs.


    Josh immediately rushed to Selena, who was still sleeping, and started working on her arm. ¡°What happened?¡± Alice asked Selmar, who was sitting next to his injured friend. He didn¡¯t lift his head as he talked ¡°A lot. We need to talk. You, me, Lucien and our new friend over there.¡± Alice had already noticed the unfamiliar person leaning on the wall in one of the corners. Alice nodded ¡°There¡¯s a cellar, you think you need anyone else there?¡± she shook her head ¡°Josh, but I can see he¡¯s going to be occupied for a while.¡± Glancing at the healer who was lost in his trade.


    Selmar got up and nodded towards the corner. A woman with black hair and green eyes appeared, her steps controlled and seemingly deadly. Alice couldn¡¯t feel any magic from her but the hairs on her back stood up looking at her. Linda froze when she saw her. ¡°Lucien, a word.¡± The scholar stopped unpacking his maps and books and followed the king downstairs. The four were already gone when the people started asking questions about the new addition. Linda was just smiling to herself in a corner of the room ¡®She¡¯s on our side then?¡¯ absorbed in thought Linda simply didn¡¯t have enough information to decide.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The four people reached the cellar and sat down on some chairs that still remained. Alice formed a crystal on top of the table between them, lightly illuminating the room in a blue hue. ¡°Alright Eleonora, everyone¡¯s here now. I won¡¯t ask about the sudden disappearance of the monsters blocking the tunnel and nobody else will either.¡± He sternly looked towards Alice and Lucien before continuing ¡°This is Eleonora, she¡¯s a citizen of Duneswatch who traveled north to explore uncharted lands and train.¡± It was obvious that the king wasn¡¯t saying everything but Lucien was on a payroll and Alice trusted him enough, especially with people.


    ¡°If not for her Selena would be dead right now, I talked to her and trust her to an extent. She offered to share information as soon as everyone of us arrived.¡± He looked towards Elly ¡°Does that offer still stand?¡± the woman with green eyes nodded and looked towards Lucien. ¡°Do you have paper and something to write?¡± he removed a piece of paper and a sharpened piece of coal, ready to write. ¡°One for me too please.¡± She said, as he removed another one, his complete attention fixed on this mysterious woman before him.


    Eleonora made a mark on the paper. ¡°I left Duneswatch two years ago and went north.¡± She tried to draw a line and wrote her time of travel next to it. She didn¡¯t feel a need to lie about the time ¡®They¡¯ll find out anyway as soon as they get back to Duneswatch. Plus Selmar will trust me more. I can leave out enough¡­he already knows the only secret I really have to be careful with anyway.¡¯ She drew a line north ¡°I found a cave system after several months of traveling and explored it, finding a flag that indicated that there were people there before.¡± She drew the flag on the paper ¡°The Empire of Usir. I found an old guardian powered by magic. After destroying it and going through the tunnel that was sealed until then, I found a city.¡±


    Lucien gestured around him when he heard that and Eleonora shook her head ¡°No, I didn¡¯t find this valley until a couple days ago. The city I¡¯m talking about is called Isindur, although I think this valley and the city below is part of it too.¡± She turned around the paper and drew a circle, then marked two places. ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure it was the capital of this empire and held around five hundred thousand people. Most of them are still here and you¡¯ve met some of them already.¡± She then explained what she had learned about the people and the city, leaving out how many of the monsters she¡¯d killed already ¡®They¡¯ll see the corpses though¡­oh well¡­¡¯ continuing on she told them about her scavenging and the cave she stayed at. Lucien¡¯s eyes got even bigger as he heard about the books and documents she¡¯d collected there.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve been there for two years¡­¡± Alice said, looking at the woman, still on edge by her presence. ¡°Well you¡¯ve been out there for three¡­¡± Elly responded. The king started chuckling and the others joined in soon after. ¡°What¡¯s your goal here then? Why haven¡¯t you gone back?¡± Alice asked Eleonora, who looked at Selmar before talking ¡°I was wanted when I left. Selmar knows about the specifics and we¡¯ll deal with that in time. As a favor for saving the captain and providing information of course.¡± Alice wasn¡¯t sure she agreed with Selmar but she was in no place to argue. Selmar was surprised and glad that Eleonora had shared this, it would become much easier to justify a bounty removal afterwards. ¡°That¡¯s the main reason I haven¡¯t returned. I¡¯ve been training the past two years and even though I feel strong enough to avoid some guards or headhunters now I can¡¯t leave. Not until every single one of the corrupted is dead and whatever caused this catastrophe has been dealt with.¡± She paused to let the though sink in.


