《Eir - The Immortal》
Chapter 1 - Humans
Humans are a funny thing. They laugh, they cry, they whine, and more importantly they die. That is the sad truth, and a truth I find oddly comforting.
Right now, for instance there is one such human digging a long, sharp dagger into my spine. Smiling as if he had accomplished a grand feat.
Am I a monster? Am I a demon? To some I would imagine so. But no, I am just a girl, a girl who cannot die.
So why does he feel so accomplished, why does he smile while burying his cold steel into my back? Because he is human, because he found a new pet to enjoy, a new hobby. And judging from his old, haggard face, a new hope.
So here I hang, in a dark, dripping dungeon. Manacles around my hands, feet barely touching the ground. And a friendly old man, testing the limits of my immortality. Quite funny, now that I think about it. He is going to die long after I do, after all.
I feel the cold steel slowly slip out of my back, and feel the soft flesh slowly start to knit back together. Soon after I can start feeling my toes again, which is always a good sign.
¡°How do you work?¡± He mutters, the words hissing and garbled around his rotting teeth.
From what I could tell, for the seemingly eternity I have locked down here, he is trying to research my vitality. Considering he is human, and the fact I had a sharp dagger severing my spine, he isn¡¯t doing this for charity work. Like many others he is just trying to preserve his life, to which I could tell him, isn¡¯t always the best of ideas.
After all, he has a few options.
Option 1 ¨C He slowly dies from old age after unsuccessfully trying to unlock the secret to my immortality. I escape eventually, and pretend none of this ever happened.
Option 2 ¨C He succeeds, I eventually escape, and bury him in a tomb of his own blood and guts. Cursing him to live out his immortal existence in pain and agony. I am after all, usually much stronger. Present circumstances, magic draining manacles and crystals aside.
Option 3 ¨C I escape, and rip out his throat. And that option seems to be more and more likely as time goes by.
You see, despite this old man¡¯s belief. My magic is a bit more complex than what a few manacles and crystals, which were currently lining the walls of my cell, can handle. Sure, they may be able to contain me for a while. But not very long.
And both the manacles and crystals were slowly ending their life expectancy, a few days more, and I shall enjoy the feeling of my nails digging into his skull¡or throat. I haven¡¯t particularly decided yet¡the eyes are good too.
The old man prods and pokes me with various instruments for a while longer, getting more and more creative with each passing tool, but eventually tires and leaves the room with an audible sigh.
I stretch and strain my back, legs and arms and feel the joints pop with each contortion. Healing so fast does have its downsides. That is to say, healing so fast is incredibly uncomfortable, and leaves bones, muscles and joints quite stiff. A small complaint for an otherwise extraordinary ability, maybe. But there it is.
Soon enough I hear the distinct sound of a metal door closing, and I stretch out my mind, fusing it with my mana. Soon enough, I find each and every crystal that line the walls of my cell. Just like before, they are 24 in all, and filled to the brim with my magic.
It is said that each mage, no matter how weak or strong, has their own type of magic power. They usually hold traits relating to the user. And as I touch the crystals I feel my own.
Riddled with a murky depth of the wild, you can practically taste my age from my mana. It radiates the true nature of the earth ¨C wild, untameable, and a foreboding presence of pure power. Despite that, I wouldn¡¯t call myself the apex of all magicians. In fact, I am limited to one thing, and one thing only...
With an audible crack the crystals start to break, and I smile. It is finally time.
Then I hear a commotion, and break my concentration. Damn, the old man is probably back. I hung there in annoyed preparation that was sure to be another prodding session. He isn¡¯t usually so quick, but I suppose he will be dead soon, so whatever.
No, I realise¡past the door of my cell I hear something distinctly different. I hear the sound of heavy armour, and there is only one type of trouble that comes with armour that heavy¡
Suddenly, the door to my cell bursts open, and a Knight stand before me, helmet-less, and eyes filled with shock and pity. He approached me carefully, arms slack and loose, his body language screaming ¡®I¡¯m not scary, I promise.¡¯
¡°You are safe now,¡± he said in a soft but gravelly voice.
Fuck, did I just become a damsel in distress?
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Bustling was a word I would use to describe the scene before me, right now. The kingdom of Etania was one of prosperity and wealth. With various products of trade, ranging from the game of the southern forests and seas to the strange herbal tonics of the illusive northern tribes, we managed to flourish.
One such town I was in was on the border of the Deep Wood of the forests. Known for the strange occurrences that lay within, it was usually deemed as off-limits to the general public. The Guild of Adventurers and Military had both agreed on two main things about the Deep Wood.
Firstly, the beasts contained within were of startling strength, ranging from the mid-ranged B-Class to the almost mythical S-Class the further one wandered in.
Secondly, it was deemed that only those of substantial military accomplishment, or those deemed strong enough by the Guild would be allowed entry, and as such, we had come to investigate some odd reports.
Various villages, including the one I was standing in now, had reported an old man had come seeking supplies. Thinking he was a mere traveller, or perhaps a new resident, various tradesman at their respective village had complied with his requests, even if a little strange. But looking at it from a whole, it was much more disturbing.
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He had commissioned various forms of magic resistant metal from smiths, each in strange shapes, and various stones from the more magical inclined of the villages. All in all, one might assume he was but a mage seeking to experiment various theories, so the villages had overlooked it.
However, those in the capital had not. Piecing together the various chains, and other metal pieces he had requested, they found something incredibly disturbing. A human sized manacle.
Slavery. The word burned on his tongue, and had long since been outlawed in their country. The first Queen, who the country had been named after, Etania abhorred such practices. Something that most people here related to even today, especially myself.
