ã€ŠRoad To Sã€‹


 Chapter 1

    Hello to everyone who bothered to click on this! I''ve posted a fan-fiction on this site already, and while I''m not going to stop writing that one in favor of this one.  I kinda wanted to post this one as well and get some feedback on it.  In case the description gets cut off, this fan-fiction is loosely (very loosely) based on the world of Dungeons and Dragons.  I had first started writing backstories for my characters in D&D about 2 years back and it quickly led to me just writing stories for the heck of it.

    The full title of this story in particular is: "Part 1 of the Crimson Wolf Saga: Road to S".  Based on just the name, you can probably guess that this is a bit of a longer story.  There will definitely be some familiar sights in this tale and a whole lot of new stuff as well, which will hopefully make for an enjoyable tale if I''ve done my job correctly.  Anyway, I think I''ve rambled on quite a bit, so without further ado, let''s get this show on the road!

    [p=center]<h2>Chapter 1 - Gilean</h2>[/p]

    [p=center]

    Age of Dorweir - Year 2620[/p]

    A gentle breeze sailed through the fields outside of the village of Gelaweir, carrying with it the scents of spring and the melodies of the birds that rejoiced in the new season.  The clear skies offered no protection, however, from the piercing light of the sun''s rays.  Thus weary travelers seeking a respite from the heat of the day sought refuge underneath the cool areas of a home or tavern.  Or in one traveler''s case, beneath the swaying branches of an old oak tree that stood curiously alone in the field some distance away from Gelaweir.

    The figure dozing beneath the oak was covered head-to-toe in all black clothing, which, under the shade of the tree made it difficult to pick out any prominent features.  The traveler was of average height and bore a slender build that was coupled with a pair of prominent ears poking out from beneath his (for he had a fairly masculine appearance) tufts of wind-swept black hair.  The characteristic tapering of his ears and their unusual size marked the mysterious traveler as an elf.

    Next to the elf was a incredibly heavy-looking greatsword that had been stabbed into the ground.  The steady rise and fall of his chest quickened, his sleep disturbed, as he shifted around under the oak, searching for a more comfortable position.  He apparently found it as his breathing settled down to a steady rhythm and he lolled back into a peaceful state.

    Taking in all of this, Melia shook her head in disbelief at the elf''s cavalier attitude at sleeping so defenselessly.  While she eyed the blade with some trepidation, she dismissed any notion of going back to the Mercenary House empty-handed.  A small smile crept across her face as she thought how he was going to wake this lazy bum up as she made her way over to the tree, intending to shake the unruly elf awake.

    Her long strides ate up the distance between her and the elf, but before she had come within 20 paces of the supposedly sleeping elf, his golden eyes shot open and froze Melia in her place with its fierce, bestial gaze.  In the span of a few seconds, the elf had retrieved the greatsword from the ground and was pointing it at Melia, as his eyes narrowed to slits, seeing the vague figure that was obscured by the blinding light only as a potential enemy to be cut down.

    Her heart in her throat, Melia feebly croaked out a greeting to the man, ¡°Gi-Gilean, it''s past time to meet everyone.  We''re going to be late...¡±

    The sound of Melia''s voice seemed to fully wake up Gilean as his eyes visibly softened and blinked away the last vestiges of sleep.  Gilean relaxed his ready posture and sheathed his heavy weapon back into the baldric on his back, yawning as he did so.

    ¡°Melia?...What time is it?¡± asked Gilean, stifling another yawn with a hand over his mouth.  Seeing Gilean''s nonchalant attitude calmed the furious pounding of Melia''s heart as her anger quickly bubbled to the surface.

    ¡°Time to wake up you idiot! We were supposed to be meet at the Mercenary House 15 minutes ago!¡± shouted Melia.  Gilean winced from the sharp reprimands as he gazed at the position of the sun to confirm the time on his own.

    ¡°You''re right.¡± said Gilean with a touch of wonder in his voice (A vein on Melia''s forehead twitched), ¡°Meaning I can sleep for at least another 15 minutes.¡±

    With that irresponsible statement, the incorrigible elf walked over to a more shaded part of the tree and plopped onto the grass with a contented sigh.  A sigh that was rapidly transformed into a short yelp as Melia seized one of his ears in a crushing grip and stood Gilean up.  Her hand on his ear and increasing the pressure ever so slightly, Melia marched towards their next job while ignoring Gilean''s continued pleas.

    <hr />

    The Cataclysm was said to be the event that heralded the dawn of a new age, a time of darkness and fear.  Monsters, demons, spirits and all other manner of horrors became more than myth as such sightings became more and more frequent.

    It had been almost 20 years since then, and the world had begun to regain some sense of normalcy, helped in no small part by enterprises such as the Mercenary House.  When it became clear that relying on roving bands of adventurers to deal with the occasional problem was no longer a viable solution, the leaders of the various races created various institutions that were directly funded by the state.

    One of these organizations was the Mercenary House and was one of the most successful ventures.  If a person wanted to join the Mercenary House, they had to pass a series of exams issued by the governing body of the area to receive an official Mercenary license.  Once this was accomplished, a person would be entitled to accept requests posted on the Board that was located in every Mercenary House.  These requests were then verified by independent contractors from the ruling council to make sure they were important and severe enough that they warranted the services of a mercenary.

    This prevented the Board from being cluttered with unimportant requests and the independent verification from the council also prevented any one person or persons having control over what requests came up.  Once a request was confirmed to be real, a team of mercenaries was dispatched to the area to take care of the problem.  When the task was finished, the mercenaries received their compensation from the Mercenary House, typically in the form of large amounts of gold.  The immense wealth attracted many would-be mercenaries and the nearly impossible exams turned all but the most hardened of warriors away.

    It was a little past noon when the pair finally reached the Mercenary House.  They would''ve arrived even later if Melia hadn''t finally relented and released her hold on Gilean''s ear halfway through the journey.  Gilean gingerly touched his poor, abused ear and winced as the imperceptible touch sent a jolt of pain through it.  He glared at Melia who managed to stifle (poorly) a chuckle.  Grumbling to himself, Gilean pushed open the door unceremoniously and stalked over the threshold with a huff.

    The patrons populating the dim interior of the House all looked up warily at the new arrivals.  Despite the fact that they were located in the middle of a sizable village; the harrowing nature of their profession demanded a constant vigilance at the risk of losing their lives.  The presence of these two faces alerted some sixth sense of these grizzled veterans, a few even dropped their hands to their weapons unconsciously.

    The slim black-haired man drew some attention for his apparent youth, until their attention was drawn to one of his ears which the boy''s hand carefully hovered around.  While an elven mercenary was certainly uncommon, it was not unheard of in such parts and it explained his youthful appearance.

    It was the presence of the elf''s companion that drew the wary looks for it ¨C she because of the long hair and prominent chest ¨C was an incredibly fierce-looking orc warrior.  The she-orc towered over the elf and commanded the attention of every person in the room with her imposing aura.  Rays of light that filtered through the slats of the shuttered windows, glanced off of the she-orc''s full plate-mail armour and made it shine with a menacing light.  Perhaps she knew the effect she was having on the people inside the House as her mouth split open in a feral grin; fangs gleaming through the twilight of the room.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    This of course did nothing to allay the concerns of the mercenaries as more of them reached for their weapons.

    It was a testament to their prowess (or sheer stupidity) that several of the mercenaries merely assessed the she-orc without fear and disregarded her as an enemy as several of their compatriots were so foolishly doing.  Unaware of the tense situation that had erupted in the tavern, the elven male stalked over to the Board that was hung up on a wall in the centre of the House.

    The she-orc followed behind after breaking off eye  contact with the warriors who were considering drawing weapons with a low chuckle.  Seeing as she wasn''t a real enemy, many people dropped their hands away from their weapons, although more than few kept a watchful eye on the duo''s progress.

    Gilean quickly glanced through the many requests that were pinned on the Board, taking note of which ones involved demons and noted them down in his memory for later.  After confirming there were no requests that demanded his immediate attention, Gilean tore himself away from the Board and sauntered over to the Mission Desk that was located in a small alcove at the back of the House.  Behind the Desk sat a bored looking halfling who was staring at a heavily text-laden document embossed with official seals from the Elven and Dwarven councils.

    One of his hands rested against the desk and was propping up his chin, while his other was dextrously flipping a deadly-looking dagger between his dancing fingers as he pored through the document.  As Gilean approached, the halfling looked up and smiled, glad that there was something to jog him out of his usual routine of correcting official papers.

    ¡°Yes? Can I help you?¡± asked the halfling politely.

    ¡°I''m here with my companion to start the mission we had signed on for yesterday.¡± replied Gilean, jerking his head over at Melia to indicate who his companion was.  ¡°It was for the request over in Auverdale to deal with the demon attacks.¡±

    Before the halfling could reply, a deep voice rang out through the stillness of the room, ¡°You''re late.¡±

    The owner of the voice was a heavily-built human male clad in polished, steel armor sitting at one of the tables, nursing a mug of spiced cider.  Melia recognized the man as one of the few people who did not go for his weapon when they saw her.  The man set his drink down with a soft thump and rose up from the table.  Now that he was standing up, his full height was revealed to be even with Melia''s and was even more imposing than the she-orc because of the cold expression that defined his face.  Melia''s eyes flicked back and forth between Gilean and the man, anxiously hoping the former didn''t do anything too stupid.

    While some patrons were ignoring this confrontation and continuing with their own conversations; many people watched the scene with undisguised eagerness, each hoping that a fight would break out between the youth and the warrior.

    Melia inwardly groaned when she saw the completely unabashed expression and slight smirk dancing across Gilean''s face.  The knight''s face darkened when he saw Gilean, coming to a halt a hairsbreadth away from the elf, so Gilean was forced to look upwards.

    ¡°Semphil Albernson, I presume?¡± enquired Gilean easily.

    ¡°You presume too much if you think we are on an personal basis with each other, boy.¡± said Semphil coldly.

    His grin becoming imperceptibly wider, Gilean raised an eyebrow and corrected himself, ¡°Do you prefer your unofficial title then? I feel that ¡°The Mobile Fortress¡± seems a bit too odd to use in a proper conversation with someone.¡±

    At Gilean''s retort, the room erupted in a low buzz as people looked on with renewed interest at Semphil; some gazed at him with something close to awe.  Among the few A-Rankers, ¡°The Mobile Fortress¡± was one of the most well-known members of the class.  He was known both for his incredible strength as well as his unwavering sense of duty to the people he accepted requests from.

    Semphil ignored the furious mutterings of the mercenaries and remained glaring fixedly at Gilean.  ¡°You know quite a bit about me.  That information would''ve been on the approved request we had all accepted.  As was the time, we were to meet.¡± added Semphil severely.

    ¡°And?¡± asked Gilean, refusing to move the conversation forward.

    ¡°Why are you late?¡± rumbled Semphil, his eyes glittered with a dangerous light.

    ¡°Technically you''re 15 minutes early.¡± answered Gilean cheerfully.  Faster than the eye could follow, Semphil''s hand shot out from his side and seized hold of the front of Gilean''s tunic.  The giant man lifted Gilean easily off the ground without any form of strain appearing on his face.

    ¡°For your sake, I hope you have something better than that, boy!¡± shouted Semphil.  There was a soft hiss of steel scraping across leather as Melia drew her battleaxe and hefted it into the air menacingly, ¡°Drop him.¡± growled Melia.

    Several of the patrons were showing very worried looks now; what had started off as a good bit of fun now seemed like it would yield heavy bloodshed.  Indeed, more than few people were pushing backing from their tables and drawing their own weapons to preempt the ensuing carnage by dealing with Melia.  Gilean and Semphil remained unfazed by the deadly situation, as they continued to lock gazes with one another.

    ¡°Is this how you treated the other two?¡± asked Gilean.  Gilean''s unexpected question significantly lowered the tense atmosphere of the room as Semphil drew back from Gilean and wrinkled his brow in confusion.  ¡°...Other two?¡± he repeated slowly.

    Gilean made an exaggerated show of surprise as his eyes widened and his jaw hung loose in supposed shock, ¡°You didn''t know? Two more people were assigned to this mission.  A message hawk was delivered to the House yesterday about these changes with a new meeting time.¡±

    Semphil was utterly nonplussed at this information for he had spent the entirety of yesterday at the local shops to restored his equipment to their previous pristine state, as well as replenish his dwindling supplies in preparation for his next mission.  One of the regulations of the Mercenary House is that all missions were subject to immediate and potentially radical change by the ruling council up until the day before the scheduled mission.  While this technically meant that mercenaries were required to check for new updates, such changes were so rarely done that most neglected to do so.

    Semphil couldn''t even get angry with Gilean because of this.  Gilean had told the truth and Semphil had reacted rashly without pausing to consider that what he had assumed to be a sarcastic comment, to be the truth.  Although Gilean''s attitude certainly didn''t help in convincing Semphil to other alternatives, the fault still lay with Semphil alone.  And that was something the knight could not tolerate.

    Semphil gently placed Gilean down and stepped away form him to bow his head in apology, ¡°It seems that it was I who presumed too much.  For that, I cry both you and your companion''s pardon for my unacceptable actions.¡±

    Gilean was surprised at the knight''s earnest and sincere apology.  His reputation is well-deserved. ¡°Please raise your head, sir knight.  My own attitude hardly helped, and was certainly inappropriate for one of your stature.¡± Melia and the rest of the patrons silently agreed.  ¡°Let us start over anew.¡± said Gilean, extending his hand as he did so.

    Semphil clasped Gilean''s hand without hesitation as everyone watching breathed in relief, ¡°Thank you for your understanding.  And please, call me Semphil.¡±

    Gesturing over to where his table was, Semphil ushered Melia and Gilean to sit and refresh themselves as they waited for the last two companions.  Conversation slowly returned to the room as people went about their own business.  Semphil had gone to retrieve drinks for Melia and Gilean, despite their polite (but not adamant) protests.

    Melia narrowed her eyes at Gilean, who returned her gaze evenly.  ¡°I did tell you we had 15 more minutes, Ms. Ear Torturer.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up.¡±

    [p=center]Next Chapter</a>[/p]

 Chapter 2

    I have the first 4 chapters and a good chunk of the 5th one already typed up, so I''ll just go ahead and post those one after the other.

    For the most part, this story will be told from Gilean''s perspective, but it will be jumping back and forth between different time periods of his life.  Chapter 2, for example, will be set at the period when Gilean was a child.

    [p=center]<h2>Chapter 2 ¨C Family</h2>[/p]

    [p=center]Age of Dorweir - Year 2609[/p]

    Deep within the Forests of Everist, near the southern tip of the continent of Alfheim, there lay the hidden village of Nevara''el.  From the name and the location of the settlement, one could make a reasonable (and correct) guess that this was an elven village.  However; this village was a far cry from what would be considered normal.  The hidden nature of the village was itself not so uncommon as elves, while friendly, were known for preferring the solitude of nature.

    But the numerous wards that dotted the landscape that were designed to hide the village and prevent any wanderers from venturing too deep in the forest.  With the addition of the many sentinels deployed by the village to turn back any who got too close, were all fairly good indications that this was no ordinary village.

    Just below the treeline, hanging about 8 meters off of the ground, several rope bridges were strung across the gap between trees.  Despite their rickety appearance, the wooden slats serving as footholds for the bridge did not even creak as people nimbly stepped across them.  Apart from a gentle sway, the thick coils of rope serving as the support for the bridges held fast without any signs of fraying, thanks to the incredible skill of the mages and engineers who were involved in their building.

    At the end of every bridge, there lay a treehome that made up the upper part of the village.  It was here that the engineers true talents shined, for each home was painstakingly grown, not crafted, from the tree itself under the magical crooning of druids following an intricately detailed architectural schematic.  While each treehome was covered with the same general layer of enchantment, such as water and fire-proofing, residents were free to modify their home as they saw fit.

    Most people ended up modifying their home, either to provide for a larger family, or to create a professional home.  Professional treehomes were typically large homes, often incorporating two or more trees to accommodate traffic and to secure the necessary space needed for a trade.  In a somewhat haphazard manner, these professional treehomes lay at different levels of the trees they rested on depending on how much of the tree''s strength they needed.

    For example, the blacksmiths dwelt on the lowest levels of the village so as to gain the greatest amount of support from the trunk of the tree to compensate for the weight of their home''s equipment and wares.  In contrast, agricultural homes extended from the ground all the way to the very highest levels, usually in large clumps of five or six trees, to take advantage of the precipitation and sunlight.  Agricultural homes were surrounded on all sides with great bark walls, woven out from the trees that served as their pillars, with the insides entirely filled with soil.

    Some ways away from the village, but still within its borders, high above the ground and resting in the branches of the trees were two guards: An elvnmas who bore a distinctly masculine appearance and elvalya who was undeniably a female elf, kept a watchful eye aimed at the borders of the village.  Below the guards, in one of the few open spaces of the dense greenery, a group of children were embroiled in a lively game of tag.

    Their shrieks of delight that punctuated the air, brought a faint smile to the guards'' seemingly impassive faces.  They did not worry about any of the children crossing the borders, for every child knew the extreme danger of their village being discovered.  In addition, they would never get past the honor-guard who stood watch further away where the wards ended without a proper escort in tow.

    But such unknown dangers were of no concern to the children as the game intensified towards its conclusion with the final few players.  In the entire village, there were seven children who were all enjoying the game.

    ¡°Tag!¡± gleefully cried out one girl.

    ¡°Freeze, Felia!¡± called out the other 3 children who had been tagged out of the game already.  They all giggled when they saw the pose Felia had to stay stuck in until someone else was tagged.  Felia had been in mid-step when she had been tagged by Anaya, with her arms splayed out at different angles as she tried to avoid Anaya''s quick fingers.  Stilvan groaned in relief as he broke the pose he had been holding and immediately fell to the grass and sprawled himself out on the lush grass contentedly, prompting a new torrent of laughter.

    It was down to the final 3 players, who had unconsciously taken up equidistant positions from each other in the form of a rough triangle.  The children eyed each other warily, waiting for Felia to name the new tagger.

    ¡°Tag! You''re it...¡± called Felia, pausing for dramatic effect, which prompted several eye-rolls and groans, ¡°Elphias!¡±

    One of the two boys darted for his black-haired compatriot, who presented a more open path than Anaya.  The second Elphias'' name was called, all 3 children sprang into action: Elphias chased after the other boy who had bolted towards the treeline where the other girl was fleeing towards.  The black-haired boy quickly sprinted through the clearing, with Elphias in hot pursuit.

    ¡°5...4...3...2...1...Switch! You''re it Anaya!¡± cried Reval.  The black-haired boy and Elphias stopped dead in their tracks and quickly ran back the way they had came, splitting off in different directions when they ran past one of the other children in the grass.  Anaya swiftly chased after Elphias whose strength was flagging after putting on an extra burst of speed in trying to catch the other boy.  All of the other children were cheering for their favorites, urging them to run even faster.

    The last girl who was sitting out started the countdown for the tagger switch.  At the very last second, Anaya reached out and scored a touch on Elphias'' back.  ¡°Tag!¡± shouted Anaya triumphantly.