    ¡°And I think this aligns with your plans as well.¡± They had a lot to process, Lucien having written down several pages of information. He already started to scribble down theories before Eleonora stopped him ¡°Wait with that until you¡¯ve read my collection¡­oh and Selmar¡± he lifted his head as he cleared his mind from the things he¡¯d just heard. ¡°The bounty was for providing info and saving Selena. For showing you the entrance and getting you to my home I request for¡­what was his name? Lucien?...I want him to teach me the language of Usir.¡± The king nodded first towards her then to Lucien, placing a smile on Eleonora¡¯s face. ¡°We¡¯ll leave whenever you like. Daytime preferably.¡± She said before getting up and walking upstairs.


    The three people sat there in silence for nearly twenty minutes before Alice broke the silence ¡°Well this is convenient.¡± She said ¡°Any of that true?¡± she looked at the others. Lucien replied first ¡°With what I learned so far it seems reasonable. Won¡¯t be able to tell until I see that collection¡­I¡¯d take the risk. Plus what could she do to us alone?¡± Alice shifted uncomfortably in her chair ¡°You¡¯ve felt it too haven¡¯t you¡­¡± Selmar said. ¡°Which is another reason I trust her. She¡¯s certainly dangerous but I believe she hasn¡¯t lied with a single thing she¡¯s said. There are things she didn¡¯t mention I¡¯m sure. Some on accident and some on purpose but we gained a lot by meeting her.¡±


    The others nodded absent-mindedly at that ¡°The city sounds nice.¡± Alice said ¡°A place to truly rest. If what she said about the pyramid is true, we could sleep safely for the first time in three years.¡± Selmar got up. ¡°It¡¯s decided then if you don¡¯t have any objections. Lucien you¡¯ll teach her the language.¡± Alice nodded and added ¡°Is it alright if we train her a little?¡± she looked at Selmar who understood her intentions ¡°Sure, just tell me what you find out.¡± They got up and went upstairs before Selmar stopped ¡°Alice.¡± As soon as Lucien was out of earshot he closed in on her and whispered in her ear ¡°She¡¯s a Bloodmage.¡± Her eyes widened a little before she nodded ¡°Awakened before she left, her killings focused on the monsters on her way here and the corrupted. I believe her. Tell me what you think in a week or two.¡± He left Alice to her thoughts and joined the people upstairs.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    They settled and unpacked their things as Selmar entered the room. ¡°Alright everyone listen.¡± Everyone except Josh stopped what they were doing and got closer. ¡°As all of you have already noticed there is a new member to our group.¡± Many of the people in the room looked at Eleonora who stood a bit to the side, leaning on a wall. ¡°Her name is Eleonora, she¡¯s from Duneswatch and has been here for a while. You may find out more on your own if you wish to talk to her.¡±


    ¡°She gave us some incredibly helpful information which we will share with you in time. What you have to know right now is that this valley is part of Isindur, the capital of this empire. The main part of the city lies within the mountain and is much safer than out here. The corrupted we¡¯ve encountered are drawn to a central point making the city likely one of the safest places we¡¯ve seen so far in the north.¡± He looked towards Eleonora ¡°She will guide us to the city and a cave system beyond. Treat her with respect and be aware that we will be entering what she considers her home.¡±