And so, the military had sent me. As a knight who can hold his own against even the feared S-Class beasts, I was deemed fit to delve into the Deep Wood. As soon as the man had resurfaced not a month before, I was ordered to set out.
I passed through the village, met with awe-filled stares and gasps, and found myself quickly upon the entrances of the Wood. Without hesitation, I quickly crossed the threshold.
I didn''t wish to waste any time, and quickly set about finding his last known location. Being occasionally met with a low ranked B-Class monster didn''t help any, but he quickly found fresh tracks deep within the forest, unmistakeably made by a human, if he wasn''t getting rusty that is.
Picking up my pace, I found myself rushing through the forest, following the tracks as best as I could in my haste to find the slaver scum. Soon enough I arrived at my destination, and found a crude, if not sturdy looking home. Looking above and past the foliage of the forest, he found it to be dusk, and if the lights were anything to go by, the suspect was asleep.
I strode to the shack and briskly knocked on the door, my platemail and rage making my knocks much louder than I should have been. I patiently waited for the man to answer the door, and was shocked instead.
The door literally exploded and blew me back onto the forest floor below. I shifted my weight and managed to roll enough to land on my feet. I looked up and found the man throwing something at my still crouching form.
Bombs.
Dashing to the right as fast as I could I felt the searing heat blast to my side, but otherwise managed to leave me untouched. The man continued to throw a flurry of explosives nonetheless, unperturbed by my dodging. He threw them randomly in my direction, maybe seeking to restrict my movement, or perhaps with mad hope that one just might hit me. Regardless, he left me with one option.
I drew my sword and surged forward to the one location not littered with bombs ¨C him.
With a smooth arcing strike, I cut across his chest, blood spraying along the wall and floor as I found my target. Dropping his non-primed explosives, he wheezed out something, but was unable to speak. Blood flowed from his wound and he collapsed lifeless on the ground.
I expected the man to be stronger than that to survive in this forest, perhaps a mage or old warrior. Then it hit me, despite the almost constant attacks on the way here, the man¡¯s tracks were strangely void of any creature, no matter how weak.
I started searching his body and found various objects. An old bit of jerky, a long serrated knife, and lastly an orb of magic. My whole body told me this orb screamed power, and I imagined belonged to an extremely powerful mage. I had often found that some older, wiser and more powerful mages and warriors reeked of this sort of power. I found that perhaps it could have repelled monster attacks.
I collected the orb and wandered into the man¡¯s home. Searching for anything I could, including a possible slave. Passing what seemed to be a makeshift kitchen, I found something that practically screamed bad - a pure metal door. It stuck out like a sore thumb in an otherwise makeshift home.
As I opened the creaking metal door, I was met with a stone staircase leading downward. I had never like cramped places, too many walls and not enough escape routes. But nonetheless I carried on.
I sheathed my sword and began descending the steps, and quickly found another steel door. Expecting this was where he kept any slaves I opened the door carefully, cautious not to scare anyone should I be right, and I was most certainly right.
There hung a woman, barely in her 20s, dangling from the ceiling. In an attempt to seem as non-threatening as possible I hunch over, with slack arms, as I steadily approach her.
¡°You are safe now.¡± I told her.
But strangely she just stares at me with an expression I imagine would be a mix of contempt and amusement. Strange.
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Author Corner
Spoiler :
So this is my second attempt at writing a fiction.
I was tempted to go back and continue trying to write my previous fiction that I dropped, ''The Pale Dragon'' but after reading through it, I found two things.
1. I had no idea where I want to go with it.
2. Writing something again you didn''t enjoy writing as a hobby is a stupid idea.
Maybe I will go back to it one day. But I want to try writing something a bit different instead, perhaps once I get this going forward a bit more I will go and revisit/possibly rewrite it.
I don''t know.
I will try and release one or two chapters every fortnight. I am releasing as I write, so I don''t have any stockpiled chapters. So don''t expect too much in that regard.
I will add tags as/if they happen.
So here it is. Hope people are interested, leave any feedback/suggestions you may have. Tell me I am a horrible person and deserve to die. Whatever tickles your fancy.
Chapter 2 - Dire Wolves
The Knight looked confused as he studied me. I suppose he was expecting a weak, scared girl ready to burst into tears at first sight of salvation. I wonder if I should bother to act like such a girl, but quickly banish the thought. Far too much trouble.
¡°I¡¯ll get you out of those chains,¡± he said, before slowly and carefully drawing his sword. ¡°Try not to move.¡± Then he raised his shimmering sword.
While he slowly worked on hacking away at my chains, I took my time to slowly examine him. He was a young man for knight, seemingly somewhere in his mid to late 20s. He looked distinctly rugged and male, with a square jaw covered in stubble to emphasise that fact. His eyes were a distinct warm brown, matching his tied-back brunette hair perfectly. I couldn¡¯t see his figure behind his heavy armour, but if his ease of movement was anything to by, he must be considerably strong and muscled.
His armour was a rather expensive looking set. Likely a form of magical iron or silver I was not aware of. Looking at it now, it was rather dirty. Flecks of rock, dirt and mud smeared across its surface, marring what I would expect to be a flawless shine.
I slowly look up to find his sword to be just as exquisite. A long, flat blade slowly hacks away at the hard metal that holds me here, impressively keeping its edge even when being crudely used as an axe. A curious creation to be sure, and upon touching it with my mana, most certainly made with magic.