    Elphias froze in the stereotypical posture of an elvnmas pantomiming a running motion.  As Felia slid down onto the grass, stretching out her stiff muscles in relief; Anaya and the black-haired boy walked back towards the centre.  Now the game would get even faster as players changed the position of tagger with every single attempt.  In addition, they weren''t allowed to be more than three metres from each other.  Elphias hopped in place to turn around while maintaining his pose, but also so he could get a better view of the game''s conclusion.

    ¡°You''re it...Gilean!¡± yelled Elphias.  Gilean sprang forward as his name was called and jabbed a hand towards Anaya, making sure not to fully extend his arm.  His caution proved sound as his tag fell short as Anaya jumped to the side to avoid his hand as her own streaked through the air.  The contest continued with both sides trading blows with each other with ever increasing speed, sporting wide grins on their faces.  Their audience cheered during the bout, sometimes expressing shock and disappointment when one had barely missed the other.

    Gilean''s world quickly began to fade out, until only he and Anaya remained to fill the void.  Her emerald eyes glittered joyously that sometimes sparkled with a mischievous light when a clever feint almost caught Gilean.  But it seemed like fortune was on Gilean''s side when Anaya overextended herself, which Gilean seized upon with a wickedly fast retort to the back of her hand.  Sound returned to the world and time returned to its normal flow as Gilean declared his victory, ¡°Tag!¡±

    As Anaya froze in a very comical pose, the other children burst in to applause and cheers.  Gilean''s chest heaved with exhaustion, but his face showed nothing but elation.  He stole a glance at Anaya as the other children gathered around them who noticed Gilean looking at her and gave a quick win, sticking her tongue out at him as she did so.  The rest of the boys were punching Gilean on the shoulder and slapping his back so he stumbled forward while the girls were enthusiastically praising Anaya''s efforts as she unfroze; accepting their consolations with a sweet laugh.

    ¡°Nicely done, Gilly.  Although I would''ve had you if not for that countdown.¡± said Elphias.

    ¡°Is that a challenge I hear, Elphi?¡± drawled Gilean.

    ¡°Rematch!¡± ¡°Again! Let''s go again!¡± chanted the rest of them.  Gilean and Elphias quickly agreed and tackled each other to the ground, wrestling with one another for control, with the other boys egging the two of them on.  This contest was then just as quickly broken up as it had started by Anaya and the other girls with a sharp knuckle on their heads as they reminded them that they had classes to get to.

    ¡°But those are an hour from now! We still have time for at least 2 more games!¡± protested Stilvan who was accompanied by the very vocal agreements of the other boys.  In a way that only females are capable of accomplishing, all three girls responded with withering stares that rapidly dispelled the other side''s unvoiced retorts as they fell into a meek silence.

    ¡°I will not attend class while both myself and my classmates reek of sweat.  We will use our remaining time to wash ourselves and then proceed directly to our lesson.¡± said Anaya in a tone that brooked no arguments.

    To the outside world: Elves resided at the pinnacle of grace and beauty, a gloriously potent mix of strength, magic and majesty.  In truth, it was thanks to the unceasing efforts of the elvalyara that maintained this illusion.  A harmonious democracy to the rest of the world; an unspoken matriarchy on the inside.

    ¡°Got it...¡± mumbled the boys dejectedly.

    <hr />

    A little under an hour later, the children gathered together in their Lesson Home.  They were in a tight half-circle, sitting cross-legged with straight backs and hands clasped together in their laps.  Their teacher sat in the same manner as they did, addressing them in his deep and calming voice.  His age, like all elves, was impossible to guess as no elf showed anything older than a human in their second decade of life.  Only his eyes hinted at the uncounted years of life in their deep, sapphire pools.

    ¡°Could someone please remind me, where we left off last time?¡± asked the Teacher, seemingly to no-one.  Gilean was never sure how the old elvnmas managed it, even when he seemed to be looking at nothing, you knew when he was looking at you.

    ¡°Teacher Retsa¡± began Gilean, ¡°In our last session, we discussed the best method of killing lycanthropes.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± nodded the elf, ¡°Who remembers what that method or methods were?¡±

    ¡°Silver-edged weapons are currently the best method for killing werewolves.¡± answered Felia.

    ¡°I see.¡± said the Teacher, ¡°Would a sword or an arrow made entirely out of silver serve me better than a weapon only containing a mere coating of silver?¡±

    ¡°Even if we were to ignore cost, an edged weapon would still be better.  A sword or projectile made entirely out of silver, even one that was reinforced with magic, would not be strong enough to penetrate the thick hide of a werewolf.¡± supplied Reval with a lengthy answer.

    ¡°Well said.¡± smiled the old elf as Reval tilted his head down in embarrassment, ears reddening.  ¡°Now...for today''s lesson, I thought we would discuss demons and their hierarchy.¡±

    Gilean unconsciously sat up even straighter, for this was a topic that was of particular importance to him and his family.  ¡°Out of all of the foul creatures that inhabit this world, none are so vile as demons.  Unlike many of the creatures that our village hunts down, demons possess an intelligence comparable to our own.  And yet, what do they choose to do with this knowledge? Torture.  Steal.  Kill.  Destroy.¡± said Retsa, looking at each of them in turn as he said these things.

    ¡°They are the anti-thesis of Life; beings that misuse their power to crush all those beneath them in a never-ending quest for power.  I have taught you children many things about this world, and have tried to emphasize that you shouldn''t view this land in black and white.¡±

    ¡°...But this does not apply to Demons?¡± asked Carissa hesitantly.

    ¡°No, child.  It does not.¡± replied Retsa kindly, ¡°Demons are not of this world.  Each member of their kind embodies one part of the greater whole: Evil.¡±  The children sat in an uneasy silence as they absorbed this information.  An entire species dedicated to destroying life, one that was potentially on a level equal to that of elves in terms of strength, was a terrifying one.  Gilean had heard such things from his parents and brother, so he was not as unsettled as the rest of his friends.  There was something new in what Teacher Retsa said that he hadn''t heard before though.

    ¡°Teacher, what do you mean they are not of this world? Where do they come from if not from some foreign land?¡± asked Gilean.

    Retsa nodded his head sagely, ¡°A good question indeed, young Gilean.  To be perfectly honest, I do not know where exactly Demons come from, but I can tell you that they definitely do not originate from these lands.¡±  The children were temporarily stunned that Retsa, who seemed as if he knew everything, did not know the answer.

    Anaya was the first to recover from this shock, ¡°If you do not know where they come from, how can you be so sure that they do not come from some unknown land, Teacher Retsa?¡±

    ¡°Very astute, Anaya.  Allow me to clarify myself: We know they hail from another place, but we do not know where or even what that place may be.  That did not stop the many peoples of our world from giving their world a name though: Hell, Netherworld, Naraka, Xibalba, Gehenna, Diyu, and a thousand other names depending on what parts of the world you visit all refer to the same place.¡± explained Retsa, his eyes focusing on Anaya once more.  ¡°Does this answer your question, Anaya?¡±

    ¡°No, Teacher  Retsa.  It does not.¡± answered Anaya instantly.

    Retsa smiled and gave a small chuckle, ¡°You are quite right! Will someone please tell me then, how I can be so sure that Demons do not originate from some mysterious part of the world?¡± surveying the entire room as he did so, indicating that this was an open question for anyone to answer.

    The children sat in silence, entrenched in their thoughts as they racked their brains searching for a plausible explanation.  Finally, after a few minutes of deep thought, Elphias voiced his thoughts, ¡°In order to have that much confidence...you would need some sort of definitive proof or maybe multiple pieces of evidence that definitely indicate that Demons are from another world...¡±

    Retsa noted with a hidden smile that Elphias'' words served to guide the children''s thoughts into the correct line of thinking.  As he thought this, Stilvan answered the question with another, ¡°Teacher Retsa...have there ever been any instances of Elvnkin or any other people visiting this other world?¡±

    ¡°Yes.  There have been such instances.¡± affirmed Retsa, clapping his hands together as he did so.  The children''s eyes all widened, but they made no sound, for fear of missing anything Retsa might say.  ¡°The first account in written history was by one Desmos of Thekrinth, a very old human kingdom that existed some 1500 years ago and is what is now a collection of small villages, the ancient structures of that dominion long since crumbled away to dust.  Desmos was a magician working in the royal court who had been tasked, along with a group of knights, to deal with a growing demonic menace that had been plaguing their kingdom.¡±

    Retsa paused as he seemed to turn a page in the imaginary book he was reading from, pausing his instruction to organize his thoughts.  ¡°After many weeks of journeying and tireless tracking, the group finally located the demons'' lair.  The demons were no match for the knights of Thekrinth, whose prowess was only heightened and made all the more deadly for it with Desmos'' magical might.¡± All of the children unconsciously leaned forward, silently urging Retsa to continue.

    ¡°When the dust had settled and the demons lay slain to soak in their own festering juices, the knights of Thekrinth rejoiced in their victory.  Cheers rang through those dark caverns as the knights roared their success to any demons left alive who would dare challenge them.  But Desmos alone remained impassive.¡±

    ¡°Why? They won, didn''t they?¡± wondered Gilean.

    ¡°Maybe there were other demons in the cavern.  Or maybe there was another lair?¡± suggested Elphias.

    ¡°Nah, it was probably because not everyone on his side made it out okay.¡± interjected Felia knowingly.

    Getting into the discussion, Gilean was about to give another possible explanation when Anaya spoke up, ¡°Maybe, we should let Teacher Retsa finish explaining.¡± glaring at the three of them as she did so.

    Abashed, the three children looked towards Retsa who sat there quietly as always, although some amusement glittered in his eyes.

    ¡°Sorry for interrupting, Teacher...¡± said the three of them with downcast voices.

    ¡°All is forgiven.  Rather I approve of the fact that you are all thinking critically.¡± said Retsa, as the three raised their heads up in disbelief. ¡°Although in the future, let us save such discussions for the end of the lesson.¡± nodding in Anaya''s direction so that she knew that he appreciated her effort in not delving off into a tangent.  Anaya appeared to be mollified which caused Gilean, Elphias and Felia to all sigh in relief.

    ¡°Now, as to why Desmos did not revel with the rest of the men, was because he had still not found out where the demons were coming from.¡±

    ¡°Why was that so important? Were demon attacks so rare back then, Teacher?¡± questioned Reval.

    Retsa''s eyes glowed with satisfaction, ¡°You are right to question this part of the tale.  Demon sightings were not so uncommon back then: In fact, from all accounts, such instances occurred with only slightly less frequency than the Era of Ethos.  What was strange however was the number of demons and the regularity of attacks.¡±

    Pausing, Retsa clarified more fully, ¡°Demon attacks are infrequent and occur in very different places from each other; this is as true today as it was back then.  But for this particular cropping of demons is that no matter how many were killed, they always re-appeared in the same general area with increasing frequency.  Up until that point in time, no one knew where demons originated from.  Because of the uniqueness of the situation though, Desmos believed that he would be able to finally solve this age-old mystery.¡±

    Retsa''s face darkened and even though sunlight filled it''s interior, all of the children shivered from a chill that had somehow entered the room.  ¡°It was after several hours of searching the labyrinthine network of caves that Desmos made a grisly discovery.  There, somehow pinned to the cavern wall, in the rough outline of an archway, were the bodies of dozens of humans.  All around that bloody mural, Desmos and his knights saw the telltale tracks of demons leading away from the arch.  More than that, Desmos felt a sickening, dark magic emanating from the arch.  But Desmos was either a very courageous, or very foolish man, for he alone stepped forward towards that arch.¡±

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Why?¡± said Reval ashen-faced, ¡°It was clearly evil.  Why not just destroy it and be done with it!¡± demanded Reval, looking around the room to see his friends emphatically agreeing with him.

    ¡°Because Desmos had taken an oath.¡± said Retsa simply, ¡°He was a rare man of incredible integrity,  But it was more than that; he needed to know what that arch was, for he alone had the expertise needed to deal with it.  And so he drew closer to that gruesome design, until suddenly-¡± the children jumped at the sudden change in Retsa''s voice, ¡°A bloody hand shot out from within the archway and dragged him through.¡±

    ¡°What did he see?¡± asked Stilvan, fear infecting his voice.

    Retsa obliged Stilvan as he continued, ¡°When Desmos regained his senses, he found himself in a completely different land: All around him, raging fires covered a desolate land, and the skies were filled with different stars and moons.  But the most prominent sight of all was that this land he was in was filled to the brim with the unearthly creatures he had been fighting.  Demons of all sizes and shapes stalked the land, seemingly without care for the fires that burned all around them, as they passed through the inferno harmlessly.  Before any of the demons took notice, Desmos immediately went back through the portal he had came through, explaining all he had seen to his knights and urging them to get reinforcements from the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°While there have never been any other recorded instances of gates, there are other accounts with very similar descriptions of that world.  Although these are descriptions of people who accidentally visited the world through breaches.¡±

    ¡°Breaches?¡± repeated Elphias.

    ¡°Breaches are the most common ways that Demons, and various other creatures, can get into our world.¡± explained Retsa patiently, ¡°As for the other creatures,¡± he added with a forestalling glance at Felia who had opened her mouth to ask another question.  ¡°We will discuss another time.¡±

    ¡°What do breaches look like, Teacher?¡± asked Carissa.

    Retsa gave a low chuckle as he sadly shook his head in regret, ¡°That''s a rather difficult question to answer.  Breaches by nature, are not visible by any normal means: You have to know where to look for one and also know the proper spell to make its presence known.  The details of this spell will be covered in our next session though.¡±

    ¡°Do breaches appear in certain kinds of places?¡± asked Anaya.

    ¡°Indeed they do.  It seems that the most prevalent places for breaches are those places where there has been an abundance of death and magical energies.¡±

    ¡°Like the sites of old battlegrounds.¡± pointed out Reval.

    ¡°Very good.  Yes, such sites are nexuses for the emergence of breaches.¡±

    ¡°But if breaches were far more common than gates, why is it that Desmos was the first person to give a written account of the Demon World?¡± interjected Gilean.

    Smiling, Retsa gave one of his approving nods and explained, ¡°Because breaches are also incredibly unstable.  Until that point, the leading theory among the races of the world was that demons were the corporeal form of spirits driven mad by their own deaths.¡± Retsa saw that many of the children wore condescending smirks and he lightly reprimanded them with a stern tone, ¡°You think it silly, but if I did not tell you beforehand that there was a world of demons, would you have come up with a better explanation?¡±

    Their grins fading, the children guiltily acknowledged that their own reckonings would have probably been worse.  ¡°Ignorance should never be mocked; only corrected.  Give your knowledge freely to those would benefit from it.¡± chided Retsa.

    ¡°We hear your words and our own faults, and will take it into our hearts, Teacher.¡± chorused the children, giving the standard from of apology indicating understanding and regret over one''s actions.

    ¡°As it should be.¡± said Retsa, although his voice and face regained their gentle features.  ¡°Back to your question now then, Gilean.  The reason as to why there were no written accounts of the demon world is that because of their atypical location and invisible form, there was a very low probability of anyone accidentally wandering through them.  And when they did, if they managed to return that is, tell people of what they''d seen, what do you think people would have said about such a person?¡± asked Retsa; directing an inquisitive glance towards the children.

    ¡°...I''d think he was crazy.¡± admitted Elphias.

    ¡°As would I¡± agreed Retsa.  ¡°In addition, because breaches don''t last very long, even if a person managed to lead a person to the exact, precise point where it was; all they would find was empty air.  And the person''s sanity would be further cast into doubt.¡±

    ¡°Are breaches visible on the other side?¡± asked Gilean.

    ¡°It seems that they are as imperceptible in the Demon world as they are in our own by other tales.  Thus, it could entirely be possible that there are many breaches out there that have yet to be discovered by either side.¡± finished Retsa, as he allowed that statement to sink in.  ¡°Now, our next topic will be on the Demonic Hierarchy which is comprised of seven different ranks of demons: From the lowly drusen to the Four Princes.  For the rest of the class we''ll be covering Drusen, Fiends and Titans.  Now, who can tell me an example from each?...¡±

    <hr />

    After a quick repast, the children were all gathered around in a clearing very similar to the one they were playing tag in earlier that morning.  Gilean was surprised at how long they were in Retsa''s class, for it was already well past noon by the time they had finished.  Gilean was going through some basic stretches next to the two he most often played with: Anaya and Elphias were both doing similar routines to his own.  Surveying each child''s moments and making sure they were stretching properly, was the Fighting Instructor Meera, who was patiently correcting postures in a cool and detached manner.  Many people, including other elves, would have been shocked to see that attached to each child''s waist was a very real sword (properly fitted to a shorter length) resting in plain sheathes.

    Behind the children and around their sides were a series of heavy-looking, thick wooden post driven into the ground.  Closer inspection would reveal that their weathered appearance could be attributed to the numerous cuts and dents covering their exterior.

    ¡°Warm-up time is over.¡± dully said Meera, and the children immediately stopped stretching to give Meera their undivided attention.  ¡°About-face and walk forward to a post.  Make sure to give each other at least five meters of room on either side of yourselves.¡±  With fluid movements, born of many days of constant repetition, the children made a 180 degree turn and marched towards the posts.

    ¡°Draw.¡± said Meera curtly.  A loud hiss split the air as seven swords were pulled from their sheaths.  The swords brightly shined in the afternoon sun, held aloft in a ready position with the flat end of the blade facing towards the children.  Gilean eyed the blade with some trepidation, despite all the times they had repeated this ritual.  This was by no means a practical way of holding the sword, its only merit lay in showy performances by fools.  The reason they did it was so that each child would understand with their own eyes that neither the edges nor the tip of the blade was blunted.  This was a real blade.  It was not a fancy decoration as those silly human knights seemed to believe.  This was something made only for killing.

    Seriously, we get it.  How many times do we have to keep doing this? This nonchalant thought helped to dispel some of Gilean''s unease.  Not by much, though.

    ¡°Form 6.  100 times to the beat.¡± ordered Meera as she started to clap her hands together in a steady rhythm, indicating the tempo they needed to keep.  Form 6 was an upwards slant followed by a horizontal cut and ended with a backhand slice as soon as the horizontal slash was finished.  There were 164 forms and Meera had driven all of them relentlessly into their bodies over the past two years when they had reached their 8th birthday.  Gilean knew this harsh training was the bare minimum needed to be a proper member of Nevara''el, but he knew he and his muscles would be complaining soon enough.  In his mind of course.

    <hr />

    The orange glow of the setting sun splashed across the lush grass and the children who laid sprawled upon it in exhausted heaps.  Gilean thought, as he always did, that this was probably the most brutal session so far.  Out of all 164 forms, there were three in particular that were probably the most demanding, which they were instructed to perform all in succession today.  Then they did all of their routines again with their non-dominant hand.  He lay there with his fellow victims sucking in great amounts of air into his battered body.

    When his breathing had come somewhat under control, Gilean wearily sat up.  Around him, his compatriots were also slowly regaining strength.  Predictably, Anaya and Elphias were the first ones up along with him.

    ¡°Tough day like usual, eh Gilly?¡± remarked Elphias, trying to pass off the lesson as something easy, before ruining it with a gasp.