    ¡°We will leave tomorrow at dawn.¡± Everyone nodded or signaled their approval. Some of the people came up to Eleonora to introduce themselves. One of the guards shook her hand a little too long before he seemed to come to a realization. ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen you before¡­could it be?¡± Eleonora smiled at him ¡°You¡¯re Mike¡¯s girl aren¡¯t you!¡± she nodded ¡°Man I remember seeing you bloody all over after one of his trainings. You know he¡¯s one of the most feared instructors?¡± he released her hand ¡°I have heard about that reputation.¡± She confirmed ¡®Jonathan is much worse though.¡¯ She thought. ¡°Well I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here, must¡¯ve been tough to survive out here and hiding from those beasts¡­¡± another guard next to him chuckled ¡°Hiding? Are you fucking blind George? I feel like she¡¯s gonna rip my throat out any moment now, no offense miss.¡± He bowed slightly ¡°None taken.¡± She grinned.


    They let her be as others waited to introduce themselves. The two guards left while whispering to each other. Eleonora of course heard everything. ¡°There¡¯s no magic though.¡± George said ¡°What the fuck is it then? It¡¯s like having an ice sabre staring you down.¡± Said the other ¡°Oh you¡¯re into her aren¡¯t you?¡± George joked as he grinned at his friend ¡°How could you not?¡± the other guard stated. ¡®Hmm, Liam. I like that one.¡¯ She thought as her attention shifted to the people approaching her. ¡®The Rising Mood I assume. The red tags easily visible.¡¯ She had already met Peter and Alice. ¡°Matt, nice to meet you.¡± The man bowed slightly ¡°Glad to have a guide who knows this place a little better.¡± He shook her hand ¡°Likewise.¡± The others talked to her quickly too. Matt turned around and looked a little confused around the room. ¡°Have you met Linda yet? The slender woman with a bow?¡±


    Elly shook her head as she looked around the room, her eyes locking with two brown eyes staring at her from a corner, instantly braking the contact ¡®Wow she¡¯s stealthy.¡¯ Matt followed her gaze and waved to the woman in the shadows ¡°Linda come on, I know you¡¯re shy but this is a bit extreme.¡± He went and dragged her to Eleonora. Linda looked at the ground before her as she stammered a greeting out ¡°N¡­Nice to meet you.¡± Eleonora bowed ¡°Likewise nice to meet you Linda.¡± The woman already wanted to leave before Elly talked again ¡°How did you hide just now?¡± Linda turned around ¡°Can you teach me?¡± Elly continued ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s possible.¡± Linda said ¡°We¡¯ll see once we get to the city.¡± Elly finished, interpreting the woman¡¯s hesitation as shyness ¡®She might have to get permission first too¡­I¡¯ll just ask Selmar.¡¯


    The group settled into the building, strengthening it against the cold as they went their business. Sharpening weapons, meditating, cooking and talking. Everything in whispers of course. Some trained, as far as was possible in silence and without much magic. Most slept for a while. Elly sat on top of the building in the wind and looked at the stars for a while before the snow and clouds obstructed her view. She got back inside but slept on the first floor, feeling a little uncomfortable around all those strangers.


    She awoke as the sun started to shine through the hole in the wall. She got up, walked outside and jumped up the two story structure, landing silently on the roof. The guard on duty whirled around unsheathing his sword before he relaxed. ¡°Fuck don¡¯t scare me like that love.¡± He returned to his previous position, overlooking the space below. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± She said as she sat down, dangling her feet over the edge.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Twenty minutes later the group was ready to leave. ¡°Where¡¯s the girl?¡± Alice asked. Eleonora jumped down from the roof, landing effortlessly in front of the group. ¡°Follow in a straight line. Quietly. And don¡¯t interfere if I don¡¯t say so.¡± Some of them wanted to object ¡°Listen to her. She knows this place and the corrupted better than any of us here.¡± Selmar spoke. Some still looked discontent but followed their king¡¯s orders.