The mana emitting from the blade is faint, but definitely the distinct workings of a powerful mage. Not quite up to par with me, but powerful in their own right, to be sure. It felt as if the metal had been forged while weaving magic into it, and I found myself acutely curious on just how much magic was contained within. The mana itself felt of a controlled but powerful fire.
Before I could inspect further, I heard, or rather felt the chain give way, and almost fell to the floor. Luckily the Knight managed to catch me with his left arm, holding me gently but firmly as he slowly lowered me to my feet.
Unfortunately, as soon as I touched the ground my legs gave way, muscles spasming after being unused for so long. I fell unceremoniously to the ground, my legs sprawled out to my sides. Luckily I managed to find my bearing by bracing my hands on the floor, but even the muscles there burned with pleasure and pain.
Even an immortal can suffer from sore muscles it seems, even if not for long. A running theme with my many abilities.
While the Knight rushed to my side, and rested his hand on my back, I felt the muscles slowly correct themselves. Painfully breaking down and reconstructing stronger and better than before.
¡°Are you able to stand?¡± The Knight asks, evidently not aware of my new muscles forming as they were.
Deciding actions were better than words, I slowly came to my feet, legs screaming but complying nonetheless.
He looked to the door, ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of here.¡± He said.
I shook my head, I had one last thing to do, before then. I gently tugged him to the wall and pointed at one of the many crystals imbedded in the thick stone. I didn¡¯t wish to leave so much of my mana behind, and while I couldn¡¯t collect it, the crystals had to be destroyed.
He gave me a strange look, ¡°You want me to destroy them?¡±
I gave a stern nod. Well he wasn¡¯t stupid at least.
He quickly began working on removing the stones, alternating from prying them loose with his sword, to merely tearing them out with brute strength. The latter surprised me, but I quickly decided that it shouldn¡¯t. A Knight wouldn¡¯t be so weak as to be stopped by a mere chunk of stone.
Soon enough, he laid them out in a small pile. They were all identical, and about the same size as my fist. Large, but not uncommonly so.
He then began rummaging through a pack located in the small of his back, and pulled out another crystal. And that¡that was large. It equalled nearly three times the size of the others, and I could feel my magic radiating from it. That crafty old bastard actually had another¡perhaps he wasn¡¯t as stupid as I thought.
If he used that crystalproperly, he would have been able to contain me a lot longer, perhaps even for the rest of his miserable life. I gave a small shudder at the thought, not wanting to remember his cruel poking and prodding any longer.
The Knight rested the large crystal in the centre of the mass, and readied his sword once again. I felt my eyes widen as I watched his sword grow brighter. I didn¡¯t peg him for a mage, but I suppose I was wrong.
I watched his mana curl around the blade, and found it an interesting site to behold. His mana felt of a soothing breeze, just warm enough to be pleasant, but cold nonetheless. As his blade grew brighter and hotter, he jolted and looked at me as if he suddenly remembered I was in the room. He shifted his position, forcing me back, and wedged himself between me and the crystals.
As soon as I was out of the way he brought his blade down, and I heard the audible crash as the crystals shattered. My mana, to which I imagined would be visible to even the weakest of the magically inclined, exploded throughout the room. And to my amusement, caused the metal clad Knight to step back from the violent burst.
Soon enough my mana dissipated from the air, losing its strength, form and power. Thus was the life of mana, short and sweet no matter how violent. Unless moulded by a mage, or in this case, trapped within a medium.
The Knight, now recovering from his daze, stared suspiciously as the remains of the crystals. Yet he said nothing more. He turned around and eyed me all around, looking for injuries I would imagine. Finding none he spoke, ¡°It is time to leave.¡±
Speaking for the first time, I replied, ¡°Yes, I would imagine so.¡± I knew my voice was cold, almost calculating. Not one you would expect from a captive that chained to the ceiling not a moment ago, I¡¯m sure. But I found no want or need to hide it.
Despite the magic draining cuffs around my wrists, my mana was slowly returning, albeit slower than it normally would have. After all, it took the old man dozens of crystals to contain me, a small chunk of metal wasn¡¯t going to do the job.
The Knight leading the way, I slowly ascended the stairs, to which my now reformed muscles had little trouble with, and passed the second steel door leading to my cell. The Knight cautiously glanced at me now and then over his shoulder. Probably worried I might fall down, I deduced.
As we approached the door of the old man¡¯s shack, I found myself visible pouting, ¡°Damn,¡± I cursed.
The Knight gave a me a strange look, ¡°What?¡±
I pointed towards the dead old man at the doorway, ¡°I wanted to kill him myself.¡±
Despite looking initially shocked at my pronouncement, the Knight gave me a wry smile, ¡°Sorry.¡± Suddenly, the Knight looked strangely solemn, now staring at the old man¡¯s corpse.
¡°Something wrong?¡± I asked.
Still staring at the corpse, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I asked for his name.¡± Tearing his eyes from the man lying in a pool of his own blood, he stared into my eyes, ¡°Or yours for that matter.¡± Before I could answer, he continued, ¡°I am called Taurean.¡±
I¡¯m not sure how I feel about getting second consideration to a corpse, but I answered nonetheless, ¡°Eir. My name is Eir.¡±
=
After our introduction we settled into a comfortable silence.
Raiding the old man¡¯s home, and coming away with a travel bag, various bits of dried meat, and a canteen. After packing our prize, Taurean helped me put the pack on, as the clunky manacles still closed around my wrists made the task quite a chore.
With a small gesture the Knight then passed over the old man¡¯s body and lead the way into the forest. I wondered if he was going to bury the body, but like me he seemed content to leave him to the beasts.