    ¡°You breathe any harder, you''ll start sucking up the ground.¡± laughed Anaya, who wasn''t in much better shape.

    ¡°Well ''Mother'' Meera will never push us too far.¡± reminded Stilvan, who had recovered some energy as well.  On cue, Meera returned carrying several white bundles balanced on one hand and a loop of leather where several wooden containers hung off of.  Meera stopped by each child and handed them a towel and one wooden container with a short, ¡°Good work.¡±

    Gilean accepted the items gratefully and pressed the wonderfully cool towel to his sweat-soaked face.  Gilean opened the container and gave a tentative sniff and was rewarded with a pleasant, fruity aroma.  The liquid contents sloshed around in the container as he tipped it down his throat; feeling revitalized by the melon juice.  ¡°Mother¡± Meera wasn''t nearly as stern as she appeared, which made the children love her all the more.

    ¡°Thank you, Teacher!¡± said the children, delighted when they saw Meera turn away slightly with pink cheeks.

    ¡°Don''t thank me yet, we still have a run to finish the session.¡± replied Meera.  ¡°Well it''s more like a light jog...But-but it''s not because I feel that you deserved a rest! It''s just that the workout was rather hard today and I feel a little bad about it...Anyway! Finish your drinks and then we''ll go!¡± explained Meera hastily.

    All of the children exchanged grins with each when Meera had her back turned.  It was the same thing she said every time.

    <hr />

    Gilean sat on the branch with Veo, the elvnmas guard who was on duty this week as his legs dangled off the side.  Out of all the guards, Veo was Gilean''s favorite: Always quick with a interesting fact or joke, he always seemed to have something on hand.  Today was unusual in that the two of them sat in a companionable, but watchful silence.  Normally they''d be trading jokes with each other or chatting about something inconsequential.  This often won them a very disapproving glare from the other guard, standing on the adjacent tree''s branches.

    Today was special however, as they were finally returning from their latest hunt.  It was the longest they had ever gone and even with all of his friends to keep him company, Gilean still felt lonely at the end of the day when everyone else returned home to their families.

    ¡°They''re late.¡± said Gilean worriedly, ¡°Do you think something happened-¡±

    ¡°I''m sure they''re fine.¡± reassured Veo quickly, ¡°Better than fine probably.  Those three are our strongest hunters after all.¡±

    ¡°Do you think they got held up by something?¡± asked Gilean, who was still worrying despite Veo''s words.  Various scenarios of ambushes and mortal injuries ran through his head.

    ¡°More like someone, probably.¡± snorted Veo.  ¡°That Silpherion is probably driving off all the elvalyara posted at the honor-guard with a stick.  Seriously, what''s so good about that guy...¡± grumbled Veo.

    ¡°Compared to you? Quite a bit.¡± remarked Lauren; the elvalya guard on duty with Veo.  It was a customary ritual between the two who usually stood guard together.  They had gotten so good at bickering with each other, that they could maintain their vigilant watch while crafting a verbal barb for the other.  Normally Gilean would have laughed when this happened and enjoy the witty remarks they directed against each other.  But now he sat anxiously on the edge of the branch, his eyes and ears straining to catch any glimpse or sound of the group he was waiting for.

    The night wore on, filled only with the sounds of hooting owls, the soft rustles of rodents, and the quiet verbal sallies of Veo and Lauren.  Finally, Gilean detected a change in the environment ¨C or at least Veo and Lauren did, for Veo instantly cut off the remark he was delivering.  Without any visible signal between the two, Veo and Lauren both fit an arrow to the strings of their bows simultaneously.  The part of his mind that wasn''t focused on the new arrivals was amazed at how Veo and Lauren reacted.  Even now, Gilean still couldn''t tell if anything was out there, but Veo and Lauren''s actions assured him that there had to be something. Sure enough, far off into the distance, a group of bushes parted way as three shadowy figures slipped through.

    ¡°Halt.¡± commanded Lauren.

    ¡°Identify yourselves if you don''t want to be turned into a pincushion.¡± added Veo as he drew back on the bowstring.

    ¡°Why, is there an actual archer who''s going to shoot us?¡± answered one of the figures sardonically.

    ¡°Don''t push it, Silphy.¡± warned Veo, although both he and Lauren visibly relaxed as they returned their arrows to their quivers.  Gilean''s heart leaped when he heard that voice as the three figures moved into visual range.  Pulling his legs up, Gilean ran down the length of the branch and scampered down it to its base.  As soon as his feet touched the ground, he ran towards the group and enveloped the one who had spoken in a tight embrace.

    ¡°You''re late.¡± mumbled Gilean, his voice was muffled as it was pressed against the tunic of the elvnmas.  Gilean pulled back suddenly when he felt something sticky on his face; his vision focused and he saw his hand was stained red when he pulled it back from his face.  ¡°You''re hurt! What happened? Are Mother and Father...?!¡± panicked Gilean only to be cut off by his father.

    ¡°Calm down, Gilean.  It''s not our blood.¡± reassured Silpherion.  The only elvalya in the group flitted over to Gilean''s side with a small handkerchief already in her hand.  One hand was firmly placed atop his head to stop him from squirming as she patiently cleaned his face.  Satisfied with her work, she kissed Gilean on his forehead and squeezed him tightly.

    ¡°I missed you, my dear ?eoil .¡± whispered his mother, calling him by her pet name for him.

    ¡°Me too.¡± returning the hug with equal strength.  As soon he broke off from his mother''s embrace, his father swept him into an equally tight one.

    ¡°You weren''t thinking of leaving me out, were you?¡± grinned his father.

    ¡°That would be the smart decision.¡± quipped his brother, his laugh cut off short as Father delivered a lightning-fast slap to the top of Silpherion''s head.

    ¡°Always with the fast mouth, eh, Silphy?¡± taunted Veo from above the family.

    ¡°Better than someone who always releases his arrow too early.  You certainly won''t be getting a wife anytime soon.¡± retorted Silpherion.

    ¡°...Wanna go?¡± asked Veo dangerously.

    ¡°Bring it.¡± replied Silpherion just as curtly.  Silpherion''s body shimmered briefly as he disappeared from the ground to re-appear in the next instant behind Veo.  However a long history between the two prepared Veo for Silpherion''s attack.  Along with Lauren, the three of them were old friends, and the fights between Veo and Silpherion were a familiar sight within the village.  As such, the three left on the ground ignored the duo and made their way towards the village.

    ¡°You have insulted me for the last time, Silphy! I challenge you to fisticuffs!¡± shouted Veo.

    ¡°Very well, I accept your challenge Vee-Vee!¡± answered Silpherion.  The two immediately engaged in a slap-fight with each other.

    ¡°Excellent form Elphy! You trying to bed me or fight me?!¡± taunted Silpherion, the slapping sounds beating after each other in rapid succession.

    ¡°Not into that sort of thing Silphy! Or do you prefer the name ''Sylphiette''?¡± retorted Veo.  Their arms becoming blurs as the slap fight intensified, the eternal conflict between the two raged on without any signs of slowing down.

    ¡°...Knock it off!¡± yelled Lauren.  Two wonderfully powerful and wickedly fast straight punches were delivered to the sides of the competing males by the glowering female.  The legendary battle between the two elvnmaga was brought to its inevitable conclusion by the elvalya once again.

    As Gilean and his parents walked away from the tree without much care, the sounds of Lauren harshly berating his brother and Veo could be heard piercing the night air.  Gilean''s father picked him up and placed him on his shoulders, as Gilean started chattering away excitedly of what they had missed.

    ¡°Were you feeling lonely at all?¡± teased his mother.

    ¡°Not at all!¡± assured Gilean.

    <hr />

    Languages of Eberron

    The main language used within the world is known as Common, which for all intents and purposes, is English.  There are many languages in this world however and several that I will be using.  At the end of every chapter, if the need is there, I will post a kind of dictionary of what each of the terms and phrases mean.

    The Elven Language

    ?eoil: The name of the star that shines the most brilliantly over Nevara''el.

    Elvnmas (Pl. Elvnmaga): Male elf

    Elvalya (Pl. Elvalyara): Female elf

    Alya: Female

    [p=center]Previous Chapter</a>[/p] [p=center]Next Chapter</a>[/p]

 Chapter 3

    Still set in the past, this chapter ends on a cliffhanger, which won''t be addressed until Chapter 6.  I offer my sincerest apologies for that.

    [p=center]<h2>Chapter 3 ¨C Broken</h2>[/p]

    It was the sun that woke Gilean up as the first rays of the morning danced across his face, breaking him out of his Trance.  At first, Gilean became anxious when he saw the Sleeping Area was empty, a feeling of unease crept into his stomach as he looked around anxiously until he heard their voices coming from the lower level of the home.  It was uncanny thought Gilean, as long as they weren''t infants, Elves spent the same amount of time in a Trance whether they were a child or an adult.  Yet as far as he could remember, Gilean couldn''t recall a single time he was awake before any of them.

    Gilean slid out of his bed and padded down the spiraling steps towards the bottom level.  His family was sitting around a table with colorful plates of boiled eggs, leafy-green vegetables and an assortment of fresh fruits appealed directly to his empty stomach.

    ¡°About time you woke up.¡± remarked Silpherion.  Gilean scowled at his brother and took a seat at the table.  Without further ado, the family dug into their meal, a sense of contentment filled the room as they ate in companionable silence.  Time passed and their cutlery soon scraped empty plates as Gilean and his mother silently took everyone''s plates and carried it over to the wash basin.

    ¡°So you''ll be home when I get back?¡± asked Gilean, trying to sound casual.

    ¡°Of course.  Don''t worry, we won''t be taking any extended missions this week.¡± assured his mother who, when Gilean wasn''t looking, shared a secret smile with her husband.  He smiled back, it was the fifth time their youngest son had asked them this since they had returned.  Gilean had successfully managed to extract a similar promise from Silpherion before he had hurried off after the meal.

    ¡°Go on, then¡± reminded his father, taking a plate from his wet hands, ¡°You''ll be late for class.¡± Gilean dried his hands and hugged his parents goodbye as he stepped out the door.  Even though it was still early in the morning, Nevara''el''s inhabitants were in the full hustle-and-bustle of their normal daily activities.  Quick snippets of conversation passed through the air as friends stopped to chat with each other.  The sweet voices of the druids who maintained the village structures were mixed with the harsh sounds of the blacksmiths and craftsmen hard at work.

    As Gilean raced across the footbridges, his thoughts inevitably began to wander as he settled into his usual routine.  He had heard about how other Elvish villages ran from his lessons from Retsa and wondered how they managed to stay sane with such a catatonic way of life.  Shrugging at the strange nature of his distant cousins, Gilean dodged greetings from the numerous villagers who recognized him and tried to greet him, which he waved off with a shout saying he was late.  At the periphery of his senses, Gilean saw a similar figure dashing through the village and giving the same excuse.  Unconsciously, Gilean''s speed went up a notch when he caught Elphias'' eye: Game on!

    <hr />

    ¡°So; what are you two arguing about?¡± asked Anaya in an annoyed voice.  Elphias and Gilean had both dived through the open doorway of the Class Home.

    ¡°We saw each other on the way to class.¡± panted Gilean

    ¡°So we raced.¡± replied Elphias shortly.

    ¡°And I won.¡± declared both of them.  The two boys glared at each other and were about to settle into a new argument, until they caught the terrifying glare from Anaya.  They glanced at each other and agreed to a silent truce, postponing their contest for another time.  The other children smothered giggles with their hands over their mouths as the pair awkwardly shuffled over towards the group to take their seats.  Felia and Stilvan made room for them with badly concealed smiles, Reval giving a sympathetic pat to Gilean''s back as he sat down.  Leaning over to Gilean, Felia asked, ¡°Did your brother get back yet?¡±

    ¡°Yeah they got back last night.¡±

    ¡°Why were they so late though?¡± interrupted Elphias, all traces of the previous argument had immediately dispersed, ¡°I thought they were just doing a routine hunt.¡±

    ¡°Well, routine is a relative term.¡± joined in Stilvan, ¡°Being the strongest means they had to be up against something monstrous, right?¡±

    Anaya took her own seat next to Carissa as usual and pulled up her legs, hugging them to her chest, ¡°When have they ever been on the same mission? Even my parents have never done a mission together.¡± Anaya''s parents ranked among the strongest warriors in the village.  Her mother Aume, in particular had swordsmanship comparable to Gilean''s father Althian.

    ¡°I don''t know...¡± admitted Gilean, ¡°I never really considered it.¡±  The children sank into a thoughtful silence, each child trying to imagine what would merit the services of Gilean''s family.  But their many ruminations were soon broken up by Retsa who had chosen that moment to enter the room.  His gaze drifted over all the children until it finally settled on Gilean and Elphias.  ¡°I see the two of you decided to grace our class with your presence.¡±

    Flushing, the two of them hastily made their apologies which Retsa took with good cheer.  ¡°Now then.  Who can give me a summary of the hierarchy of demons; bonus points for those who can give me a detailed physical description...¡±

    <hr />

    ¡°Form 89!  Switch to your left-hand and keep up!¡± barked Meera.  The rhythmic thumping of the children''s blades beat against the training posts in time with Meera''s clapping.  Her eagle-eyes keenly observed that not a single student missed a stroke and she let a satisfied smile break out.

    ¡°Halt!¡± ordered Meera, making sure to wipe the smile off her face as the children finished their last stroke, and let their swords fall to their sides wearily.  ¡°We''ll stop here.  Good work.  Take a break and we''ll finish the session with a review of forms 1 ¨C 30¡±.

    The children sheathed their swords and trudged over to a shady spot under a particularly large elm tree.  Gilean unhooked his sword belt and plopped onto the grass with a sigh, massaging his sore muscles.  Just as he was beginning to relax, a sarcastic voice drifted out from behind the tree.

    ¡°Having fun?¡±

    Gilean''s eyes opened as he gave an annoyed reply to the voice, ¡°We were until you showed up.¡±  Secretly, Gilean was glad that his brother had showed up to watch, but he wasn''t about to let him know that.  The other children''s reactions were not nearly as subdued though.

    ¡°Silpherion!¡±  ¡°Silpherion-ava! Why are you here?!¡±  ¡°Silpherion, can you show us some techniques? Just a little please!¡± excitedly chattered the children.

    If this were the middle of the night, Silpherion would have been practically invisible.  His long black hair jutted out at various angles to give it a wind-swept look and he was covered in his usual garb of all-black attire.  Silpherion claimed it gave him a mysterious charm.  Gilean thought the real mystery was how his brother didn''t pass out from the heat.

    ¡°Haha! One at a time! How are you guys?¡± laughed Silpherion holding his hands out in a halfhearted attempt to hold back his high-pitched horde of admirers.

    ¡°Were you watching, ava? How were we?¡± asked Carissa hopefully, her cheeks red.

    ¡°Where did you go?¡± butt in Elphias, ¡°Why were you so late?¡±

    Silpherion''s attempts to slow down the torrent of questions were in vain as they all became more enthusiastic.  Attracted by the noise, Meera came over towards the group she thought were resting to see what the commotion was.

    ¡°Afternoon, Meera.¡± greeted Silpherion when Meera came into eye contact.

    ¡°I wanted them to have a break, you know? You''re being a nuisance.¡± said an annoyed Meera.

    ¡°No it''s fine!¡± ¡°We''re okay!¡± replied the children as they rose to Silpherion''s defence.

    ¡°Now, now.  Meera is your teacher and if she thinks I''m being a distraction, I should probably leave...¡± sighed Silpherion, already turning around.

    All of the children mewled in disappointment; Elphias had even grabbed hold of Silpherion''s shirt and was tugging at it to prevent him from leaving.  With large, baleful eyes, the children directed a pleading gaze towards Meera, who seemed to physically stagger from their looks.  A blush crept up her neck as Meera stammered, ¡°Well ¨C I mean, as long as you''re just observing, you can stay I suppose ¨C¡± getting cut off as the children squealed their thanks.

    ¡°Show us something!¡± pleaded Felia, which was soon enthusiastically taken up by the other kids.  Meera, who was feigning disinterest, leaned back against the tree and sneakily glanced at Silpherion.

    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± conceded Silpherion, ¡°I''ll show you one thing.¡±

    ¡°Awww!¡±  ¡°Just one?¡± repeated Anaya sadly.

    ¡°Just one.¡± confirmed Silpherion.

    Drawing away from Meera and Silpherion, they huddled together and whispered to each other in urgent tones.

    ¡°Maybe a spell?¡± suggested Reval.

    ¡°What about a new sword technique?¡± pitched in Elphias.

    ¡°We''ve asked him to do those before though!¡± reminded Anaya.

    ¡°We all still enjoyed it though.¡± pointed out Felia, smirking at Anaya who immediately began blushing.

    ¡°Well...yeah...but we should ask to see something new.¡±

    ¡°But what?¡± pondered Carissa.  It was eerie, thought Gilean, how they all turned towards him as soon as Carissa uttered these words.  Truthfully, Gilean was furiously working on what to ask for in his own mind as he had seen pretty much all of Silpherion''s vast repertoire.  An idea wiggled in the back of his mind as he considered what to say.

    ¡°What if we ask him to do one thing, but would actually show us a lot...¡± said Gilean slowly, ¡°Like a ¨C ¡± his gaze settled on Silpherion and Meera chatting together when everything clicked together.

    ¡°Like a duel.¡± declared Gilean triumphantly.

    <hr />

    ¡°So! The rules are as such: One, no magic is allowed other than the ones needed to avoid serious injury.¡± recited Lauren, who who acting as referee for the match after she and Veo had been conscripted to join by Silpherion.  ¡°Two, the match will end when either party has been disarmed or they have received too many hits to their bodies.  Finally, melee weapons are the only weapons that are permitted.  Are the combatants ready?¡±

    ¡°For a while now.¡± muttered Veo, blanching when Lauren shot a venomous glance at him.  Silpherion had been on his way to meet Veo and Lauren when he had stopped by the training grounds.  When Gilean had proposed the duel between Meera and himself, he agreed, but he first wanted to go fetch Veo and Lauren.  Unsurprisingly, Veo was adamant about dueling Silpherion himself, a position which Meera was unwilling to relinquish.  After some arguing, Silpherion proposed that he duel both Meera and Veo at the same time.  It was a testament to Silpherion''s overwhelming skill that the two of them accepted this arrangement so easily.

    ¡°Ready.¡± replied Silpherion, unhooking his sheath from his belt and drawing his blade with a loud scrape.  Gilean worriedly eyed the naked blade, ¡°Silph, aren''t you going to use a practice sword...?¡±

    Silpherion understood the source of his baby brother''s worries and laughed it off, ¡°Don''t worry, it''d be a problem if I didn''t do this.¡± punctuating his last words as he touched two fingers to the base of his blade.  There was a loud whoosh as small gusts of wind whipped up and down the blade, leaving behind a nearly invisible distortion of space that extended a few millimetres away from the blade that was accompanied by a very low whistling sound.  Winking at Felia, he drew back his sword and swung it towards his arm.  The children cried out in horror, only to be replaced by awed gasps as the blade bounced harmlessly off of Silpherion''s arms.