    They walked through the snow-covered streets southwards. The quiet walk continued for fifteen minutes before the first corrupted appeared. Eleonora jumped up as a claw passed below her. Her halberd whirled and the blade landed in the monster¡¯s back. With a flick of her weapon she threw the corpse to her left and waited for a minute in complete silence. The people immediately behind her were the only one¡¯s who saw and wouldn¡¯t question the woman anymore.


    The walk continued and they only encountered two more corrupted. They attacked simultaneously. ¡°Wait.¡± She said to the nearest people behind her and charged. Limbs flew as she danced around the beasts. Three seconds later two more corpses painted the snow red and they could continue. The expedition group reached the gate to Isindur half an hour later and took in the sight. ¡°Incredible¡­¡± Selmar whispered. ¡°How do we open it?¡± Peter asked ¡°We don¡¯t¡­well maybe you¡¯ll figure it out but I couldn¡¯t.¡± Eleonora answered ¡°Anyone have rope? I need a hundred meters.¡± They gathered all the rope they had and bound it together, Eleonora fastening it to her halberd in the front.


    ¡°Peter how much do you weigh?¡± the man looked at her a little surprised but understood quickly ¡°340 kilograms with gear. I¡¯ll give it to someone else, 230 then.¡± She nodded and tested the rope on her halberd. Looking up she found the hole she dug to get out here and aimed. Her training hadn¡¯t been for nothing as the halberd landed and dug deep into the stone right in the opening. Some of the guards looked at each other seeing the feat.


    Eleonora jumped up, covering the first thirty meters and caught the rope. Then she climbed up. The rope held so she jumped down again. The ground cracked a little as she landed ¡®Still not good enough¡­¡¯ she though as she looked at the crack. Peter looked at her ¡°You sure it will hold?¡± she walked up to him and stopped in his personal space. ¡°Lift me.¡± He did and nodded. ¡°Alright people let¡¯s go.¡± He said as he started to climb. ¡°Once you¡¯re up follow the way and jump down the other side. There¡¯s a door to exit. The tunnel is safe, at least seemed safe the last time I was there.¡±


    It took a while for each of the group to climb up the rope. Selmar carried the now awake Selena. Eleonora waited until all but one of them vanished in the tunnel before she followed, looking over the valley a last time. At least for now. Nodding towards Alice she started to climb ¡°Need the rope?¡± shaking her head Alice walked up to the rock as ice formed on it. She climbed up parallel to Eleonora and entered the opening behind her as she removed her halberd. Climbing and walking through the gate they emerged on the other side, the group waiting.


    Eleonora took the lead again. ¡°The corrupted only roam the center of the city, around the pyramid. The rest is save and empty, at least been that way for two years. We will avoid the center as we go to the cave system. Don¡¯t attack the wolves.¡± The group followed, now in formation again. Reaching the hall that connected the city to the tunnel the group was in awe. ¡°It¡¯s all marble¡­¡± one of them whispered. Leaving the building Eleonora jumped up the building in front of her and motioned for the others to follow her.


    They climbed the building and soon stood around her. Nobody dared speak as they took in the marble wonder before them. ¡°Incredible¡­¡± one said ¡°This place is a big as the capital.¡± Another voice said. Eleonora continued after waiting for two minutes. ¡°There will be plenty of time to admire this place¡± she said ¡°And I¡¯m hungry.¡± They followed her at a high speed, most having to activate their power to be able to keep up. She ran in a half circle around the center to avoid any corrupted.