¡°So,¡± I asked, ¡°where are we anyway?¡±
With a slight turn of his head he answered, ¡°The Deep Wood.¡±
I strained my mind trying to remember the name. If I remember correctly, The Deep Wood was located somewhere in Etania, one of the newer yet larger kingdoms of the south. From what I heard there is little strife. In fact, I could not recall a war in the past few decades in which Etania took place in.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
So, if we are in Etania just how far did that geezer take me? I swear I was in the north when I was first made captive. Well, that is a thought for another time.
I wanted to confirm my suspicions, ¡°So-¡± but was cut short.
Interrupting me, a rather large monster leapt from the brush, attempting to take me in its maw. Luckily, I managed to stumble back in time, barely dodging its sharp-looking teeth. Dire Wolf, an A-class threat if I remember right.
Taurean leapt in front of me, shielding me from the hulking behemoth that people dared call a wolf. It was incredibly large, three or four times the size of a normal wolf with more muscle than magic ¨C and it had a lot of magic.
Sensing its power, and not knowing the extent of Taurean¡¯s, I pulled a long dagger poking out from Taurean¡¯s pack. If he noticed, he didn¡¯t comment or complain.
A beasts¡¯ mana always managed to remain the same, but grew richer and larger with age and power. They actually had a similar feel to mine, both wild and untamed, yet they had one distinct difference. They always felt more primal, that hint of an animal that signalled it held no reasoning. They may feel fear, they may feel pain, but they act on pure instinct ¨C kill, eat, survive.
That isn¡¯t to say they cannot be tamed, but it is a task to be sure, even for me.
The Dire Wolf glared at the man who dared obstruct its hunt, and began to pace. Taurean just glared back, focusing on the beast with single-minded determination. I wondered if I should step in to help, but found that I trusted Taurean to win. If he made it here alone, I¡¯m sure we can make it back without too much of my assistance. Besides, he didn¡¯t look too worried.
Taurean tightened his grip in his sword that, until now, I hadn¡¯t even noticed he unsheathed. The Dire Wolf took the movement as an opening, and exploded towards us. The ground visibly cracking from the force of it.
Taurean didn¡¯t waver, however. Channelling his mana into his blade, it glowed white hot. As the Dire Wolf came into range, he swung it down with blinding speed, and just like that, the Dire Wolf was cleaved in two.
Happy that I was right about his strength, I waltzed around the Knight and drove Taurean¡¯s dagger into the wolf¡¯s flank. I still had room in my pack, so I may as well put the meat and fur to good use.
Seeing what I was doing, Taurean sheathed his sword and knelt down beside me, and began assisting me in my work. Together, we quickly gutted the creature and flung the Dire Wolf¡¯s viscera into the foliage, giving any scavengers a small meal should they manage to find it.
I looked up past the trees and found the sun was beginning to set. Starting on the seamless work of skinning the hulking creature, I found Taurean¡¯s assistance now unnecessary.
¡°Go collect us from firewood,¡± I ordered without pausing my work. He looked like he was going to protest, and in response I flared a bit of my mana in the air, letting him taste it directly for the first time, the crystals notwithstanding.
His eyes widened briefly, and grew slightly unfocused. Likely connecting a few dots together, I imagine.
His previous indignation was thrown aside after my demonstration, as he probably believed I could handle myself if a beast showed itself before his return. He quickly set out. Though not too far, I would guess.
I finished my skinning rather quickly, and it seemed his initial worry was not unfounded. It seems my Dire Wolf friend had a mate.
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To call Eir strange would be an understatement. While I had pegged her as such when I first met her, she seems to almost go out of her way to solidify that description.
From the moment I laid eyes upon her I saw many things. She was a beauty to be sure. Full red lips, deep penetrating red eyes, and luminescent white hair that flowed to her waist. But her most disturbing aspect of her current form was the bloody rags she was clad in. However, in our short time together I found no wounds, and noticed none of the man she called her captor. So where did the blood come from?
She was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. One I would work to gently unwrap, for questions left unanswered plagued me like a persistent itch left unscratched.
I found myself now wandering through the woods collecting supplies for a fire. I was reluctant at first to leave Eir alone in such a dangerous place, but once again she had surprised me.
Magic.
I had wondered after destroying the crystals in her cell, but she was most certainly a mage, and an extremely potent one at that. Her magic was fierce and strong, and reminded me of an S-class beast, perhaps even stronger.
This girl was strong, I knew that much, and even now I felt the lingering trace of her mana on my skin. I was curious to the extent and attribute of her abilities, my own being that of Light and Fire, and decided I would quiz her at length soon enough.
Collecting a fair amount of dry wood and kindling, I wandered back to where I left Eir. I hadn¡¯t wandered far, still protective even after her display of power, so it didn¡¯t take me long to return. As to not startle her, I made my presence known, deliberately stepping on twigs and brushing past the foliage of the forest as nosily as possible.
I rounded a tree and looked down at the woman¡who was currently gutting another Dire Wolf. To say I was shocked was an understatement.
Pausing her work, she looked up at me, ¡°You going to just stand there,¡± her tone dry, ¡°or are you going to start building us a fire?¡±
Her words snapped me out of my daze, ¡°You killed a Dire Wolf?¡± I asked, managing to keep my voice level.
After giving me a small smile, she went back to her work. ¡°Yes,¡± she continued without pausing, ¡°you aren¡¯t the only one who can fight.¡± Grabbing the intestines of the second beast she flung them aside, ¡°I can hold my own.¡± She paused a moment, a small frown on her brow, ¡°Most of the time.¡±
Not dwelling on what she meant by that, I began working on building us a fire. It didn¡¯t take long, as I found Eir was still skinning the new wolf when I had completed my task. Without a word I slowly traced the small clearing we found ourselves in, and found it had enough wood on its own to make a small spit.