    In order to satisfy their curiosity, Silpherion got down on one knee and beckoned for the children to come over.  Felia cautiously moved her hand over the blade, ¡°It''s cold!¡± exclaimed Felia.

    Emboldened, the children all pressed their hands against the blade: No matter where they touched, they encountered a springy resistance that prevented any contact with the metal part of the sword.

    ¡°Wait a second...¡± said Elphias thoughtfully, glancing over towards Veo and Meera who were having their blades similarly blunted by Lauren.  ¡°Why don''t we ever use this during our own trainings?¡±

    ¡°Part of your education.  You have to learn how to properly maintain and refurbish a blade that''s gone through a beating.¡± smiled Silpherion.

    ¡°...I don''t suppose you can teach us how to do that?¡± quietly requested Elphias.

    ¡°Nah.  I wouldn''t want to spoil your fun.¡± winked Silpherion, with a smile that was infectious enough to wipe the scowl off of Elphias'' face.

    ¡°You ready, Silphy?¡± yelled Veo.

    ¡°For a while now, Vee! Did you want to change your trousers first?¡± shot back Silpherion, causing all of the children to laugh.

    ¡°Let''s cut the banter short.  These kids have class later and I would rather finish this sometime before tomorrow.¡± said Lauren, interrupting Veo before he could make a snappy retort.  ¡°Take your positions, fighters.¡± ordered Lauren.  Silpherion stood up and sauntered over towards his opponents, sword in his right hand and accompanying sheath in his left.

    Veo and Meera faced Silpherion with blades held at the ready, standing a few paces away from each other.  Judging for herself that everything was in order, Lauren stepped back and shouted, ¡°Begin!¡±

    Gilean stiffened when Lauren cried out as he waited for the three to begin.  However the three remained motionless, neither party had moved a step, though the air crackled with tension.  Gilean didn''t even know what was the first flaw he saw, but in the next instant, Silpherion had kicked off the ground and was flying towards Meera.  Silpherion''s sword raced around his side in a deadly arc as it whipped towards Meera on a direct trajectory towards her left arm.

    The blow would''ve connected had it not been for Veo''s intervention as his blade pierced the space where Silpherion stood, only to violently ricochet off of Silpherion''s sheath that had swung up to meet it.  But the slight drop in speed was enough for Meera to launch her own counterattack as she took a step back to lessen the force of Silpherion''s swing and parried his sword away near the tip.

    All three warriors disengaged from each other simultaneously and once again stood apart, equidistant from each other.  This only lasted for the briefest of moments, as once again, Silpherion mounted another attack against Veo, who barely managed to ward him off with Meera''s assistance.  The battle continued, as the three parties struggled against each other, neither party able to gain the upper hand against one another, any change in the battle was either immediately countered by the teamwork of Veo and Meera or the incredible prowess of Silpherion.  The speed and ferocity of their attacks increased with every engagement, so that their figures seemed to blur and the sound of their warded blades (and sheath) clashing sounded like a rapid beating of canvas-covered drums.

    Finally, the three once again stood apart from each other in a narrow triangle, and despite their physical exertions, none of the warriors appeared to be out of breath.  The only sign of any sort of exhaustion was evident in the slight sheen of sweat covering their foreheads.  It appeared that Veo and Meera had decided to try a new plan of attack as Veo remained where he stood and Meera began to slowly circle around Silpherion in order to trap him in a pincer.  Gilean let out the breath he didn''t know he had been holding and anxiously waited for Silpherion to break out of the formation.  Shockingly, Silpherion patiently waited for Meera to finish moving around to his back.

    ¡°What is he doing?...¡± muttered Lauren, confirming that Gilean wasn''t the only one who thought Silpherion''s behaviour was abnormal.  The only thing that Silpherion did that seemed to acknowledge his enemy''s tactics was to turn his body in a half-circle so that he had both Meera and Veo, at least partly, in his peripheral vision.  Perhaps both Meera and Veo felt like they were being baited into a trap of some sort, for neither moved from their spots despite their advantageous positions.

    Gilean wasn''t sure what his brother did after some moments of nothing happening, but he was sure Silpherion did something to goad Veo.  For Veo''s face morphed into an ugly grimace as he charged towards Silpherion.  Gilean thought that maybe he was counting on Meera to be a few steps behind when Veo charged unexpectedly, which would''ve allowed him to deal with each threat separately.  However, Meera had begun her attack at the exact same time Veo had mounted his.

    It would only be many years later that Gilean would fully understand what his brother had did back then, and it still managed to fill him with the same sense of awe and pride as it did on that day.  One moment Silpherion was about to meet two blades swinging through wildly different paths that would engage both the lower and upper half of Silpherion''s body to leave no chance of blocking either one.  And in the next, Silpherion thrust his sword downwards, his hand holding the sheath darting out as Meera went flying backwards.  In the next fraction of a second, Gilean was just able to catch Silpherion''s slight pivoting motion as he delivered a monstrously fast punch in his now free hand to Veo''s face.  Meera and Veo''s blades had dropped to the ground in that brief exchange, which Lauren had belatedly picked up on.

    ¡°Stop! The match is over! Silpherion is the winner!¡± called a rather flustered Lauren.  A few seconds after this, the children began to hesitantly clap as they weren''t sure exactly what had transpired.

    ¡°Silpherion...won right?¡± asked Elphias.

    ¡°Well...yes.¡± said Lauren.

    ¡°Um, what happened exactly?¡± asked Gilean, as unsure of what his brother did as the rest of them were.

    ¡°Well ¨C I mean, exactly? I ¨C I''m not too sure how detailed you want me to outline the bout.¡± stammered Lauren.

    ¡°Just that last part where Veo and Meera were charging form opposite sides.¡± explained Anaya.  In truth Lauren only saw the kick Silpherion had delivered to Meera, but even with her dynamic vision, she was unable to figure out how he dealt with Veo.  Off to the side, Silpherion was helping Meera to her feet and handing back her sword.

    Lauren decided to come clean to the children, ¡°Truthfully, even I wasn''t able to fully follow what he did.  I saw the feint he delivered with the sheath and the kick that followed shortly after, but not much after that.¡± said Lauren honestly with pink cheeks.  ¡°So, let''s ask the perpetrator himself.¡± declared Lauren with an embarrassed smile.  Gilean and the others heartily agreed, secretly hiding their admiration for Lauren; none of them were able to follow any of Silpherion''s movements.

    Like a mother hen, Lauren led the children across the field in a long line towards Veo, Meera and Silpherion.  Veo was cradling a bloody nose and glaring at Silpherion who was handing back his sheathed sword that had fallen to the ground.

    ¡°God, you are such a dig''¡± complained Veo, his nasal injury serendipitously preventing the children form hearing any obscenities.  Silpherion eyed Veo critically and remarked,

    ¡°I actually think your new look is an improvement, Vee-Vee.¡±

    ¡°I thing'' it''d loog'' betta if you had a matching set.¡± growled Veo

    ¡°Sorry! Sorry! It was a total spur of the moment thing!¡± assured Silpherion as he held up his hands protectively.  ¡°Do you need some help with that nose?¡±

    ¡°I god'' it, thangs''.¡± replied Veo.  Meera wordlessly passed him a handkerchief that she''d pulled out somewhere, wincing a little as she brought up a hand to her chest.  Veo wiped off the excess blood and pressed his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his bulbous nose.  With a grimace, Veo pressed inwards as the cartilage and bone snapped back in place with a crack, fresh blood streaming from it as he realigned his nose.  Once more Meera passed a fresh handkerchief that had had water poured over it and passed it to Veo who pressed it against his face with a relieved sigh.  His ministrations were finished, just as Lauren and the children pulled up in front of them.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°So? How was it?¡± asked Silpherion cheerfully, leaning on his sword that was still embedded in the ground.¡±

    ¡°It was really, really good!¡± exclaimed Stilvan, with the other kids making similar exuberant claims.

    ¡°But ¨C¡± interrupted Gilean as everyone turned to look at him, ¡°We couldn''t tell what happened in the end.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± said Silpherion with a raised eyebrow.  He turned to look at Lauren with a bright smile, ¡°Wasn''t Ms. Referee watching everything?¡±

    ¡°Not when you''re moving that fast.  I only saw the feint and the kick.¡± replied Lauren coolly.  Silpherion''s smile faded, disappointed with Lauren''s forthcoming answer as a perfect opportunity for teasing her slipped away.

    ¡°Well...it''s a bit hard to explain, so I''ll show it to you slowly.  Elphias, toss me your sword.¡± said Silpherion.  Startled by the request, Elphias fumbled with his swordbelt a bit before passing it to Silpherion.  ¡°Lauren! Since you were left out of the fun, do you mind assisting?¡±

    While she was surprised, Lauren quickly acquiesced, ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±

    ¡°Nothing for now.¡± said Silpherion, ¡°And I need you for something else Vee.¡± after sharing a glance with Veo.  Silpherion unsheathed Gilean''s sword and warded it with the same windspell he gave his other blade.  Like before the match, Silpherion once again knelt and beckoned the children closer.

    ¡°What direction do you see the wind ward blowing on my blade?¡± asked Silpherion.

    ¡°Outwards.¡± answered Gilean upon closer inspection.

    ¡°Right!¡± nodded Silpherion, ¡°Lauren, do you mind warding your own blade like you did with Meera and Veo''s?¡± Lauren unsheathed her own sword in reply, an idea slowly forming in her mind as to what Silpherion did.

    ¡°Done.¡± said Lauren, holding it towards the children at Silpherion''s insistence.

    ¡°Same question.  Where''s the wind going?¡±

    ¡°...Inwards? Towards the hilt.¡± pointed out Anaya with her finger to trace a line of the wind''s path down the blade, looking towards Silpherion for confirmation.

    ¡°Exactly.  Remember that detail for later.  Lauren, you''ll play the part of Veo for this demonstration.¡±

    ¡°And what will Veo be doing?¡± drawled Veo.

    ¡°Waiting patiently for his turn.¡± answered Silpherion succinctly.  Veo shrugged his shoulders easily and moved to the side with his sheathed sword clutched in one hand, and stood with the children to watch.

    ¡°Keep in mind that all of us.¡± said Silpherion, pointing to himself, Veo and Meera, ¡°We''re using standard equipment for the duel.  Because Lauren is using her own, I''ll need to ask her for her sheath for this demonstration.¡±

    Lauren handed over her sheath without any questions to Silpherion''s outstretched hand.  ¡°Ladies, if you could please take the same positions of where I was charged from both sides.  No need to move so far away though.¡± directed Silpherion, who again stood in that curious position of not facing either of his opponents with both hands extending in their directions.

    ¡°Meera, if you would please execute the same rising slant you performed earlier with a fraction of the speed.¡±  Meera quickly complied as she dashed forward, her sword elevating from the ground in a scything arc towards Silpherion''s exposed back.  Silpherion thrust his sword hand behind his body, catching Meera''s blade underneath the cross-guard.  At the same moment, Silpherion swayed towards Meera as Lauren playing the part of Veo, swept her own sword across the now empty space.  Silpherion plunged his sword into the soil, taking Meera''s sword along with it as the sheath in Silpherion''s left hand stabbed upwards causing her to reflexively jerk away.

    Lauren''s return swipe was already under way as Silpherion''s sheath raced to block it.  Or so it seemed, for in that instant, Silpherion lowered to the ground and placed his foot upon Meera''s chest.

    ¡°Stop!¡± said Silpherion in that rather precarious position and Lauren froze mid-swing, ¡°Because I don''t want to kick Meera a second time, let''s just say I did and she was blown away.  Meera obediently moved backwards several steps.  ¡°Now the kick I gave Meera gives me an extra bit of forward momentum ¨C Lauren please continue your movement.¡±

    The fight resumed and Silpherion resumed his explanation, ¡°Watch carefully now: Lauren needs to adjust her swing into a more vertical position to accommodate for my lowered stance.  This will put her sword at the same degree of elevation as this sheath.¡± emphasizing his last word by letting go of the sheath as it flew towards the incoming blade in the same path as his swinging arm.  The suctioning effect of the wind helped the sheath to slide smoothly down the shaft of the blade.  Silpherion''s fingers had already formed themselves into a fist and let it come to a stop a hairsbreadth away from Lauren''s face.

    ¡°So, that was the basic scheme, which works as long as you''re able to move three or four times faster than your opponents.¡± smiled Silpherion, a look of confusion slowly appearing over his face over the lack of a reaction from the stunned children.  ¡°Uh, was something unclear?¡±

    ¡°...More like something unbelievable.¡± intoned Veo, shaking his head in disbelief.

    ¡°...Eh?¡±

    <hr />

    In addition to the rather peculiar nature of the villagers of Nevara''el, there was one other feature of the village that made it unique among Elven settlements, or even villages in general, and it did not lay in its inhabitants.  Between the brooks and brambles that populated the forest, there was one area of the forest domain of Nevara''el that seemed to overflow with life.  It was a small clearing surrounded by the lushest and thickest of trees in the forest, arranged in a perfect circle around a colossal monument that stood in the middle, soaring past the tree tops that encircled it.  Flowers of all kinds, and some that the Elves were sure were not present anywhere else in nature, bloomed around the monument in vivid splashes of pure monochromatic flowers arranged in clusters, or roses composed of several different colors scattered around.

    Curiously enough, though, no animals seemed to come around the monument, although they certainly seemed attracted to the spot as there were often several that watched the clearing from the forest.  The founders of Nevara''el did not know what the monument was for, but since their own spellcasters had determined to be a benign structure, they left it alone.  Over the generations, it gained a special place in the hearts of its inhabitants, who seemed to feel more alive in its presence.  Although from the name alone, one could easily say that they hardly cared at all as it was so lacking in imagination.

    ¡°Sahhhh!¡± yelled Gilean, swinging down the novochore blade with supreme confidence.  Appear! Burning Rays! Gilean willed with all of his might for flames or even anything to appear from the end of the blade.  Like so many times before, Gilean grew excited as the novochore inside the blade shivered and his soulself thrummed with energy, thinking that today would finally be  the day.  But like every single attempt before, that faint rumble moving through the blade was the only sign of something remotely magical happening.

    Once more! Refusing to let his continued lack of success get to him, Gilean again readied his sword, this time gripping it with both hands as he drew it backwards so that he could thrust the blade forwards.  With an intense look of concentration, Gilean re-doubled his grip and focused on filling the blade with his soulself.  Like the sensation of rivulets of water running down his body, his soulself flowed down his arms and extended so that it enveloped the blade and filled the novochore inside.

    Breathing out slowly, Gilean limited how much of his soulself he was injecting into the novochore, making sure not to pour too much in.  The last time he had tried that, the blade he was using had exploded in his hands, which had won him a fairly savage...scolding from his rather irate brother who had wondered where his extra sword had disappeared to.

    Judging that he had given enough energy (more than what was necessary, truthfully), Gilean stabbed his sword forward with the mental image of a bolt of lightning shooting out of the end of his sword embedded in his mind.  Tragically, nothing shocking happened.

    Gilean ignored the ever-growing list of failures and prepared his sword in an overhead stance this time.  As he lifted his blade, the muscles of his upper arm spasmed and the sword fell out of his grip to fall unceremoniously to the ground with a thud.  Gilean followed the sword shortly after, falling on his rear with braced hands and then collapsing onto his back gasping.

    Thought my endurance was getting better recently.  I''m slacking off too much.  Gilean slowly reigned his breathing under control, and despite his mental vow, continued to like where he was.  He stared up at the evening sky, feeling content as the energy from the Glade seemed to fill his body and rejuvenate it.  Gilean stretched his hand out in front of him so that it covered more than half the sky in his field of view and closed it determinedly, Once more.

    <hr />

    ¡°...No, I''m not tired, it''s fine...¡± mumbled Gilean sleepily, the slight jostling movements Silpherion made as he carried him on his back only served to momentarily rouse him.  Silpherion smiled as he shifted his brother into a better position; Gilean''s arms hung loosely around Silpherion''s neck.  The novochore blade that Gilean had been using bumped against Silpherion''s leg, as he recalled the scene of him entering the glade where Gilean had made Silpherion promise to meet him.

    ¡°You definitely have to come!¡± pleaded Gilean.

    ¡°Alright, alright.  I''ll meet you later in the usual spot in the evening.¡± promised Silpherion.

    ¡°What a troublesome brother you are...¡± chuckled Silpherion.  When he made some hasty goodbyes to some of his friends he had not seen in a while to hurry and meet Gilean, he had found his brother snoring peacefully in the Glade; the novochore blade still clutched in his hands.

    ¡°...It''s fine, just give me a second to rest...¡± yawned Gilean, ¡°Don''t...leave me alone...¡±

    Startled, Silpherion stumbled in his tracks and nearly tripped over his feet when he heard Gilean''s quiet plea.  Gilean, for his part had finally settled into a peaceful sleep, his last words seemed to be a final act of defiance.  Although when Silpherion twisted his head to look at him, a single trail of tears streaked across his brother''s face, shining in the bright light of the moon.  Moving with extreme care, so as not to jostle him too much, Silpherion gently brushed Gilean''s tears away.

    ¡°...As long as you want me here, I''ll be by your side.¡± promised Silpherion

    <hr />

    Is there a way to turn back time? Would anything different have occurred if there was? Gilean often lost himself in such fantasies.  He thought that if he had done this or not have heard that, then everything would be okay.  Sometimes he wished he could have done something, anything at all.

    His sin.  His fault.

    <hr />

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, no?¡± asked his father dangerously.

    ¡°I mean, no.  No I''m not going another search with you two.  No, I''m not going to lie through my teeth about going on some grand hunt.  And no, I''m not leaving Gilean alone here!¡± snapped Silpherion.

    ¡°We are doing this for Gilean''s sake!¡± reminded his father with a raised voice.  Silpherion''s mother, Tamara, placed a gentle, but firm, hand on her husband''s shoulder to direct his attention towards the staircase.  His father''s temper deflated as quickly as it had come under his wife''s vice-like grip on his shoulder, instantly regretting his sudden flare-up.

    ¡°Why?¡± asked his mother with a penetrating stare towards Silpherion.  Silpherion always felt like a mouse underneath the gaze of a mighty falcon circling high above it when his mother looked at him like this.

    ¡°...How long have we been looking, ever since we found out?¡± said Silpherion, carefully picking out the words out of a conversation he had been planning on having with his parents for a long time.  ¡°This latest excursion with all three of us was supposed to have been the one.¡±

    ¡°So because we failed again, you want to give up?¡± growled his father, ¡°You would leave him broken?!¡±

    ¡°You think he''s broken?! He''s your son!¡±

    ¡°And I want him to be whole!¡±

    ¡°Enough! Both of you!¡± scolded his mother in harsh whispers, ¡°We either keep this discussion quiet, or we don''t have it at all.¡±  Both elvnmaga flushed guiltily, each regretting their words and actions as they sat at the table with clenched fists.

    ¡°I saw him at training today.  He did well.¡± remarked Silpherion after some time passed.  ¡°Even without a bridge.¡± looking at both of his parents in the eye.