    Reaching the makeshift gate to her cave system they entered. Stepping into Tommy¡¯s room, Elly was drowned in a ball of fluff as five wolves viciously mauled her, only her laughter stopping the guards behind her from attacking. ¡°How¡­¡± Alice asked but soon stopped questioning the woman. They waited in the hallway to her cave for around five minutes until Elly managed to escape her tormentors. Getting up her hair was in a chaos. ¡°That closet and those two chests there are mine, feel free to do with the rest whatever you wish. I just collected whatever seemed interesting or worth something. There¡¯s plenty more out there anyway.¡±


    The group filled into the cave and admired her collection. She had a couple good armor pieces, clothes and boots in the closet. One chest was filled with paintings and art pieces she liked while the other simply contained gold. She didn¡¯t care much about the books yet as she didn¡¯t even understand the language. ¡®Only put books into your collection that you have actually read¡¯ she thought ¡°Oh and just leave enough of each metal for a halberd like mine.¡± She turned around, the group looked at her and at all the things that filled the cave and beyond in awe. ¡°That closet there has maps, of this cave as well, everything else is marked on there. If you have questions, I¡¯m here. Welcome to Elly¡¯s wonderland¡± she smiled as she jumped on an incredibly old couch, the wolves following her.


    The group stayed silent for a while before Selmar talked ¡°You heard her, she¡¯s found this place so we¡¯ll forget about the existence of the things she mentioned.¡± He delegated tasks to his guards and went to Elly. ¡°We¡¯ll have a meeting in a couple hours, I¡¯d like for you to participate.¡± She looked up from the fluff around her ¡°Sure, won¡¯t go out then.¡± She told him ¡°Go out?¡± he asked and shook his head after hearing her answer ¡°Killing corrupted of course.¡± He left her to her wolves to join the others looking over the map of the cave system.

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    They designated two empty spaces of the cave to the guards and the Rising Moon. The collected things by Eleonora filled around 7 similarly sized spaces with a lot spilling into the cave itself. Walking towards their space Selmar looked around, seeing paintings, instruments, weapons, clothes, armor, odd machines, metals and other materials. Everything showed signs of long aging, most of what she had collected stood the test of time though. There wasn¡¯t enough food for all of them, a problem that needed to be addressed first. Selmar delegated a couple guards to sort and order all of what she had collected. The rest would prepare their quarters for the coming months or longer.


    Eleonora didn¡¯t stay put either. ¡®Everyone¡¯s gonna walk through here all the time now.¡¯ She took one of her chests and moved it to a secluded part of the cave and put it there. After another three trips, she had her couch, chests and her closet there. ¡®I do trust them¡­but just to be sure.¡¯ She went and got enough metal of each kind for a heavy weapon like her own. ¡®What about armor though¡­¡¯ she looked at the old armor she wore and thought she might want a different one at some point. ¡°Maybe one of them knows about metals.¡± She said to herself as she sat on her couch. All the beds and most of the furniture she¡¯d found was rotten or just dust at this point but one of the nicer houses had this leather couch in it. She wondered often what kind of beast or animal possessed such a time resistant hide.


    Eleonora got up and left her newly claimed part of the cave, asking the next best guard about the metal. She found a woman moving around crates and started talking right after she set down the crate. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, do you know anything about metals?¡± the woman looked at her puzzled ¡°Oh hey there...Eleonora was it? I know as much as the next best bloke but I think George has some experience in smithing. Might be worth asking him.¡± Elly thanked her and moved on, walking through the now very active caves around all the things she¡¯d collected in her two years. ¡®Finally some space¡¯ she noticed as she could pass through a cave that was previously overloaded with paintings and books.


    ¡°George?¡± she asked two guards that passed her. One pointed to their backs. She found him at the end of the cave, standing over a small table where another guard and himself were drawing the outlines of their new quarters. ¡°We¡¯re not including a bar...¡± he said just as his attention shifted to the new arrival. ¡°Why no bar?¡± Elly started as she closed in on the table. ¡°Wow...not bad...having so many people is certainly a help...and I assume experience in internal architecture?¡± the other guard grinned and nodded ¡°See George? At least some can appreciate my refined skills!¡± he said before George shooed him off. ¡°How may I help our most beloved benefactor?¡±