With some rope within my pack I bound the branches together, and upon completely my task, I found Eir had finished skinning and cutting the meat from the wolves. After receiving a fair portion of the meat from her, I skewered it on the spit, and we both waited for the fire to do its work.
¡°Now,¡± I broke the silence, ¡°would you mind explaining to me how you killed a Dire Wolf?¡±
Eir smiled, but I found it didn¡¯t reach her eyes. She turned her icy red eyes towards me, and stood up. ¡°It might be better if I showed you.¡±
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Spoiler :
Well I probably released this a bit early, but I found myself writing this for the past few days and thought, ''I could keep this stocked up for next week'', but I decided there was little point. After all, I¡¯m not going to get much feedback with just a single chapter out.
Though with all that said, I am still sticking to my guarantee of once or twice a fortnight deadline. Not going to guarantee anything more.
So here it is. If you catch anything I might have missed in my editing be sure to tell me.
Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 3 - The Strength of an Immortal
I watched as Eir stood up, making the task look like as much as much of a chore possible. I wonder if forcing her to reveal her strength was a bad idea, but it is too late for second guessing now.
She draws the dagger that she borrowed from me, slowly as to not startle me overly so, I imagine. Though that thought quickly leaves me, replaced by Eir¡¯s soft but stern voice, ¡°Draw your sword.¡±
I hesitate for a moment, but the dead dire wolf, still skinned and butchered, catches my eye. Eir is no pushover, that much I can deduce. I comply with her request and slowly stand, unsheathing my sword in the process.
Eir plays with my dagger, juggling the blade between her lithe fingers. After a moment she suddenly stops, and casts a sweeping look over me, ¡°Try not to die.¡±
With that she bursts from her position with almost blinding speed. In less than a moment she appears in front of me, flourishing the dagger towards my exposed throat. Luckily I manage to step to the side, and raise my sword in defence.
¡°Such speed!¡± I thought.
Within a beat Eir was back on me, dagger once again aiming for my weak points. Throat, wrists, legs. All had their small individual weaknesses in the joints, small points where the armour was either the thinnest or completely absent, and she was aiming at every single one.
She was pulling her punches, but I was almost certain she was actually trying to kill me. She didn¡¯t taunt, she didn¡¯t jeer. Apart from the occasional small sound of exertion you would wonder if she was even there. She was a phantom.
I looked for any openings that I could find, but found while there were many, her relentless flurry of attacks closed them up entirely. There was no room to counter with my longsword, and should I let a strike hit to land my own, hers would be far more deadly.
We continued like that for a while. Her relentless assault made the time feel like hours, though it couldn¡¯t have been more than a few minutes. As if signalled by something I couldn¡¯t sense, she abruptly jumped up onto my broad chest and launched herself backwards. While she was small, I stumbled back from the strength in her legs, barely managing to keep my feet.
Eir then closed the distance once again, and before I knew it, I found the cold dagger resting on my throat. I froze for a moment, instinctive fear at the promise of death now resting on my skin. Conceding to her overwhelming strength and my defeat, I dropped my sword. The blade and hilt making an audible thump as they met the ground below.
Accepting my surrender, Eir drew back the dagger from my throat just a quickly and silently as she had placed it there.
We stood there staring into each other¡¯s eyes. The red in her eyes, while always beautiful in their own right, was cold and unrelenting as she was in battle. A reflection of her mind carved into a single colour, she was death.
¡°That,¡± she said to break the silence, ¡°is how I killed the Dire Wolf.¡±
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We returned to the camp after our small bout, though I wonder if Taurean saw it as just a small demonstration. He was now glancing in my direction now and then as I looked into the fire, studying me more intently and seriously than he had before. Seeing me as a warrior now, perhaps.
¡°Perhaps I went too far.¡± I thought. I rarely fought at full strength, but I always fought seriously. Though Taurean seemed like he could handle it.
It had been a while since I properly fought someone, however. Slithering through the shadows and slitting someone¡¯s throat, while more efficient, is rarely as intense as an upfront fight.
Judging by his appearance he was one of the kingdoms stronger fighters, though. Taurean practically screamed important with his overly expensive looking gear, and considering the lowest beasts we had encountered were B-Class, he had to have been considered strong to be sent here alone.
Breaking my thoughts, Taurean spoke up, ¡°We should probably sleep now.¡± He said, ¡°We will be leaving at dawn.¡±
I gazed upwards past the blanketing trees and found him to be right, it was late. I decided to lie back, and stare at the night sky a while longer, then eventually succumbed to the realm of my dreams.
=
Awakening to a small jostle, I gazed up to find Taurean towering over me, I suppose he gave up on trying to appear the gentle Knight. Obviously finding the endeavour to be pointless considering I was neither a damsel nor in distress. It was a welcome change; I didn¡¯t feel particularly comfortable being babied by a man whose lifespan that was a mere drop in the lake that was my own.
The smell of roasted wolf quickly wafted in my direction, my nose apparently catching up with my other senses now that I was awake. We sat around the fire to ward off the morning chill and feasted on the remains of our game.
We ate in silence, though it was not an uncomfortable thing. I have met many people in the world who seemed afraid of it, like a mere intermission of mindless chatter was enough to kill them. Besides, the sounds of the forest were never quiet, and I quite enjoyed listening to the sound of life fluttering in the distance.