    ¡°For now.¡± murmured his mother softly, coming around the table and placing ehr hands over Silpherion''s, ¡°But what about later? When the gap between him and his friends becomes wider?¡±

    ¡°But that''s just -¡±

    ¡°It''s more than being unable to use magic,¡± said his mother, cutting off Silpherion''s protest, ¡°For a swordmage, their soulself is their life.  He already needs to Trance two hours more than we do, when it was only a hour more in the past.  What if he never comes out of it?¡±

    ¡°...You can''t know that.¡±

    ¡°You don''t know that.¡± reminded his father gently.

    ¡°He''s my brother.  I can''t leave him alone again...!¡± choked Silpherion.

    ¡°I know it''s hard, but we''re doing this for his sake.¡± his mother squeezed his hands tightly.  ¡°Don''t give up.  He needs all of us.¡±

    All of Silpherion''s planned arguments and rebuttals faded in those clear eyes and calm reasoning of his parents that he despised himself for trying to run away.  ¡°...I''m sorry.  But what do we do now though? We''ve exhausted all our leads in healers.¡±

    ¡°First thing in the morning, we''ll ask my old friend Lucinda for advice.¡± answered his mother calmly, ¡°She might be able to point us in the right direction.¡±

    ¡°Is it wise to let more people know about this?¡±

    ¡°You said it yourself, we''ve run out of all ideas we could come up between the three of us.  Lucinda''s a good friend who has a lot of contacts with the Mercenary House that could help us.  More importantly, she can keep a secret.¡±

    ¡°And the village? I don''t think they''ll accept all of us going on another hunt so soon.  We got lucky last time with that demon attack in Carowyn.¡± pointed out Silpherion.

    ¡°Then we''ll leave.¡±  It was something they had all been considering, yet never spoken out loud.  His mother''s words thus did not bring about the shocked silence that it would have.  ¡°We''ll go somewhere far away, where we don''t have to worry about such obligations.  Where we can focus our energy on what''s really important.¡± finished his mother.

    ¡°Do you really think the village would let their highest earners leave just like that? Vyon and Fom?  will be particularly reluctant to do so if we go on another charity mission.¡±

    ¡°Gods, no.  They''d see us all dead before we brought a single silver to another village.¡± snorted his father.

    ¡°But,¡± added his mother, ¡°They wouldn''t be able to stop us either.¡±

    ¡°True, but we could be a bit more subtle than -¡± began Silpherion, when a series a footsteps followed by a loud bang echoed from upstairs.  They all rose as one, Silpherion being the closest, was the first to run up the stairs fearing the worst.  He burst into the Sleeping Area, practically flying across the length of it from the speed he had built up on the stairs.

    The room was empty.  The sheets of one bed thrown into a flurry and another loud bang sound echoed from the window shutter that had been unlocked and was repeatedly slamming into the wooden framework by the wind.

    "Gilean!"

    <hr />

    ?uversd?e.  The time when most of the villagers were asleep, what little they needed were spent in the darkest part of the night and when even the many sounds of the forest had settled into a velvety silence.  Beneath the sliver of moonlight that wasn''t obscured by the overhanging clouds, a small figure was running through the forest in a haphazard manner.  The figure did not run towards the outskirts, for a small part of his mind remembered that there would be guards, but instead ran deeper towards the heart of the forest.  Occasionally he would stumble against small roots and branches littered on the forest floor, one time even falling down, but he would recover and continue his chaotic dash.

    Will always be weaker than the others.  Leaving the village.  Missing bridge.  Broken.  Gilean''s thoughts were in a chaotic cacophony, each overheard word of his family''s private conversation bringing up more questions and fears than he thought were possible.  While he wasn''t sure what exactly was wrong, he knew what, or who the problem was.  This knowledge blurred his vision, his tongue tasting salt as tears ran down his face.  Gilean didn''t know where he wanted to go exactly, or even why he had suddenly ran away.

    All he knew was that he just need to go away somewhere.  His journey soon came to an end, as he emerged from the thicket of trees sweating and puffing, into the Glade.  Like so many times before, Gilean''s hand had already pulled out the novochore blade that he had brought with him unconsciously, and ran his soulself down the length of it.

    If I can just manage to do this.  Everything will be okay! We won''t have to leave the village and they won''t leave me.  Gilean then began to pour as much of his soulself into the novochore as he could, forcing everything he had into the crystal so that it seemed like the blade was overflowing with this energy.  His vision grew dark and his hands grew cold as his knees began to shake with the effort of expending so much energy.  As far as he knew, it was impossible to fully expend one''s soulself, though at this point, Gilean could not care less about such a thing.

    ¡°Gilean!¡± yelled Silpherion, who had come running out from the trees, freezing in his tracks as he saw that Gilean had directed his shaking hand holding the blade towards him.  ¡°Gilly.¡± said Silpherion carefully, ¡°Just draw back in your soulself and let''s talk about this, we can explain every-¡±

    ¡°No! I''m not broken! I can do this!¡± His mother and father came from the trees red-faced and disheveled.

    ¡°Gilean!¡± ¡°?eoil!¡±  Unlike Silpherion, his parents rushed towards him, heedless of the shaking and now glowing sword Gilean held within his hands.  Before they could reach him, Gilean held his sword aloft, pointing it towards the sky as he concentrated on the image of flame shooting up into the sky.  The blade shone even brighter as the monument in the Glade seemed to glow in response.  Cracks ran down all along the blade as the light grew brighter and illuminated everyone in the Glade as everything faded into a white-hot incandescence.

    <hr />

    The Elven Language

    -ava: This is a suffix meaning "Brother".  Used as a traditional greeting for acquaintances and close relations between elves.

    -ala: This is a suffix meaning "Sister".  Used as a traditional greeting for acquaintances and close relations between elves.

    ?uversd?e: Evening

    [p=center]Previous Chapter</a>[/p] [p=center]Next Chapter</a>[/p]

 Chapter 4

    Back to the present for the next 2 chapters.  In this chapter we finally get a proper introduction to the rest of the party that will TOP SECRET by the end of the series.  :grin:

    [p=center]<h2>Chapter 4 ¨C A Good Deal</h2>[/p]

    Gilean''s eyes shot open as he broke out of his Trance.  He did not cry out though, he had managed to wake up before that part of the dream happened.  Lucky him.  The dream was something that seemed to never fade though.  Maybe it never would.

    Immersing himself in his current surroundings, Gilean''s senses embraced the world around him, rather than the one that still lingered in his mind.  A warm breeze that carried the scents of summer drifted in through the open window of the inn room.  His eyesight adjusted to the darkness as he propped his head against the wall he was leaning against.  Melia had offered to share the bed with him, but past experiences had warned him of her bad sleeping habits.  So Gilean had taken to the floor, which was slightly less comfortable than a bed of leaves, but it was dry and warm.

    A quick intake of breath from Melia as she shifted her sleeping position, the underlying frame of the mattress creaking as her weight was redistributed.  Satisfied, her breathing returned to a calm and normal pace as she once again fell into a peaceful slumber.  Gilean''s heart was hammering in his chest however, an itch building inside his limbs that urged him to move.  As he gazed upon her sleeping form, his breathing became heavier and his eyes took on a hungry look.  Unknowingly, he was clenching and relaxing his hands; flexing them like they were claws.  Can''t stay here.  Need to move.  Need to hunt.

    ''Why hunt? There''s a perfectly good morsel here...'' His voice whispered in Gilean''s mind, and while it attempted to sound cultured, it could not mask the ravenous hunger it carried.

    ''Shut up.'' thought Gilean firmly.  Peering out the window, the clouds parted on cue to reveal the light of the full moon.  No wonder this asshole was awake.  His whispers faded as Gilean concentrated on blocking Him out, eventually subsiding to a very annoying buzz.  No chance of him going back into a Trance now.

    Moving ever so carefully, so as not to disturb Melia, Gilean eased himself up off of the floorboards until he was standing up.  Eying the door knob for a moment, Gilean instead moved towards the open window and paused at its threshold.  Breathing deeply helped to wake himself up, as adrenaline surged through his body and filling it with energy.  Gripping the windowsill with his pale hands and tensing his calves, Gilean spared a last glance towards Melia.  Her back was facing him and the gentle rise and fall of her body showed that she was still sleeping.  A momentary twinge of regret passed through him before he managed to shake it off with a fierce refusal of His suggestions.  Turning back towards the window, the night beckoned him, enveloping him in its velvet embrace as he released the pent up energy in his legs and sailed into the night.

    <hr />

    A rooster crowed in the village of Gelaweir, announcing the start of a new day, as the village slowly came to life.  People called friendly greetings to each other as they went about their business even though it was so early in the morning.  The people of Gelaweir appreciated the value of hard work and it was through that appreciation that they had managed to build a prosperous village.

    So it was that the blacksmith stoked his fire in the hearth as he began to lay out the tools of his trade and the merchants began to set up their stalls.  The seamstress unlocked her store and began laying out the latest fashions from the capital in the window of the store, hoping to entice any travellers with it''s gaudy appearance.  Gelaweir was a major hub that people travelled through in the continent of Bravn, despite it''s small size.  The presence of the Mercenary House also ensured a steady trickle of would-be adventurers and the like.  Thus in order to maximize profits, the people of Gelaweir tried their hardest to always be available to these walking bags of money.

    Besides the Mercenary House, Grelda''s Inn was the only other establishment that was open at all hours of the day.  While the customers of the inn could be expected to be still sleeping, the ones that had stayed over the night were rather unusual in that they had woken up almost as early as the residents of Gelaweir.  Most of the customers anyway.

    Gilean slowly became aware of a weight pressing down on both of his legs when he woke up that morning.  His nighttime activities had left him more drained than he originally thought and so he was still in a groggy state.  One hand stretched out wearily, his eyes were still closed as his fingers touched something long and silky smooth to the touch.  It was a pleasant feeling against his hands, made all the more prominent thanks to the hard floor he had been sleeping on and so he ran his fingers through the almost liquid substance.

    Perhaps Melia''s pack is on my legs, knocked off of the top of the dresser when I returned this morning.  I don''t remember her wearing any silk shirts though.  Or silken anything, really.  Although perhaps all female clothes are like this...As he was ruminating through such things, Gilean''s hand continued to slide through the soft material and down to something much firmer, but just as smooth.  His hand reached a curve and he heard a sharp intake of breath just in front his closed eyes.  He opened them.

    ¡°...Morning.¡± said Gilean, realizing what his hand was wrapped around.

    ¡°...Morning.¡± whispered Melia, her green skin had taken on a crimson color, acutely aware of what Gilean''s hand was wrapped around.

    ¡°Did you sleep alright?¡± asked Gilean, his hand still around Melia''s bare waist; the only part of her upper body that wasn''t covered by her tunic.  One of her calves that wasn''t on the floor, rested lightly on Gilean''s leg.  Thankfully Melia slept with her leggings on.

    ¡°...I did.  Did you get enough sleep? Uh it seemed like you went out last night and you still had some...food...left on your face.¡± holding up a reddish brown cloth in her right hand.  It looked thoroughly used.

    ¡°I slept very well, otherwise I think I would''ve woken up.¡± nodding at the handkerchief as he said so.

    ¡°Oh.  Well that''s good.¡± she said rather simply.

    ¡°So...you do this kind of thing a lot, baby?¡± asked Gilean in a sleazy tone.  Gilean watched Melia morph through several facial expressions of embarrassment, anger, shock, anger, humor, anger and finally settling on ¡°annoyed¡±.

    ¡°Ass.¡± swore Melia, although a grin was forming at the ends of her mouth.  It was in accordance to the Divine Laws of Comedy that the door to their room opened suddenly without so much as a knock.

    ¡°Are you two ready yet-¡± began Semphil, an annoyed look on his face that was replaced with a blank expression when he saw Melia straddling Gilean on the floor, ¡°...Morning.¡±

    ¡°...Morning.¡± chorused the two on the floor, one wearing a grin, the other looking mortified.

    ¡°Sorry for interrupting.¡± apologized Semphil as he closed the door in a hurry.

    ¡°Wait! It''s not what it looks-¡± the door slammed shut before Melia could finish her sentence.  Gilean gently disentangled himself from Melia, who appeared to have frozen in place.  He idly wondered if it was possible for her skin to take on a permanent reddish hue.

    <hr />

    It took them about another 2 minutes for them to get ready.  While not an unreasonably long time, for Gilean and Melia, it was downright slovenly.  In reality it took them about 30 seconds to strap on their armor and weapons, and one and a half minutes of Gilean trying to convince Melia to go downstairs.

    ¡°You know the longer we take, the more they''ll assume.¡± reasoned Gilean.

    ¡°They? It was just Semphil who saw us.¡± said Melia, ¡°...He won''t say anything to the others.¡± she added in a less than confident tone.  Gilean looked at her with one raised eyebrow.

    ¡°You sure about that?¡±

    ¡°...Let''s go downstairs.¡± mumbled Melia.  Gilean thought it was cute that Melia still worried how the two of them still looked together, even after all of these years.  They''d faced horrors and seen things that had made Gilean''s blood run cold more than once.  But Melia had thrived in such situations, her axe sang a deadly tune through the air while she wore a fierce smile that was plastered across her face.

    ¡°Don''t worry about it so much.  Semphil seems to be every bit as honorable as his reputation would have us believe.¡± reassured Gilean as they walked through the creaky hallway of the inn''s second floor.  ¡°Even more so.¡± he added after remembering how Semphil had offered to pay for the rooms of everyone yesterday evening.

    ¡°I''m just worried.  This is probably the best situation he could catch us in.  If this mission takes more than a month-¡±

    ¡°It won''t¡± replied Gilean, cutting Melia off with a firm denial, but still she continued.  ¡°So he saw us in a somewhat sexual situation.  What''s the big deal?¡± laughed Gilean.

    ¡°It''s not about that!¡± snapped Melia, stopping dead in her tracks.  ¡°It''ll take us a little more than 2 weeks to reach Auverdale and if you go on another one of your midnight ''walks'', we''re going to have a problem.¡±

    ¡°So what are you suggesting?¡± lowering his voice to match hers, all traces of humor had left.

    ¡°We leave.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± breathed out Gilean sharply.

    ¡°We could just go to another town and take a mission on our own.  Just the two of us!¡± implored Melia.

    ¡°We almost died the last time we did that!¡± exclaimed Gilean.

    ¡°And we could die with them! Only it wouldn''t be by a random monster!¡± countered Melia.

    ¡°You''re being paranoid!¡±

    ¡°And you''re being an idiot!¡± shot back Melia.  The two glared at each other for a little bit, although they both retained enough presence of mind to keep their voices down.

    ¡°We need this Melia, despite the risks, this is the only way I know that we can reach S-rank!¡±

    ¡°Bullshit.¡± growled Melia, ¡°You wanted this job for the same reason you always want one.  Demons.  This one involved demons and we couldn''t get it to ourselves, so now you''re trying to come up with some half-assed explanation of this being a quick road to the next rank.¡±

    Gilean was quiet for a few moments, trying to think of a suitable retort, although Melia''s words struck true.  Getting to S-rank wasn''t the end goal for him, it was just a helpful tool for achieving his aim.  ¡°You''re right.¡± said Gilean, ¡°I couldn''t care less about something like that.  But if I go on this mission, I might find the answers I''m looking for.  If I abandon it, I might miss something and I can''t take that chance.¡±

    Gilean looked at Melia with a determined gaze.  She stared back at him with equal intensity.  ¡°Even if I have to do this on my own.¡± stated Gilean with finality.

    ¡°...That''s not fair.¡± whispered Melia, ¡°We''re in this together till the end.¡±

    ¡°Why bring this up now? What are you so worried about? We''ve been in far worse situations and still managed to come out on top!¡±

    ¡°Because-!¡± began Melia, but the words she wanted to say wouldn''t leave her mouth.  They were selfish words that weren''t of any benefit to Gilean.  They had both been hurt and Melia had no right to say that her pain was any greater than Gilean''s.  Melia instead said the words that came from her heart, concealing the others inside herself.  ¡°Because...I don''t want to lose you.¡±

    ¡°So don''t let go of me.¡± his hands were shaking as he said this though his voice held steady.  ¡°Your words, remember? If it''s the two of us; we can''t lose.¡±

    ¡°And if we run into a situation where we have to show what we can really do?  What then!?¡± asked Melia harshly, a touch of fear was in her eyes now.  Both of their eyes were red, although Gilean attributed that to just staring at each other without blinking for so long.

    ¡°You won''t have to do anything.  If...if it comes to that point, then I''ll be the only one to take the fall.¡±

    ¡°Gilean!¡± gasped Melia.

    ¡°This is my selfish decision and I''m asking you to be a part of it.  It''s only right that I should bear the consequences.¡± concluded Gilean.  Faster than Gilean could react, he was pushed against the wall with enough force that dust floated down from the ceiling.  Melia''s arms were pressed against his chest as she pinned him against the wall, her face pressed against his.

    ¡°...We''re in this together you idiot.¡± her lip quivered as if she wanted to say something more.  It stopped moving, but she said nothing more.  Her grip on him slackened and she released Gilean from the wall.  Melia''s hand came to her face and wiped across her eyes.  Gilean said nothing, though he mimicked her actions as well.

    ¡°Let''s go downstairs.¡± she said quietly after a few seconds.

    ¡°Okay.¡± replied Gilean.  It took them only about 30 seconds to get downstairs, but it was in a sombre silence.  Bitterly, Gilean vented his feelings in his thoughts, Good going asshole.  Way to manipulate  your only friend.

    <hr />

    The only other customers that were currently in Grelda''s were all seated around a large table that could seat a party of seven.  Semphil sat on one end of the rectangular table, sipping a mug of something with steam coming out of it.  He glanced up to see Gilean and Melia coming down the stairs together, his expression visibly tightening before nodding at both of them.  Reaching the foot of the stairs, Gilean''s nose picked up the scent of spiced grape wine.  Odd drink to have in the morning, thought Gilean

    Sitting together just opposite to Semphil were the new additions to the party; chatting to each other with their hands wrapped around mugs; although these weren''t steaming.  One was a human male and the other an elvalya.  The man had short brown hair parted to one side, a smooth face and an easy laugh.  A long red cloak that stopped just short of the floor was wrapped loosely around his neck, although it seemed to give off an odd glow every now and then.  While his average body did not seem to present any threat, the staff that rested near his side hinted at his true power.

    The elvalya had long flowing brown hair, deep green eyes and a melodious laugh.  Like most elves, she was fair of face with a slim body wrapped in somewhat skimpy armor noticed Gilean with some embarrassment.  She turned at the sound of the stairs creaking and smiled widely at Gilean.  ¡°?eoilia au amanthorium, Gilean-ava¡± greeted Samantha.  A traditional elven greeting, but one that he had greatly missed.

    ¡°?ul eta ?eoilia au amanthorium kal aven ma, Samantha-ala.¡± responded Gilean in kind with a bright smile.  He was pleasantly surprised that a lack of contact with Elves over the past years hadn''t dimmed his linguistics by too much.  Samantha''s eyes flicked over to Melia''s and a somewhat tense expression appeared on her face, though it was such a brief moment that Gilean thought he imagined it.

    ¡°Good morning, Melia¡± greeted Samantha, gesturing with her hands for the two of them to seat themselves.

    ¡°You two sure took your sweet time getting up.  Late night?¡± asked Damien cheerfully.  Gilean momentarily paused as he took a seat besides Semphil, locking gazes briefly with Melia.