    ¡°I heard you have experience as a blacksmith. I¡¯d like to know something about the metals I¡¯ve collected here.¡± he nodded and gestured for her to follow ¡°How much do you know?¡± they reached another cave where boxes were still being stacked. ¡°Nothing really...I fought with wood before finding this thing¡± she gestured to her halberd that hung from her back. ¡°I see¡­well let¡¯s start with colors then, you¡¯re not colorblind I assume?¡± she shook her head ¡°No...is that a thing?¡± George opened a chest and took out some sort of metal ¡°Apparently so, heard about it from someone who saw a guy beat up because he fucked with some dark red adventurers. But good, well this is simply steel...I say simple but for most this is the best they¡¯ll ever get and it¡¯s damn good steel you¡¯ve got stored up here.¡± he put the steel back and opened some other crates that had their contents written on their tops.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°This is bronze, you know the adventurer ranks?¡± she nodded ¡°Good, lowest rank. It¡¯s got no real use in fighting to be honest...against steel that is. I¡¯d rather fight with bronze than wood. I¡¯ve heard it has uses in alchemy...Selmar once mentioned something about his ability and using bronze but I¡¯m not sure about that.¡± he put the bar in his hand back and got another one ¡°Silver, well it¡¯s silver. If you¡¯re up against a demon you should prefer it to steel, anything stronger is better though. Silver coating on the other hand¡­.¡± he got another metal, a light blue shining one ¡°This...this is Amarith, and what you¡¯ve collected here is worth¡­.well a lot. And many guards will be able to get a massive upgrade to their gear thanks to your efforts¡­.at least that¡¯s what I hope will happen with it.¡± he put it back ¡°Amarith is pretty much a better form of steel...in any way...don¡¯t ever mention something as simple as that to a blacksmith though, they¡¯ll lynch you.¡±


    ¡°Now this is called Dark Rose, dark red shine to it and it marks the second highest adventurer rank. You know why the tags of dark reds are only coated?¡± she shook her head ¡°Because the metal is fucking heavy...how you even managed to get all that up here...¡± she looked at the metal and took out a bar ¡®It is heavier now that he mentions it, but it can¡¯t be that much.¡¯ she thought as he continued his explanation ¡°It¡¯s likely one of the strongest metals out there...at least of those I know of. People don¡¯t use it because it¡¯s both rare and much much heavier than most other metals. Some use a layer of it on top of shields or armor. I wouldn¡¯t suggest it to a rouge type or any warrior that needs to move really. Oh and it¡¯s one of the hardest metals to work with, even more so than this...¡± he held up a greenish slab of metal ¡°This¡­.this is Vanom Steel and holy baby let me tell you.¡± he got closer to her ¡°You¡¯re sure you just want to give this all away? Because this piece in my hand alone is worth a fortune.¡± she shrugged ¡°I don¡¯t really mind it...¡± she said ¡®They¡¯d just kill me and take it all if I refused. Like this I seem like the benevolent traveler plus I get to keep more wealth than I¡¯ll ever need.¡¯ Eleonora didn¡¯t explain her train of thought to George as he rambled on about the qualities of Vanom Steel ¡®It¡¯s light and not as strong as the Dark Rose...guess I¡¯ll go with red...fits me anyway.¡¯


    ¡°There are some other materials you¡¯ve found...like the chest plate you¡¯re wearing but an expert will have to look over those. Might be alloys, rarer metals or something we¡¯ve not seen before at all.¡± Elly thanked him for the explanation and went back to her cave, leaving him to his many new responsibilities ¡®Like building a bar...no way they¡¯ll accept a no there...not after three years in the north.¡¯ The grinning woman whistled as she twirled around her halberd, reaching her sofa.


    ¡®So Dark Rose for the halberd it is...armor though...might not be the best idea with the rose. Even with my strength there is no benefit to using it...with the weapon it¡¯s weight will heighten its strike power but armor?¡¯ she sat there for a while before deciding to postpone that issue ¡®Vanom maybe? But then my eyes would be less striking...¡¯ grinning she yawned and made herself comfortable for a quick nap.