While I was listening to the sound of the birds chirping their morning cries, Taurean broke the silence, ¡°We should be able to make it to Root village today,¡± Taurean looked up to the sky before continuing, ¡°Should the weather hold out that is.¡±
I followed his gaze past the trees and found his worry to be groundless. The sky was clear and blue, though the trees restricted our view quite a bit, and the rain might roll in from afar. So his fears could have some merit. It was no matter, however. Taurean looked tough enough to battle a little water, and I was certainly not going to die over it.
We finished our meal and passed through the forest with relative ease, the beasts even started to grow weaker, averaging a steady C-Class now instead of a constant B. Then again, I was not too versed in the ranking of the Guilds, and found their rankings change so much over the years, that I gave up on following it.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
It has been a while since I even visited a Guild branch, perhaps I should join again. I found myself having to constantly join and leave many times. Being immortal has its downsides. Though it is fun grinding up so fast and laughing at the shocked awe that comes from my peers.
¡°Perhaps it is time to have some fun, once again.¡± I mutter, earning me a look from Taurean in the process. ¡°Did he hear me?¡±
I notice the beasts start to thin as the day goes on, and our encounters go from dozens every few moments, to one every few hours. I suppose the strong reside in the deep of the forest. Though that is not a rare occurrence. Magical Beasts generally flock to Places of Power, strong magical hotspots that result in the mutation from animal to beast.
I remember a long time ago, I found such a hotspot in my travels. It was newly formed yet just as powerful as its sisters. In fact, that was the first time I had ever encountered an SSS-Class beast, and boy was that a treat. Of course I retreated, even an immortal gets tired of being ripped apart over and over again. Though I am a lot stronger now, I imagine if I met such a beast ever again I might have some fun trying to best it.
Soon enough, Taurean and I reach the edge of the forest and enter this ¡®Root Village¡¯ he mentioned this morning, and I see where they got the name. At the centre of the village rested perhaps the tallest tree I had ever seen in my entire life. It towered so high above I struggled to see the branches resting at its peak. On the ground rested what I imaged were one of thousands of roots running along the surface, some thin and others incredibly thick.
Various villages had gathered around us with whispering awe. I looked beside me, and guessed why. Soon enough a bubbly looking woman pushed through the crowd and her eyes locked onto me. As she hurried towards us I noted a few key things.
She was bulky for one, but not overly so. Her hair was a soft auburn that curled to frame her face in a slightly alluring way that, combined with her amber eyes, radiated a stern aura. She practically leaked magical power as well, power that I noticed matched perfectly with the sword currently sheathed on Taurean¡¯s waist.
Reaching us, she examined me closely, her eyes studying my every curve. She then suddenly shifted her eyes to Taurean, shifting to a glare, ¡°Ray, what the hell is this?¡±
Taurean looked visibly shaken, scared and confused in equal measure, ¡°What do you mean?¡± He answered with a frown.
¡°Look at her!¡± The woman practically bellowed, causing Taurean to shrink slightly into himself, ¡°She is covered in rags! It is a wonder they are even holding together!¡±
I looked down at myself as she screamed. Well she was right. Though I never really thought about it, my current state of dress was in shambles. There were tears covering my grey-brown tunic, and upon examining my trousers, I found they barely held on enough to rest around my waist.
The woman turned to me and her gaze visibly softened, ¡°Come with me, dear. We¡¯ll get you out of those rags.¡± She extended a large, calloused hand to me.
I looked to Taurean, unsure on what exactly I should do, but he was in his own world. Eyes distant and, if I was reading him right, filled with terror. I suppose if Taurean is visibly scared of her that is a bad sign, but I decide to go with her anyway. Not as though she can kill me, of course.
I took her hand and she practically marched past the crowd. Not expecting her abrupt speed, I found myself almost tripping over myself trying to meet her strides. I quickly adjusted however when she slowed down a bit, either noticing my struggle or calming down in what I assumed was righteous anger.
After passing a few villagers, who were currently all rushing in the direction of Taurean to catch a glimpse of the towering Knight, we quickly arrived at a forge. The woman ascended a set of worn-looking stairs to the side, pulling me along with her.
We entered a room and before I was able to examine it the woman ordered, ¡°Sit.¡± I was roughly, but carefully seated on a bed and the woman turned around and exited the room.
I slowly looked at the small room surrounding me. It was a simple but warm room with little furnishings composing of a chair, a few weapons, and a fairly large wardrobe.
No sooner than I finished examining the room, the woman returned with a towel in hand, and quickly grabbed me once again. Tugging me along the street for a small while we arrived at a fairly large house. Or perhaps a store. Once again I didn¡¯t get a chance to look at it any further before I was abruptly yanked through the door.
Looking inside I knew exactly where we had entered, though I didn¡¯t get a chance to protest. Without a word I was yanked alongside to woman, now hidden in a cloud of hot mist.
¡°Let¡¯s get you washed up.¡±
She literally tore away the rags from my body, though it didn¡¯t take much effort to do so. And dunked me into a large, hot bath. I was fairly dirty, though if she noticed or cared she kept it to herself. Resigning to my fate I let her have her way with me.
For the next few minutes I was scrubbed free from the grime marring my skin. Hearing a gasp, I turned my head to the side to find the woman staring wide-eyed at my back, ¡°What is that?¡±
¡°Well, shit. She noticed.¡±
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The-Mindless-Jabbering-of-a-stupid-Aussie Author Corner
Spoiler :
Well, I get the distinct feeling I am overposting in comparison to my twice every fortnight self-imposed rule. Well, whatever. I doubt anyone is going to complain.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and are enjoying the story so far. Let me know if you are, or hell, let me know if you aren''t.