    ¡°Uh, something like that.¡± replied Gilean cautiously.

    ¡°But not like that¡± added Melia quickly when she met Semphil''s eyes.  To his credit, the man took her word and only nodded briefly before returning to sipping his wine.

    ¡°Like what?¡± asked Samantha curiously.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± lied Melia with a slightly red face.

    ¡°We were only up for a little while ourselves¡± said Damien, pointing to himself and Samantha.  ¡°But Sir Albernson was already up by the time we came downstairs.  When did you get up?¡±

    ¡°Before first light.¡± answered Semphil tersely, although he showed a quick smile to Damien to assure him he wasn''t snubbing him with a short reply.  A loud growl rumbled and everyone''s eyes turned towards Damien.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± he said with an embarrassed smile, ¡°I''m a little hungry.¡±

    ¡°You''re in luck then.¡± announced Gilean, the heady smell of something wonderful was in the air that appealed directly to his stomach.  True to his words, Grelda''s daughter Amber emerged from behind the kitchen doors balancing two plates piled high with food precariously on her arms.  Semphil raised one eyebrow, but said nothing, only putting his cup down with a soft thump onto the table.

    ¡°Hope you and your companions are hungry Mr. Albernson.  I ended up making a little too much food.¡± chuckled Amber.

    ¡°Thank you very much Amber for your kind service.¡± Semphil gave one of his usual tight smiles, although Amber blushed and mentioned that if they needed anything else to just call her.  She left the room rather quickly after that while Semphil commented to himself of what a nice girl she was.  Melia and Samantha shook their heads at this, initially at Semphil but then towards Gilean and Damien who had already begun to pile food onto their plates.  Damien had frozen under Samantha''s withering look of disapproval, cheeks stuffed with eggs and bacon, a plate with more of the two as well as several fruits that smelled as good as they looked.  One hand was clutching a steaming bun filled with some kind of bean paste; Damien''s eyes flicked back and forth between it and Samantha, considering whether or not he should eat it.

    Gilean''s plate had already been filled of several large pieces of bacon as well as a few pieces of cold chicken that had been tossed into the mix.  Barely any of the myriad of fruits or leafy vegetables could be seen to adorn his plate.

    ¡°Pfft...¡± snorted Semphil, his body shaking with intermittent gasps until finally he burst out into laughter.  It was deep and loud as befitting his character, but also infectious.  Gilean and Melia started laughing and soon Samantha joined in followed by Damien.  Predictably, with a mouth full of food still, he began choking.

    <hr />

    The hearty breakfast was dissected in a few minutes of silent munching, though not for a lack of topics to converse about.  Rather than sit at the table and digest their meals properly, the party promptly paid for the cost of their food and lodgings.

    ¡°Are you sure you can''t stay just a little longer?¡± asked Amber, twirling a finger through her red hair while somewhat shyly looking at Semphil.

    ¡°Don''t be that way girl.¡± scolded Grelda.  Her steel grey hair was pulled back into a tight bun and coupled with an old farmer''s dress, gave the woman the classic look of ¡°I''d rather face a dragon than her¡± type of innkeeper.  The smile she wore on her face eased any lines of severity on her face as she looked at Semphil with evident fondness.  ¡°I''m sure he has much more important things to be doing that lounging around in this old place.¡±

    ¡°To the contrary my fair ladies, I wish I could spend all day resting in your lovely establishment were it not for urgent business in Auverdale.¡± insisted Semphil with a calming smile.  While Amber blushed and started to stammer, Grelda only chuckled and patted Semphil''s cheek affectionately.

    ¡°Don''t be a stranger now.¡± said the old innkeeper, ¡°All of you¡± she added looking at each of them in turn.

    ¡°Um, have a safe trip.  I''ll be praying for all of you.¡± quickly interjected Amber sensing that the conversation was coming to an end.  The pretty girl turned scarlet when Semphil stroked her hair gently with one of his massive hands.  Gilean wondered if that was at all a pleasant sensation considering that he was wearing full plate-mail armor.  Indeed, he saw her wince as some of her hair got caught in the cracks of Semphil''s gauntlets and was pulled out.  Though the pleased expressed on her face remained.  Love was a powerful thing after all as Amber had a visibly disappointed expression when he stopped.

    The farewells now over, they parted ways with the friendly innkeepers with good cheer.  While their equipment was all set, there remained only the purchasing of necessary supplies for travel.  While it was an A-ranked mission that they were all undertaking, it seemed to be a chronic problem for the people of Auverdale and Semphil had judged that it would''ve been alright to stay overnight.  When Samantha and Damien had arrived the other day, Semphil proposed that they should all stay in the local inn after seeing their evident exhaustion.  It had been clear they were traveling hard.

    But an A-ranked mission did dictate a certain matter of urgency and thus the  traveling they were to be doing would have to be an expedited one.  The party looped around the inn to the back where the stables were and more importantly, where Semphil''s mount was.  Four stalls filled with hay, straw and water troughs made up the bulk of the small stable.  Only one of the stalls was occupied with a massive white war-charger giving a loud whinny when Semphil walked into the stable.  The powerful beast that was covered in weathered, but sturdy looking armor should have made Semphil look more intimidating.  But at the moment the horse had the most blissful look that Gilean had ever seen on an animal before when Semphil stroked the side of it''s mouth.  The tender smile Semphil wore on his own face created an incredibly peaceful atmosphere.

    ¡°Thanks for waiting for me D''jjro.¡± said Semphil affectionately, ¡°Does my favourite horse wanna ride into battle and fill the lands with a sea of our enemies blood?¡± D''jjro whinnied happily in the affirmative, stomping its hooves on the ground for extra emphasis.  Take it from me kid; the stronger they are, the more fucked up they''re going to be, his Teacher''s words flowed through Gilean''s mind

    Awkwardly the rest of the party stood there as Semphil continued to stroke his horse with a bit too much enthusiasm.  Even Samantha was looking slightly unnerved.

    ¡°Uh...so maybe we should split up and get the supplies to save time?...¡± suggested Damien.  Samantha, Melia and Gilean murmured in agreement but Semphil still seemed to be lost in his own little equine paradise.  Damien said nothing further, occasionally looking towards Samantha and then at Gilean, a cry for help in his eyes.

    ¡°Semphil!¡± shouted Melia, her patience evidently having been exceeded some time ago.  The person in question broke out of his trance and looked at Melia with some surprise.  ¡°Can we save...this...for another time? There''s a lot to be done.¡±

    His eyes refocused, ¡°My apologies.  This is the longest I''ve left him alone in the past week.¡±

    ¡°.......¡± No one said anything.  ¡°Ahem!¡± he cleared his throat, a faint blush was barely noticeable on his nutmeg skin, ¡°Yes that''s an excellent idea Damien.  I will go secure the perishable food items and potions while the rest of you purchase mounts.¡±

    Samantha shook her head, although whether she was answering Semphil''s idea in the negative or clearing her mind of the scene she just saw, Gilean wasn''t too sure.  ¡°Damien and I won''t need mounts.  For certain...reasons, we''ve had to temporarily keep our friend in the forest.  Damien and I can go to the apothecary and stock up on the necessities.¡±

    Semphil raised one eyebrow at this and turned his gaze towards Melia and Gilean with an evident question in his eyes.  Melia and Gilean both shook their heads.

    ¡°We still need to get our own mounts.¡± said Melia.

    ¡°Hooh.  I figured you two would have horses already prepared.¡± he said with a slight accusatory tone in his voice.

    ¡°We do.  Booked them in advance so we''d get a 10% discount.¡± answered Gilean slightly defensively.

    ¡°I thought horse rentals had a ''first-come first-serve'' policy.  Or is it different here in Bravn?¡± asked Samantha.

    ¡°They do.  But I know the guy who owns the place here and he owed me a favour.¡± explained Melia.

    ¡°It''s settled then.  Let''s meet at the great oak tree just outside the eastern exit of the village.¡± spoke Gilean, breaking the silence before it got too awkward.

    ¡°Right¡± said Damien

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Semphil opened D''jjro''s stable and mounted him gracefully in one smooth motion.  His boots gently tapped D''jjro''s sides and the horse broke out into a canter with his reins held loosely in Semphil''s hands.  The four left over nodded once to each other and split apart as they each moved towards their own destinations.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    <hr />

    Melia and Gilean had walked for a while through the surprisingly crowded streets of Gelaweir.  But that didn''t stop merchants standing behind stalls or sometimes sitting on rugs with their wares displayed calling for their attention.

    ¡°Sir Elf! Surely you could use some polishing oils for that sword on your back! A fine weapon such as that needs some care!¡± cried a shrewd looking dwarf with a glass monocle overhanging one eye.  He was holding up a curved purple bottle with a flared base and a cork in it to show what he was selling.

    ¡°Mistress Orc! Won''t you please browse through my wares of creams to make that radiant skin of yours even more beautiful! Cheap too!¡± yelled another seller, making grand expansive gestures at the various salves and creams in clay bowls on his rug.  Several women, and a few males, were trying out the free samples he was doling out.

    ¡°Selling overpriced shit I found in the forest! Why go through the trouble of picking it yourself when you could buy it here!¡± yelled one honest merchant.  Oddly enough he seemed to have the most customers at his stall.  True to his word, the shabby looking rugs he had surrounded himself with were littered with a myriad of objects.  Some objects such as small flasks or heavily knotted ropes seemed useful, but other objects just looked like plain rocks.  One young man with perfectly coiffed hair picked up one such object and turned it over his hand, examining it.

    ¡°This is just an ordinary rock, right?¡± he finally said.

    ¡°The most ordinary of rocks, my good sir.¡± replied the merchant with a smile.  His coal-black skin, which proclaimed him to be of Mhongarian descent, contrasted nicely with his pearly-white teeth and made his smile all the more brighter.  The handsome youth frowned as he turned the rock over in his hand again, throwing it up in the air and letting it fall into the flat of his open palm.  The young man seemed to be weighing his own destiny with every throw of the stone.

    ¡°I''ll take ten of them.¡± declared the young man with a smile.

    ¡°Sold!¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡± muttered Gilean, appalled at this flagrant waste of money.

    ¡°Oh don''t act like you''re not jealous of him being a better salesman.¡± retorted Melia.

    ¡°If I had had customers like that, I would''ve been.¡± mumbled Gilean bitterly.  Even through the noisy crowd, the merchant''s ears perked up at Gilean''s comment.

    ¡°My friend, you are much too tense.  I am sure that one of my many wares would serve a fellow entrepreneur like yourself very well.¡± gesturing to a glass bottle filled with a clear liquid of what Gilean assumed was just water pulled from the pond.

    ¡°...No thanks.¡± replied Gilean curtly, walking away from the smiling merchant with as much dignity and speed as he could.  Melia kept pace with him easily, matching him easily with her longer strides.  She was grinning.

    ¡°What?¡± asked Gilean.

    ¡°Nothing!¡± snorted Melia.  Gilean huffed and increased his walking speed as the Horse Trader''s stylized logo came into view; pretending not to hear Melia''s muffled laughter.

    <hr />

    There was no trace of humor left on Melia''s face when they had entered the Horse Trader''s shop.  Patience was not one of her strong suits.  It was an average sized building with the room they were standing making up only a small part of the establishment.  Several tables were propped up against the walls with the various items available for purchase on display.  Different types of saddles, riding leathers, bridles and feeds were carefully mounted on polished metal stands.  The prices of each individual item as well as the amount the store currently had in stock were scrawled in fine spidery writing on the base of metal stands.

    A customer was paying the owner of the Horse Trader, a well-built stocky man with greying hair, who had disappeared into the back room and brought out a tied-off leather bag and a gleaming black riding crop.  The shop owner saw off the customer with a (avaricious) smile before fiddling with something underneath the desk he stood behind.  Gilean looked at the stands holding the bag and riding crop and saw the writing on their plaques change to match the store''s quantity.  Gilean let out a low whistle, he was surprised that such a small store would have novochore implements.  That kind of thing was common in the continent of Ryzel and the major cities of countries; but certainly not in small villages such as this one.

    It was in the fading years of the Age of Ethos that novochore began to rise in prominence, but it was only in the proceeding Age of Dorweir when the genius enchanter Euphus Bevels perfected his revolutionary design of a novochore-powered ship.  Combining both the magical and the mundane; clever enchantments and the mechanical creations of the dwarves, this new ship far outclassed any vessel, land or sea, by leagues and was instrumental in dealing with the many new threats the Age of Dorweir had brought with it.  Re-christened as the Sea Serpent, Euphus'' design had opened the floodgates to a whole new world which, even after 15 years since its debut, still showed no signs of slowing down it''s expansion.

    Seeing that the owner was now free, Melia stomped over to his desk, hands folded across her chest.  If Gilean hadn''t known her personally, he would''ve assumed Melia was angry at being kept waiting.  Evidently the shopkeeper understood this as he had a bemused expression as he greeted Melia.

    ¡°Melia! Nice of you to drop by.¡± he said with a smile.

    ¡°Abrav.¡± replied Melia, ¡°Busy as always I see.¡± A thinly veiled question was behind that tone.  So maybe she was annoyed at having to wait.

    Abrav''s eyes twinkled with mischief.  ¡°Hope you didn''t mind the wait too much.  Had to deal with actual customers and all of that.¡±

    ¡°A 10% discount doesn''t mean we aren''t customers.¡± said Melia through gritted teeth.

    ¡°10% is quite a large amount in this town.  Think of my poor shop!¡± cried Abrav in an aggrieved voice.  ¡°How about 5% instead? I''ll even throw in a free saddle and maybe even a nice new set of riding leathers if you play your cards right.¡± giving a conspiratorial wink to Gilean.

    ¡°Abrav...¡± groaned Melia, rubbing her temple in annoyance, ¡°You''re really making me wonder why I saved you all of those years ago.¡±

    ¡°Out of the goodness of your heart?¡± asked Abrav hopefully.  Melia gave him a flat stare and his grin was replaced with a grimace.  ¡°Tch.  Fine.  Forty gold, five silvers and fifteen coppers will be the total.¡± holding out his hand towards Melia.

    ¡°A 10% discount of the standard rate would be thirty eight gold flat.¡± interrupted Gilean before Melia took out her coinpurse.  Melia glared at Abrav who, to his credit, looked suitably chastened.  ¡°Can''t blame a man for trying.¡±

    ¡°I think I can.¡± replied Melia frostily as she slapped thirty six gold pieces onto the counter.

    ¡°Um, I believe its thirty eigh-¡± began Abrav

    ¡°Thirty six.¡± corrected Melia.  Abrav asked Gilean for help with tearful eyes but the  knowing smirk on Gilean''s face told him his answer though.

    ¡°...Thirty six gold pieces.¡±

    <hr />

    After retrieving a pair of keys hanging from a wall hook behind his counter, Abrav led them outside after locking up the shop and looped around to the back of the store.  A large door barred entry, and sight for there were no windows, to this part of the building.  Abrav picked out a plain iron key and REPLACEed into the lock and ushered Gilean and Melia inside.  Contrary to his expectations, Gilean was surprised to see a blank expanse of wall where there should have been...something.

    They were in a fairly cramped space that didn''t match the size of the building from outside at all. No, there is something there...just concealed.  Gilean fixated on one spot in particular on the wall where he thought the alteration was.  However, Abrav stopped in front of a completely different spot in front of the wall, pulling the keys one by one in a counter-clockwise loop around the ring with well-practised movements.  There was a soft click and Abrav''s face tensed as a small, sharp spike popped up from the ring.  Abrav deftly swept his thumb over the spike, breaking the skin and freeing a small amount of blood from the appendage.

    Poor shop my ass! We should have asked for way more than a 10% discount! Thought Gilean incredulously.  The novochore item checker was one thing, but a multi-enchant tool was completely different.  Melia''s eyes widened in surprise as she asked, ¡°Abrav...how did you even afford...¡±

    ¡°A frugal business attitude does not mean that my wares will be of a poor quality, m''dear.¡± grinned Abrav.  A sixth key on the iron ring shimmered into sight, sliding down the ring as it became visible and making a clanking noise as it the other keys.  The keys began to vibrate and shimmer with a golden light, the new key seemed to absorb the other keys as the light grew in intensity.  Before the glow became bright, it faded all of a sudden and the ring now only contained an oval-shaped amulet.  Without any hesitation, Abrav pressed the golden amulet against a seemingly normal piece of the wall.

    Like a beating heart, the amulet pulsed as it made contact with the wall, sending out fine spider-web golden lines from it in regular beats.  With every beat, the lines grew longer and longer until it reached the spot that Gilean was looking at.  It paused.  The outline of a large door frame was carved in white-hot flames on the door, the flames creeping inwards and disappearing with a flash as Gilean and Melia both turned their eyes away from the fierce light.  In it''s place, a rather plain set of wooden double doors was left with no apparent door handle, but there was a shallow socket engraved in the center of the doors.

    ¡°Bit of an annoying process to unlock a fucking door.¡± grumbled Abrav, removing the amulet from the wall and walking over the door frame.  Melia and Gilean awkwardly scrunched up together against the wall to give him room.  ¡°But.¡± said Abrav, slapping the amulet into the socket, ¡°It keeps my wares safe and sound.¡± he laughed.

    The two doors swung inwards soundlessly and the amulet popped out of the socket and fell into Abrav''s outstretched hand.  He spun the ring around his finger as the amulet separated into the five, and one hidden, keys once more.  Gilean felt immediately better to be in a large space that was surprisingly comfortable despite how stuffy it should have been.

    Near the entrance of the door, piles of the more expensive items in Abrav''s store on display were stacked in neat rows along the walls, each with their own label.  At the far end of the room, ten horses were milling around in their individual stables, some were drinking from troughs filled with sparkling clear water or munching on grains.  As soon as they entered, all of the horses turned towards the trio and stared at them silently, all movement had ceased.  It was a little unsettling of how quiet they were.

    ¡°I don''t suppose you have any other horses for sale.¡± commented Gilean.

    Abrav frowned, more in confusion than anything.  He followed Gilean''s line of sight and he smiled with understanding.  ¡°Ah, don''t worry about them.  That is the result of the finest breeding skills in all of Synarth.¡±  One of the dark horses nearest to the doors they came in made a noise that almost sounded like a snort of derision.  Abrav''s head whipped around and glared suspiciously at the horse in question, though it remained motionless.

    ¡°Smart horse.¡± remarked Melia, a corner of her mouth upturned.  Abrav peered at Melia through slitted eyes as if to make sure that she was serious and then started laughing uproariously.

    ¡°Hah! That horse? Smart? Hahaha!¡± Abrav was letting out full belly-drawn laughs.  His laughter together with the quiescent horses made a fairly creepy atmosphere.  ¡°I can guarantee you that all of the horses in here are fit of body, their breeding made sure of that.  Every now and then, the breeding process goes astray, usually because two paired horses were distantly related to each other.  Ol'' Willicker over there is one of those mistakes.¡±

    Shaking his head in amusement Abrav continued to explain, wiping a tear away from his eye, ¡°Trust me when I say that horse has rocks for brain and the rocks in question were dropped on their respective heads when they were born.¡±

    Confused, Gilean asked, ¡°If he''s as stupid-¡±

    ¡°She.¡±

    Gilean suppressed a sigh at the correction, ¡°If she''s as stupid as you say, why keep her around in such a tightly guarded area?¡±

    ¡°Not sure if you ever noticed sir, but horses aren''t terribly smart to begin with.  As long as they can carry you to a destination quickly, they''re good beasts of burden.  And my horses,¡± he said with a touch of pride, ¡°My horses will carry you faster than any other''s.  These beasts could outrun a dragon if they wanted to!¡±

    ¡°Well...Willicker will probably get side-tracked every now and then.¡± added Abrav reluctantly causing Melia to raise an eyebrow suspiciously.  ¡°Maybe a lot actually.  But I can include a pair of blinders if you decide to purchase her for free.¡± with something of a hopeful tone in his voice.

    Their eyes focused on the horse in question once more to find it beating its head against one of the posts of it''s stable.  Hard.  From the weathered look of the post, it didn''t look like it was the first time it was doing this.

    ¡°Willicker, you cut that shit out right now! I ain''t gonna replace another fucking post!¡± roared Abrav.

    ¡°Well...we''re on a bit of a tight schedule.  So if you could just recommend us a pair of horses which aren''t high-functioning idiots, that would be great.¡± said Melia.

    ¡°Ah, of course.  Sorry about that.¡± apologized Abrav looking quite embarrassed at his outburst.  Like a true professional though, the flush on his cheeks quickly faded as he became serious, ¡°Well, even if you were planning on mounted combat, pretty much all of these horses would suitable.  I won''t ask for details, but may I ask what kinds of regions you are travelling through?¡±

    ¡°We''re planning on heading to Lestvaughn from here.  Sooner we get there, the better.¡± replied Gilean

    ¡°Hmm...while the roads leading from Synarth to Lestaf are fairly well maintained, I remember that the roads between villages are little more than deer trails the further you go in.  So perhaps Maurice or Clive?...Maybe Jenn or Foxwind...¡± from there, Abrav continued to ask detailed questions such as how much weight they''d be carrying on one horse or if they expected to be carrying anything with them.

    The thoroughness of Abrav''s investigation was impressive as the man furrowed his brow with concentration, moving between the stables and inspecting the horses one by one.  Finally he settled on his choices, saddling them and leading them out of their stables by their reins.  The horses quietly trotted after him complacently and stopped in front of Melia and Gilean.  ¡°This horse.¡± said Abrav, stroking the head of the massive brown charger in front of Melia, ¡°would do nicely for you.  Gaia here is one of the strongest horses I''ve ever bred and should be able to handle someone of your size.¡±

    The last remark was not intended as a slight, even if it was a bit of a thoughtless gaffe, neither Melia or Abrav remarked upon it.  Melia ran her, admittedly large, hand down the mare''s mane with infinite care.  Gaia appreciated the tender touch and whinnied appreciatively, bringing a smile to Melia''s face.  ¡°Definitely a good choice.¡± remarked Melia.  Abrav beckoned for her to mount Gaia, which after a little bit of hesitation from a previous incident with a horse, smoothly swung her leg over Gaia''s back.

    To their credit, neither rider nor mount flinched at the sudden connection between the two of them.  Melia gently tapped her heels to Gaia''s sides and the horse broke into an easy canter, smoothly navigating between the piles of Abrav''s crap, with grace.  As she was in full armor already, she looked quite imposing even to Gilean.  No doubt she would look quite terrifying to enemies on that horse with her battleaxe.

    Despite the uneasy brokerage they had carried out in the shop, Abrav looked quite pleased at how well Melia liked the horse he had chosen for her.  ¡°So!¡± he said suddenly, jolting Gilean out of his idle thoughts, ¡°I figured for a warrior like yourself¡± nodding to the broadsword strapped to Gilean''s back, ¡°A horse that was balanced both in speed and endurance would be ideal for any quick maneuvers you might pull off.

    Inwardly Gilean sighed for the scene that was inevitably going to happen next, though he kept it off his face as Abrav continued his introduction with evident enthusiasm.  ¡°...For these reasons, I believe that Arbour will make a fine match with you.¡±

    ¡°...We''ll see.¡± said Gilean skeptically.  Abrav seemed to take Gilean''s tone as a challenge than with offence for his eyes lit up with an inner fire.

    ¡°Oh ho! Like your friend found out, my horses are one of a kind!¡± bragged the proud trader.

    ¡°Unfortunately Abrav,¡± said Gilean as he stretched out a hand towards the sleek white horse, ¡°So am I.¡± Arbour immediately started to whinny loudly and shied away from Gilean''s outstretched hand.  The horse took several quick steps back, it''s nostrils flared and eyes dilated with fear as it stared at Gilean.

    ¡°Arbour! Calm down boy! Whoa there! Whoa!¡± cried Abrav, grabbing on to it''s reins trying to calm it down and lead it back over to Gilean.  This only agitated Arbour even further as it fought fiercely against Abrav, struggling for every inch it moved closer to Gilean.

    ¡°Animals don''t really like me.¡± stated Gilean unnecessarily.

    ¡°You-Arbour calm down!-don''t say!¡± shouted Abrav now giving up on trying to move Arbour towards Gilean and instead leading him back to the stable.  Upon seeing that it''s master was no longer trying to lead him towards Gilean, the horse quickly succumbed to Abrav''s hold on his reigns and allowed himself to be lead peacefully back to his stable.  Though the horse kept on looking at Gilean with nervous eyes every few steps it took.

    Abrav came back over to Gilean red-faced and puffing a little bit from exertion.  At this point, Melia had gotten off Gaia and led her by hand over to the door, looking at the scene with a sad understanding.  ¡°Maybe the other horses might be more...amicable?¡± suggested Melia who looked at Gilean who then looked at Abrav.

    The trader considered it for a moment and then grudgingly said, ¡°It''s worth a try considering you did pay for two horses (and I''ll be damned if I''m giving a refund).¡±  He turned once more to the stables, stopped and said, ¡°On second thought, let''s keep them in the stables.  Just walk near them and see how they do.¡±

    As both Gilean and Melia expected, each of the horse''s reacted in a similar way to, and in one horse''s case even more violent to Gilean''s close presence.  What was previously a quiet building, became noisy with the sounds of the horse''s cries and fearful panting.  Not that he''d ever admit it, Gilean preferred the noisy environment to the previously silent one.  With every horse, Abrav got more and more annoyed, as if the horse''s rejection of Gilean was an insult to their supposed superior breeding.  Finally after the eight horse, Abrav slid down to the ground shaking his head with a dejected expression.

    ¡°Unbelievable.  Just what kind of intimidation does a man need to have to be so universally feared...¡± muttered Abrav

    ¡°Uh...well I feel a little bit silly for even saying this.  But there''s still one more horse that we could try.¡± mentioned Gilean.

    ¡°What?...We tried all of them...¡± Abrav''s voice trailed off as he followed Gilean''s gaze.  ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You do remember what I said about her, right?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°So if she doesn''t react, it''s because she''s stupid.¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡± agreed Gilean.

    ¡°Definitely.¡± corrected Abrav

    ¡°It''s either this or run to Lestvaughn.¡± reminded Gilean.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± waving Gilean to go try his luck, not bothering to get up from his sitting position.  Gilean glanced at Melia who shrugged, Give it a shot, she mouthed.  Sighing (how many times had he sighed today?) Gilean trudged over to Willicker''s stable.  Unlike the other horses who were pressed against the back of their stables, Willicker stood docile, gazing at Gilean with her dark eyes.  Willicker looked as if she was carved out of a piece of the night sky devoid of any stars, though her coat gleamed as a result of excellent grooming.  No matter how he thought of her, Abrav still seemed to take extraordinary care of her.

    Instead of stretching out a hand, Gilean simply walked to the front Willicker''s stable and stood in front of her.  She didn''t react.  A good sign he thought, no matter what underlying brain damage the horse might have.  Despite his presumptions, or at least Abrav''s, Gilean stared at the horse and matched her gaze.  There was a surprising spark of intelligence in her dark eyes, a glint of mischief that he sometimes saw in Melia''s (who said what was always present in Gilean''s eyes) that dared him to move closer.  Emboldened, Gilean stretched out his hand as he opened Willicker''s stable.  The mare''s eyes sparkled as it did a quick back-step moving just out of reach of Gilean''s hand with surprising nimbleness.

    ¡°Guess it''s a no-go with the idiot either.¡± said Abrav glumly.

    ¡°No...¡± began Gilean, moving a hand towards Willicker quicker this time.  The horse whinnied with what seemed like amusement, dancing backwards on its hooves.  ¡°I think she''s a winner.¡± laughed Gilean.  Now fully immersed in her game, Gilean sprang forward still with one hand extended and Willicker elegantly moved her head out of the way.  The two had both agreed to an unspoken set of rules as they moved through the odd game of tag.  Willicker was definitely not an idiot, she was smart enough not to get trapped in a corner and dextrous enough to slip past Gilean''s fingers while making it seem like he was just about to catch her.

    Gilean unconsciously slipped into one of the old sword forms Mother Meera had taught him and readied himself to pivot on his foot as he tried to catch the horse.  She moved to one side and he pivoted, hand still moving but now en route to Willicker''s head.  Seeing that she was going to get tagged she surprised Gilean by surging forward like a black wave, sleek muscle rushing past his gaze.  But Gilean still retained the momentum from his pivot and turned into a full turn, pushing off the back foot and jumping forward as Willicker moved forward.  His hand stretched out and touched the back of Willicker''s head.

    Laughing, Gilean stroked Willicker''s mane the same way Melia had petted Gaia, ¡°I think we can call this one my win.¡± whispered Gilean as Willicker nuzzled his face affectionately.  He might have felt foolish for talking to a horse this way, but she turned her long face up so he was staring directly into his eyes.  She almost seemed to be saying that she went easy on him.

    ¡°Willicker...what the hell?¡± mumbled Abrav, gaping with shock at the black horse.  The horse seemed to neigh with disapproval, wrinkling its nose with distaste.

    ¡°Willicker isn''t such a good name is it?¡± asked Gilean.  He wasn''t surprised when the horse shook it''s head.  Gilean searched through the limited repository of names in his head and settled on one that he thought fit the mare pretty well.  ¡°Neyla...how about that?¡±  The delighted whinny and continued nuzzling seemed to indicate her approval fairly well.

    Melia laughed and clapped a hand on Abrav''s shoulder, ¡°Smart horse.¡±

    <hr />

    The Elven Language

    ?eoilia au amanthorium, Gilean-ava: Brightest of mornings, Brother Gilean.

    ?ul eta ?eoilia au amanthorium kal aven ma, Samantha-ala: And the brightest of mornings to you (kal) as (aven) ma (well), Sister Samantha.

    [p=center]Previous Chapter</a>[/p][p=center]Next Chapter</a>[/p]

 Chapter 5

    Bit of a short chapter this time.  That''s mainly because I''m building up to the next 2 or 3 chapters which will take place in the past and the chapters that I''ve been looking forward to writing the most.  Although I''m most likely going to put out another "Remember Me Fondly" chapter before I work on Chapters 6, 7 and 8.  But until then, I hope you guys and girls enjoy this one:

    [p=center]<h2>Chapter 5 ¨C A Reason For The Name</h2>[/p]

    By the time Melia and Gilean had finished purchasing their horses, Semphil had been waiting by the great oak outside of the village.  D''jjro''s saddlebags were packed full with Semphil''s purchases, although the man in question had several small leather pouches resting against the tree.  A brush was in Semphil''s hand as he ran it in smooth, tender motions down Djjro''s body who for his part, was shivering in evident pleasure.  It was a rather uncomfortable scene, so Gilean and Melia  had been making as much noise as possible as they cantered over to him.

    Semphil looked up and waved in greeting to them, though he continued to brush D''jjro''s coat unabated.  ¡°That was fast.¡± he moved to D''jjro''s other side and continued brushing his coat, ¡°Thought I would have a bit more time before you got here.¡±

    Melia frowned, ¡°I thought we were rather slow actually.¡±

    ¡°Purchasing quality horses usually takes a long time.¡± giving an appreciative nod towards Gaia and Neyla.  D''jjro whinnied in protest, but was quickly placated by a quick scratch behind the ears by Semphil.

    Gilean wrinkled his nose, ¡°Where are Samantha and Damien? Aren''t those their bags?¡± pointing to the pouches propped against the tree.

    Semphil gave him a curious look before answering him, ¡°They''re in the forest.  Said they''d be back in a few minutes.¡± Semphil gave a few more strokes of the brush before returning it to his saddlebags.  D''jjro looked visibly disappointed.  ¡°But since you two are here now, we can just go to them.¡±

    ¡°Why not just wait for them to come back?¡± asked Melia, although she seemed to know this was a pointless question.

    ¡°They''ve been in there for a little over a half-hour now.¡± said Semphil grimly.

    Gilean and Melia wordlessly divided the purchases of the day among all three horses evenly in a quick and efficient manner.  Semphil nodded with approval and swung onto D''jjro''s saddle, easing him into a smooth canter towards the forest.

    The trio reached the far-off looking forest rather quickly, although Gilean supposed that was only normal when mounted.  Semphil was in the lead, while Melia and Gilean brought up the rear.  Both Melia and Gilean surreptitiously loosened the weapons in their holdings as they neared the darkened space of the forest proper.  It never hurt to be too careful.  Semphil checked his pace and settled D''jjro into a trot as they passed through the thicket of trees.

    The forest looked quiet on the surface, but Gilean''s other senses told him that it was thrumming with life.  Branches overhead would shake slightly as a squirrel darted from between the trees, small nurbles darted into the safety of bushes when the horses passed through and occasionally there would be the quiet chirping of weather-tail birds.  Every few paces, D''jjro would place his snout near the ground and start sniffing, much like a hunting dog would.  Gilean was impressed that the horse was able to follow a trail so accurately.  But more than that, he was confused as to the trail they were following: He was sure it was Samantha and Damien''s trail, but it was a meandering one that seemed to be entirely random.  There was another point of concern.

    ¡°Semphil.¡± said Gilean and the party stopped moving, ¡°Those tracks.¡± pointing to a large indentation in the forest bed, ¡°Do you recognize those?¡±

    He frowned and shook his head, ¡°Not any beast I would recognize.  I''m not even sure there''s something that large in this area.¡± His gaze wandered over a set of three large claw marks that were gouged into a very thick-looking tree.  Several other trees bore similar markings to it.

    ¡°Could be their friend that Samantha was talking about earlier.¡± suggested Melia, although the tracks seemed familiar to her, but she couldn''t place where she had seen them before.

    ¡°Maybe.¡± pondered Semphil.  He came to a decision, ¡°Just in case it isn''t.  Weapons free.¡± Gilean''s sword and Melia''s axe popped out of their respective baldrics as Semphil soundlessly slid his sword out of his sheath.  ¡°Keep a loose formation and make a scouting net.  I''ll take point¡±

    The three quickly organized themselves into an arrowhead formation with Semphil taking the lead.  Gilean and Melia trusted Neyla and Gaia to follow D''jjro''s lead as they scanned their surroundings.  They moved in silence for several minutes, eyes tirelessly scanning their surroundings with an incredible vigilance.  There was a change in the atmosphere that was so minute that Gilean almost missed it.  There was a sudden absence of animal sounds near his side.

    ¡°Left!¡± shouted Gilean, twisting Neyla''s reins and clapping his heels to her sides urging her to move.

    He was just in time as a silver blur whooshed past Neyla, a glint of it''s claws caught in the scant sunlight that streamed in through the treeline.  The beast roared in fury as it missed its quarry and was now caught in the middle between Melia, Semphil and Gilean.  Melia''s eyes widened at the beast and she breathed out, ¡°Night Stalker...¡±

    The Night Stalker was a massive beast with a size that was a little bigger than D''jjro and nearly double his width; its powerful four limbs were wreathed in knotted muscles, obsidian colored claws extending from its large paws dug into the ground.  It was covered in pure silver fur, it''s body rumbling as the beast growled fiercely at them.  Pure white eyes blindly stared back at Gilean that lacked even a pupil, fangs were bared with two larger fangs that looked more like tusks dripped with saliva.  Every slight movement that anyone made, the beast whipped its head around in the direction of the sound.  Blood-lust poured out from the beast in such thick waves that Gilean was shocked that he didn''t notice it before it had gotten so close.

    But this kind of situation was a familiar one for the two of them; Gilean and Melia looked at each other and nodded once.  Gilean pursed his lips and whistled in short and random bursts, overlapping with the whistling Melia was also making.  The torrent of noise confused the beast, though its growling did not diminish in intensity, it waved its head warily to each side trying to discern the exact location of the noise.  Semphil moved in for the kill, his sword raised high when a cry rang out, ¡°Artok, stop!¡±

    Were it not for the fact that Gilean recognized the voice, either he or Melia would have gone in for the kill using the momentary confusion.  Still, they kept their weapons at the ready, warily watching the Night Stalker.  Samantha emerged breathlessly out of a small copse of trees just behind Semphil with Damien following not too far behind.  The Night Stalker had immediately stopped growling and was making a noise that sounded remarkably like it was...purring?

    Simply by Samantha''s presence, this savage beast had turned from a dangerous foe into an overly large kitten as it practically bounced it''s way over to Samantha with a wagging tail.  It showed a complete disregard for the three armed warriors surrounding it that bordered the level of pure contempt.  With a knee on the ground and her arms around the Night Stalker, Samantha gave them a guilty smile, ¡°I see you met our friend.¡±

    <hr />

    ¡°...So you had found Artok in the middle of a meal and waited for him to finish.  Then all of a sudden he ran off looking like he heard something and got away from you.¡± summed up Semphil.

    Despite the odd situation and the pressing need for an explanation, Semphil insisted that they table the conversation for later.  They were supposed to be on a schedule after all.  So after receiving several assurances from both Samantha and Damien that Artok would be no threat to them, they had begun the first leg of their journey.  Gilean was concerned about the wisdom of traveling along the public roads with an animal as intimidating as Artok.

    But continuing to travel through the forest would delay their journey greatly and so the road was the only option.  Still, Semphil insisted that he scout ahead first to make sure that when they first came out of the forest, there were no people around to see a well-armed party emerging from the dark expanse of the trees.

    From there, their traveling speed had increased tremendously once they were on the well-maintained highways of Synarth.  Contrary to his expectations, the travellers they had passed by on the roads did not react with as much fear as he thought they would.  Perhaps the combination of a beautiful elvalya on a fierce predator like Artok was somehow exotic to them or perhaps it was that they had seen far stranger sights.

    Gilean wasn''t sure how many of them even noticed that Damien was riding Artok as well, just behind Samantha.  Indeed, they seemed more concerned by Melia than anything, which annoyed Gilean a great deal.  Not that he showed it.

    As the first day of at least a two week journey, they did not ride too hard, but maintained enough speed to at least set the overall pace of the future journey.  And despite whatever questions they had, Melia and Gilean deferred to Semphil''s judgement on the matter and agreed to save it for later.