Chapter 4 - Fear and Power
There were a few things I had come to fear in my life, even after being made a Knight. Eir was among the most recent of those fears.
Her fearsome, swift strikes were forced into my mind the moment we spared in the woods. If it struck me as strange that she would be capable of such complicated and strenuous movement so soon after her release, I had no time to ponder on it while under her assault.
But that wasn''t the case, now.
After perhaps the greatest of my fears came to yell in my face just moments before, I fell into an all too familiar stupor which came in her wake. Maybe more frightening to the uninitiated, but to me it was but a mere notch in my belt. Elektra, with her stocky build was a fearsome sight when she was mellow, but when she was angry she could tame even the wildest of adventurers. Quite the feat considering that adventurers were known to be particularly obtuse when confronted with aggression.
Regardless, the stupor Elektra had forced me into caused me to consider a great many things about my new-found enigma known as Eir, and led me to document what I knew of the sly woman.
She was a good head shorter than I, who towered over an average woman and even man, with piercing red eyes and waist length silver-white hair. She was a striking woman to be sure, and to complement this, she had quite the strike.
Her combat skills were a few notches above top-class, I was sure. And to my embarrassment I had the feeling she was holding back when fighting me, not being gentle, but certainly holding back. I imagine her strikes could be swifter, her blows heavier, and her technique perhaps deadlier. An assassin, a rogue, one who went for the quick kill was what her style told me. With each strike she would go for my joints, my neck, and all the gaps in which her knife could slip in-between the gaps in my heavy armour. In short, a natural enemy of a lumbering Knight, like myself.
This lead me to wonder many things from the moment she showed me her strength.
How did she get captured?
Who is she?
Where did she acquire such skills?
Where did she come from?
Questions I would be sure to get answers to. She wouldn¡¯t answer them too easily, though. In time perhaps, but not right now. Yet, I must return to the capital to report my findings of the old man, and more importantly - his captive.
So there was only one option.
Brushing past the gathering crowds to find the woman who seemed to be swirling in my thoughts as of late, I mumbled to myself, ¡°Looks like I will have a travelling companion.¡±
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In my extensive career in the realm of the living, I have found myself bogged down with many things. Friends, both short and long-lived alike, were in short supply for one who could walk through fire and turn out fine mere moments later.
Most of these things that come with life fade after a long time. Oaths and promises I had given fell short in this regard. Such things being lost as my friends had succumbed to death, either through age or illness.
Oddly, and perhaps not surprisingly, even a nomad like me still had contacts with those in a position of power. King, Emperors, leaders that rivalled each. Many of these people I had saw come to power, and sometimes ¨C in part ¨C helped put them there. After all, immortals need to do something to pass the time.
But even with all these things, I had found one thing to last longer than they had the right to ¨C secrets.
Though the secret being bared right now wasn¡¯t much of one, and usually was uncovered every few months or years¡in one way or the other. Usually through my own lack of care in keeping it now that I think about it.
Right now it stared in the face of the strong woman who until now had been scrubbing the back that held it.
¡°What is that?¡± She asks, pale and wide-eyed.
What she happens to be staring at is my back, covered in scars. Many of which uneven, raised and jagged. They were unsightly things, reminders of things beyond a mere blade, but those of claw and tooth. The scars were mostly confined to my lower back, with a few exceptions crawling their way upwards.
Ugly was the word that sprung to mind, disgusting was the word that sprung to others when they saw them. Though the funny part was, I didn¡¯t even remember where I got them, or how they even came to be. How would you manage to harm a body such as mine?
So many questions, though I gave up caring about them long ago. Aside from circumstances such as these, that is.
Past the scars, though, was another story.
Underneath the old wounds were best described as tattoos. Winged, silvery, and beautiful they could be called, and sat furled and safe upon her back. Their only taint being that of the torn flesh that lie atop. Those, I cared about. Scarcely a day went by were I didn¡¯t wonder where these tattoos came from.
The wings were like a void within my mind, a gap in my memory. Hell, it has been so long that I can¡¯t even remember when I first noticed them.
They were a constant in my unending life, like a limb that would be difficult, and perhaps impossible to live without.
My questions about my wings forever remain though, I have never found my answer, never found their purpose. But I did know they were important, they felt important. Perhaps I would never find out, though I did have time to try.
Anyway, I now found my most well-known secret revealed, and through tactful grace I was permitted to explain, ¡°My back.¡±
The woman managed to bring some blood back to her face, and let her lids drop to avoid catastrophic eyeball loss. Now she looked mildly annoyed, ¡°Yes, I can see that.¡± With some sarcasm to boot. I wonder if we could be friends.
¡°Then why ask?¡±
She didn''t have a response for that, and went back to her scrubbing, with a bit more force than she had before. Crisis averted¡and considering the strength going into her scrubs, with the price of some skin loss.
We quickly found ourselves removed from the bath and back into the changing rooms. Drying myself off, I dressed myself in the clothing the woman had provided, basic travelling gear from what I could tell. Strong, white-brown and basic fabric met my skin. It was fairly soft all things considered, and fit me quite well. The trousers were more-or-less the same thing, though a slightly darker brown to accent the creamier tunic.
Looking to my side I found the smith had donned her own clean clothes, though considering how scruffy they were one could think otherwise. Clean and free from my rags we both exited the bathhouse, and quickly stumbled upon Taurean. Grime and all. He obviously didn¡¯t think to clean himself in our absence.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
He gave me a quick once over, not a cold look, but a professional one nonetheless. I could have bothered being offended, but chose not to bother. Besides, having a knight fawn over me would draw attention, and I do enough of that myself to begin with.
Waiting for him to speak, I merely stood there, which in turn earned me one of those uncomfortable silences people dread so much. Interestingly the one to break it was the stocky woman, ¡°Taurean, you better have a damn good reason to be stiffing around this bathhouse.¡± Well, wasn¡¯t she the aggressive one?
Interestingly enough Taurean ignored the stocky woman, instead opting to continue the weird examination of a completely inconspicuous, un-killable lady such as myself.
¡°Elektra.¡±
The stocky woman managed to sound even grouchier than before, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for my name, I asked for an explanation.¡± Well, at least I have her name now.
¡°I came to speak with Eir.¡±
Elektra looked between us both, looking oddly conflicted about the thought of leaving us.
I gave her a small smile, ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you could find me some extra clothes, now, could you?¡± Have to give her a reason to leave, I guess. Besides, I do need more than one pair of clothes.
If looks alone could test my immortality, this would be one of those times. Elektra¡¯s stare practically split skin it was so sharp. ¡°Those fit alright?¡± I have her a nod, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, wait for me here.¡±
Both Taurean and I watched as she stormed off, steps heavy with bottled annoyance, I would bet. Elektra was not the most stable of individuals, it seems. And I may have just gotten on her bad side. Oh well, not like her punches will kill me¡probably.
¡°So,¡± I asked as Elektra turned a corner, disappearing from sight, ¡°I suppose we are going on the road again, right?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± he affirmed. ¡°I plan to take you to the capital, I have a feeling my superiors may want a word with you.¡±
¡°That so?¡±
Gods, if I am a magnet¡
He gave me a side-long glance, ¡°And there are too many questions left unanswered¡¡± He muttered.
¡trouble is magnetic.
=
I found myself at the border of Root Village, with a now larger pack to replace the smaller one I scavenged from the old man¡¯s shack. Notable stuffed with an assortment of food, clothes and a pouch full of copper and silver coins.
Dire Wolf pelts sell for a pretty profit apparently.
Aside from my pack, I now carried all the makings of a commoner traveller, from the tunic and trouser combo I had before, to the now equally brown coat I wore on top of it. However, that wasn¡¯t counting Taurean¡¯s dagger now sheathed on my hip, hiding just out of sight.
Taurean had seen fit to inform Elektra of my skills with a dagger. The smith unfortunately didn¡¯t have any spare daggers lying around in her shop, on account of being mostly focused on basics swords and shields, she told me. However, she did have a spare sheathe and belt, luckily snug enough to comfortably fit the blade.
I walked up to Taurean, who was currently engaged in a rather animated conversation with an angry Elektra. I was half expecting to get some residual heat from the fumes that would inevitably spill from her ears, but luckily she didn¡¯t run that hot.
¡°The girl just got back from Gods knows what, and you want her to set out mere hours later!?¡± She practically was screaming in a nervous looking Taurean.
¡°Yes,¡± he responded calmly, though with a small hint of terror. ¡°My superiors need to be informed of my findings, and I need to leave now.¡± He gave me a brief glance as he noticed me heading their way, ¡°And I can¡¯t leave her here.¡±
Coming up just to the side of Elektra I suddenly appreciated the volume of her voice, ¡°Screw what your superiors need! You can leave her here with me, and if they are so desperate they can make the trip themselves.¡±
Now within earshot without having to yell, I spoke, ¡°Elektra, I¡¯m fine with making the trip. A week or two more on the road won¡¯t kill me.¡±
She gave a small jolt of surprise when I spoke, probably wasn¡¯t expecting my approach to be so quiet. Though that didn¡¯t cool her head any, ¡°I don¡¯t care, you are staying here.¡± She responded with a queer protective glint in her eye. The scars always did cause trouble.
Persuasion clearly wasn¡¯t going to work, ¡°I am going, whether you want me to or not. You aren¡¯t my mother; you aren¡¯t my protector. You don¡¯t get a say in this.¡±
Her brow furrowed, before she turned to Taurean, ¡°You will inform me when you reach the capital. You will inform me of every move you made and how you made it. You will inform me of everything and anything of import concerning Eir.¡± She demanded. ¡°Am I clear?¡±
¡°Crystal.¡±
She turned back to me, ¡°I am your protector, confidant and whatever else I decide to be when I decide it.¡± Well she was a cocky brat, that is to be sure, ¡°You wish or will it to be otherwise, but you don¡¯t get a say, Eir. I¡¯ll be in touch.¡±
And with that, she strode off into the village. I didn¡¯t feel it until now, but she was certainly something different. Hot-headed, spirited, powerful. Those things I sensed. Yet I feel she is something¡more.
¡°Just who is she? Hell, what is she?¡± I asked Taurean.
Taurean gave a short chuckle, ¡°What isn¡¯t she?¡±
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Author Corner
Spoiler : Sorry for the late chapter, real life things (Me changing my nocturnal sleep schedule) accompanied by me scrapping this chapter a few times got in the way of a timely release.
I felt I wanted to get Elektra right, in a sense, and ended up changing her character from this and that, not to mention the way in which she acted to various things.
Even now I feel like something is missing, and the scene feels a little...flat? Maybe rushed in getting her out of Root Town?
I did feel I want to get her to leave, considering I don''t have plans for her to stay other than staying for the hell of it.
I''m not sure. Give me your opinions, I guess. Thanks for reading and all that jazz.