    Later happened to be when they were setting up their camp for the night, the sun having set quite a while ago and a fire that had been set up after a quick spell from Damien.  Hung over the fire was a tough clay pot out of Gilean and Melia''s travel gear currently holding a simmering stew of the wild game they had caught and herbs from their supplies.

    Occasionally, Gilean would stir the pot a few times, releasing the delicious smell of cooked meat into the air.  Samantha had an arm slung over Artok''s neck, both as a source of comfort and also to prevent him from devouring the stew.

    ¡°That''s right.¡± answered Samantha, ¡°He must have sensed you three following us and gone after you, only...¡±

    ¡°Only?¡± repeated Semphil, gesturing for her to continue.

    Samantha made a difficult face as if she were mulling over a theory rather than a proper answer, ¡°Normally Artok would either warn Damien or myself that someone was following us.  But he took off without saying anything!¡± frowning at Artok who chose that moment to start licking her face.  Samantha spluttered and pushed Artok away, wiping her face hurriedly.

    Melia couldn''t help but let out a small snort.  Samantha glared at her reproachfully as she continued to clean off her face.  ¡°Do you have any idea why he did that?¡± asked Semphil, ignoring the interruption, or perhaps he was forestalling a new one.  Gilean wasn''t too sure.

    Samantha shook her head, ¡°No.  I have no idea why he took off like that...More than that, I really need to apologize to you three!¡± she was bowing her head regretfully.

    ¡°We''re sorry, we should have explained more to you guys!¡± added in Damien, also bowing his head.

    ¡°Yes.  You should have.¡± reproached Semphil.  The two who were practically prostrating themselves flinched at his cold tone.  Artok raised his great head and growled menacingly at Semphil.  ¡°However...it was also my mistake to go into the forest after you had said you would return.¡± said Semphil gravely, ¡°And for that I wish to offer my sincerest apologies as well.¡±

    Gilean and Melia were suitably taken aback.  Semphil had essentially placed all of the blame on himself for choosing to go after Damien and Samantha, when neither of them had raised an objection.  Because they didn''t want to disrupt the flow, Gilean and Melia both apologized as well.  It was a solemn moment, one that strengthened the trust between everyone in the party.

    Of course it was at that point in time, that a very loud and drawn-out stomach growl pierced the environment.  Damien slapped a hand to his stomach immediately in a vain attempt to suppress the sound, a blush rising in his cheeks.

    ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Pft-Really, can you not spoil this moment.¡± ¡°Haha!¡± even Samantha who was try to chasten Damien couldn''t help but snicker.  After a moment, the culprit himself started laughing with everyone else.  The mood immediately became more cheerful as the tense atmosphere was dissipated almost instantly.

    An amicable air settled around as Damien eagerly handed out bowls to everyone and reached for the pot, before stopping with one hand frozen.  He looked cautiously towards everyone else and after seeing their bemused smirks, continued his movement and shamelessly filled his bowl to the brim.  Samantha gave a tired look at what was clearly a familiar scene, but it was still fresh for the rest of them and nearly sent them into another spiel of laughter.

    Gilean had already fed Neyla, but he couldn''t resist giving her a sample when she gently bumped her head against his.  Samantha who was watching this heartwarming scene asked, ¡°What''s her name?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± mumbled Gilean, absently scratching behind Neyla''s ears; the warm meal had already begun to get him drowsy.

    ¡°Your horse.¡± repeated Samantha, ¡°Does she have a name?¡± laughing a bit at her own enquiry.

    Understanding filled his eyes, ¡°Ah, well I thought Neyla was a pretty good fit for her.¡±

    ¡°Neyla...huh? Is fearlessness really appropriate for a horse though?  Unless you''re taking the literal meaning of the name.¡± said Samantha doubtfully.  For her part, Neyla looked indignant and snorted angrily through her nostrils, not even flinching when Artok started to growl at her.

    ¡°Point for Neyla, I think.¡± laughed Damien.  ¡°I guess I shouldn''t be surprised, given the long memories of Elves, but that''s still a rather old and obscure story.¡±

    ¡°Well that explains why I haven''t heard about it before.¡± said Melia, ¡°Do you, Semphil?¡±

    Semphil shook his head, ¡°I''m afraid not, though I thought I was well-versed on human literature.¡±

    ¡°Well that''s because Neyla wasn''t a human, she was an elf.¡± explained Damien with shining eyes.

    ¡°A fan of books then?¡± asked Semphil with an easy smile.

    ¡°Definitely! Fiction or Non-fiction, they all offer something different; something unique, even if they''re talking about the same thing! In fact Neyla''s story was a rather interesting one in that much of her tale was historical fact!¡± enthused Damien.

    ¡°Well since we''re all sitting around a campfire already, a story would be good, especially since I haven''t heard it before either.¡± said Melia, leaning back comfortably onto a bedroll and looking at Damien expectantly.

    ¡°It''s a bit of a long tale though.¡± he said almost regretfully, though he seemed more worried at the prospect at not telling the story rather than the length of it.

    ¡°You''ve piqued our interest now¡± began Semphil, ¡°And you''re going to have to satisfy our curiosity before any of us gets any sleep.¡±  Dry chuckles came from all sides of the camp, everyone was apparently of the same mind as Semphil.

    A wide grin on his face, Damien straightened up on the log he was sitting on and cleared his throat a few times.  Ahem, Ahem.  ¡°It was in the early years of the Age of Strife, more than six hundred years ago to date, that racial tensions were at their highest.  Some may say that relations between the different peoples of Eberron are quite bad now, but this is not so.  The occasional skirmish, while by no means a minor thing, is the very worst outcome we see today in failed dialogues.  Back then, wars and genocides were a matter of course; an almost annual event that cast the world in shadow.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it was also because it was a time of isolation, for very few people traveled between the different continents.  This was partly due to civil strife in each continent combined with a lack of interest in naval expansion due to the dangers the Singing Sea presented in those days.  Still, I digress: Our story begins on the continent of Alfheim in a small elven village known as Dylere''el located in the Tranquility region, though it was known by the more charming name ''Bloody Plains'' in those days.¡±

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Tranquility is the location of The Shyear though, isn''t it?¡± asked Semphil curiously, ¡°Is that not mostly a settlement for halflings?¡±

    ¡°There are a few human villages here and there, but yes; mostly halflings live in that region.  Virtually no elves are there, despite the abundant forests they have there.  The reason being has to do a great deal with Neyla''s story, although the short answer is that the elves were ashamed about their actions all those years ago.  Sometimes a long memory can be a curse.¡± explained Damien, adding the last part as an afterthought, though his eyes took on a melancholic look.

    ¡°Shamed enough that they probably wouldn''t write a lot about what happened?¡± guessed Melia.

    Damien smiled mysteriously, his eyes glittering with amusement, ¡°They would deny any such accounts though.¡± looking at Gilean when he said this.

    ¡°It''s not like it was a particularly taboo subject.¡± said Gilean, answering the unspoken question.

    ¡°Oh yeah! You were from Alfheim originally weren''t you?¡± asked Samantha.

    ¡°...I was.¡± he answered tersely.

    ¡°Aren''t both of you from Stevrak?¡± asked Melia who, sensing Gilean''s discomfort, tried to change the subject.  Though she did seem to be genuinely curious about something.  ¡°Or is this something that all elves know?¡±

    Samantha awkwardly scratched her head and said rather sheepishly, ¡°Wellll....I only know this because of Damien.  Before he told me the story, I had never even heard about this.¡± her expression saddened for a bit, ¡°It was a shame when I found out too.  I mean it''s not like it wasn''t a nice piece of history, I was definitely not happy about the actions my people took, but it was more about the fact that they continued to hide it.  Even until this day.¡±

    ¡°Well let''s not keep it a secret for too much longer.  Let''s keep going with the story!¡± said Melia excitedly.  Semphil leaned forward  and looked expectantly at Damien and everyone''s eyes fell upon the young storyteller.

    Grinning at his attentive audience, Damien cleared his throat a few times before continuing with his tale.  ¡°Blood Plains was a truly apt name, for the ground had been soaked with the blood of fallen humans and elves over countless battles; the dominant races in that region who each warred with each other for control.  Though it was not for an understandable reason of simply wanting more land for growing food or raising settlements, though I''m sure that would have been a part of it.  No a great deal behind this fighting, and most likely all of the similar fights, was a pure and unbridled hatred of the unknown.  Even today, half-elves are viewed as something shameful.  Why? Because some of that lingering resentment between our two races still persists even to this day.  That is why some view the Cataclysm as a divine event; one that served to unite the races together in one cause.¡±

    Samantha gently nudged Damien in the side and mouthed, ''Stay on topic'', though it was with a smile.  Damien blushed and seemed to visibly struggle with returning to the original story, ¡°Neyla was a young elf living in the village of Dylere''el, who had long since grown weary of these endless battles between her people and the humans.  And even though she hated the humans for killing her mother, the grief and heartbreak she felt far outstripped that and she begged her father, who was the village chief, to stop all of this fighting.  But these pleas were ignored by everyone in her village.¡±

    ¡°It came to pass one day, after a particularly fierce skirmish with the humans outside of their lands, that Neyla had made a remarkable discovery.  There, somehow inside the forest where guards kept strict watch over for signs of any intruders, was a young human boy by the name of Mathias.¡±

    ¡°Mathias...Veliance?¡± said Semphil incredulously.

    ¡°The one and only.¡± nodded Damien gravely, ¡°A mere 14 years of age in our story, but it was only two years later that he would become King Mathias Veliance; the human who helped broker a peace treaty with elves and many other races in Tranquility.¡±

    ¡°As you might have already guessed, this part of the tale is a largely unwritten and unknown history to many people.¡± chuckled Damien, ¡°There resting against a tree, was a young man, more of a boy really, who was badly wounded.  Around him lay the corpses of two elves; their killer could not have been more obvious.  The boy had passed out from his wounds, his sword lay far away from him and not a weapon could be seen on his person.  Neyla knew that this was just a boy.  But he was also a human.  The same humans that had killed her mother and slaughtered so many of her friends.  So she picked up the boy''s sword and made her way to the sleeping Mathias with trembling steps.¡±

    ¡°His eyes opened, just before she had reached him.  Still, he had no weapon.  He was wounded.  It would be easy to kill him.  Neyla knew it and so did Mathias.  Perhaps that is why he did not cry out, he simply looked at Neyla as she looked at him.  She hefted the sword and the boy closed his eyes as he awaited his end.  Yet the killing blow never came.  His eyes opened and all he saw was a young elf girl, crying with eyes filled with anger and grief.  She screamed at him, hoping for him to make the first move.  To give her a reason to kill him.  Mathias said nothing, perhaps knowing that though the girl in front him was one of those hated elves, she was not his enemy.¡±

    ¡°The poison that was in her heart had been vented out and all that filled Neyla was that same hollow feeling she had over the endless fighting.  Tossing away the sword, she began to treat Mathias'' wounds.  It took two days of nursing for Mathias to recover some of his strength back, though in that entire time, not a single word passed between the two.¡±

    ¡°Well, they probably couldn''t understand each other, right?¡± said Melia, leaning back on her hands as she stretched her back.

    ¡°Quite the opposite actually: Both the elves and humans were firm believers of the phrase ''Know your enemy'', and so had taken great pains to study each other''s language.  It is possible that Neyla had only a rudimentary understanding of the human language, but Mathias, who was a nobleman''s son, would''ve possessed an excellent grasp of Elvish.¡±

    ¡°They didn''t speak at all though?¡± asked Melia, ¡°Why?¡±

    Semphil answered Melia before Damien could in a sombre tone, ¡°Because there had been too much hurt on both sides.  They were both very young and probably neither one of them knew what to say to the other.¡±

    ¡°Well put.¡± acknowledged Damien, tipping an imaginary hat towards Semphil.  The dark-skinned warrior gave a quick smile in return.  ¡°They were both playing a dangerous game, discovery could mean death for both of them.  No matter how young she was, Neyla made her own decision to betray her people.  Alas, it all soon came to an end on the third day, when Mathias had recovered enough of his strength to leave the forest, that they were discovered.¡±

    ¡°Unbeknownst to the two, they were being tracked by a separate detachment of elven scouts, whose previous group had gone missing some two days hence trying to capture a high ranking officer of the enemy.  By pure happenstance, Neyla discovered that they were being followed, and so she helped Mathias to escape the forest.  These were well-trained scouts however, who knew their quarry was on the move and they pursued him with a cold efficiency.  And who should be leading this group but Neyla''s own father?  He had thought that the human had somehow tricked Neyla into helping him.  Unable to make a decision, he apprehended both of them to be brought back to the village.¡±

    ¡°It was soon made clear what Neyla''s real intentions were when she helped Mathias escape that night.  The two were quickly captured again and brought before the village.  Neyla''s father''s wrath was terrible.  His own flesh and blood helping a human? The same race that had killed his wife? Unthinkable.  Unforgivable.  Again and again he beat Neyla, as many times as he could.  As hard as he could.  So great was his fury that he persisted far beyond what would be a normal punishment.  Indeed, already many of the surrounding elves were running up to disentangle the two before the worst outcome occurred.  But one person moved faster than they could act.  The brutality of it was too much for Mathias to bear as he broke free of his bindings and managed to intervene.  Unfortunately; Mathias was too late.¡±

    ¡°As he held the small girl''s body in disbelief, he realized again just how small she was.  Realization swiftly hit the elves, but none hit so hard as it did with Neyla''s father.  He looked on in horror at what he''d done to his own daughter, his killing rage had evaporated just as quickly as it had come.  His shock redoubling when he saw who cradled her so tenderly was not him, as it should have been.  Nor was it any of his fellow kin.  It was a small human boy.  The same one he had chased down, whom he had crossed blades with and who he had been about to kill.

    ¡°Mathias was no priest, or for that matter, any kind of healer.  It might have been that moment that he realized just how powerless he was.  As the other elves began to recover from their shock, they saw Mathias prostrate himself, begging them in their own tongue to save the girl who had saved him.  Neyla''s father stood motionless as elves swarmed around him, gently extricating Neyla from Mathias'' own tender hold.  Their priests muttered their spells to resurrect the girl, druids rushing to seal any obvious wounds they could see, anything that might''ve helped; they tried.  They tried so many times.¡±

    ¡°Magic is a tricky thing.  I consider myself to be pretty good with the Elemental School and fairly knowledgeable about the other five schools.  The magic that priests deal with belongs to the Spirit School; though they would get quite angry at me and say that their Gods weren''t spirits.  But the Spirit School is about so much more than practicing spells and focusing on one''s mana flow.  Especially in the case of the Gods.  Mana is used to send a prayer and build a connection between the priest and the deity.  These prayers don''t go unnoticed, but they can be unanswered.  As it was in the case of Neyla.  No matter how long they prayed or how loudly they begged when their mana had been exhausted; Neyla stayed unmoving and grew colder and colder.¡±

    ¡°At the end of the day, Neyla was buried in a modest grave, her funeral all the more significant as a peace treaty that had been signed between Mathias and the chief of Neyla''s village.  One that played a very large role in ending the conflicts of the Blood Plains, for once the other warring elves and humans saw this splinter group warring together, were proper dialogues carried out at one table.  For the elves, their spokesperson was the elf Elia who went around to the other villages, urging her fellow elves to participate in an open dialogue.  For the humans, none were more outspoken than the young man Mathias; who was able to win over enough people over to his side.  There were quite a few dissenters, but more that ultimately favored peace.  A tenuous, strained peace; but peace nonetheless.¡±

    After a few moments, Melia piped up (almost indignantly), ¡°That''s it? What about Neyla? It seems like she played a pretty damn big role in this!¡± It almost seemed like she was accusing Damien of falsehood.

    ¡°I find that quite strange as well.  Why did they not honor Neyla as she so rightly deserved?¡± chimed in Semphil.

    ¡°Mathias wanted it to be known.  The Elves did not however.¡± said Gilean, who had listened to the story quietly so far.  He was surprised at how much Damien knew about it.  Perhaps Mathias did leave some mention of Neyla after all he mused.  He could see some confusion in Melia and Semphil''s eyes, though they appeared to have some inkling of what he meant.  ¡°We''re a proud race, you know?¡± scoffed Gilean, almost mockingly.  ¡°Children are extremely precious to the Elves, mainly because we''re not a very fertile race to begin with.  So, to have a peace fostered on the death of an elven child, and at the hands of her own parent of all things, would have been too great a shame to bear.¡±

    ¡°...Quite the cowardly thing to do.¡± commented Semphil.

    ¡°...Yup.¡± agreed Gilean.

    ¡°Despite his own personal objections, Mathias honored the wishes of the Elves, hoping to avoid any further conflict with them.¡± continued Damien, ¡°But-¡± he paused with a small smile, ¡°His knowledge of Elvish came in handy again as he honored Neyla''s memory in his own way two years after he had been crowned king, he elected to change the name of the region.¡±

    Samantha took over the explanation for the benefit of Semphil and Melia: ¡°In Elvish, Neyla means ''Tranquil Flower''.¡±

    Neyla''s namesake took that cue as an opportunity to whinny in pride, eliciting a chuckle from Gilean who gave her a quick scratch underneath her chin.  ¡°You told it well.¡±  Damien looked up from the fire that was still crackling merrily in the middle of their campsite, ¡°The story, I mean.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± he scratched his cheek uncertainly with one finger, ¡°Sorry if I kept getting off topic.¡±

    ¡°Even when you did, you did so in a very informative and thoughtful manner.  Thank you for telling it.¡± praised Semphil sincerely.

    ¡°Mmh! Definitely a good story!¡± exclaimed Melia.  She lightly punched Gilean''s shoulder, ¡°Why can''t you tell stories like that?¡± chided Melia.

    ¡°You never asked.¡± drawled Gilean.

    They all laughed, which helped to dispel the somewhat macabre mood the story had brought on.  ¡°It''s getting late though.  I''ll take first watch if no one has any objections.¡± declared Semphil.  No one raised any objections.  ¡°Samantha.  Gilean.¡± said Semphil, suddenly addressing them both, ¡°I know elves can Trance, but I''d still feel more comfortable setting up an official watch.  I hope that you can pardon an old man''s worries.¡± laughed Semphil.

    ¡°Of course we understand.  Trancing isn''t infallible after all.¡± confessed Samantha with a somewhat embarrassed smile.  So the schedule was made with Samantha taking the second watch, Damien the third, Melia the fourth and Gilean rounding off the night.  He thanked Melia wordlessly for the extra bit of sleep he''d get, though he knew in his heart he''d probably wouldn''t get a very good one.  Despite these doubts he laid down on his bedroll next to Melia''s (Neyla was on his other side) and quickly succumbed to his fatigue.

    <hr />

    Some Basic Geography

    The main setting in this book is in the world of Eberron.  A familiar name to be sure, though I took the artistic liberty of making my own continents (well, except for Neverwinter).

    Just to give you guys a basic idea, I''ll outline the 5 major continents of Eberron:

    1. Stevrak

    2. Bravn

    3. Ryzel

    4. Neverwinter

    5. Alfheim

    As of the present chapters, Gilean and his party are on the continent of Bravn within the Synarth Kingdom.  Their current destination, the town of Auverdale, is located in the neighboring country of Lestaf

    <hr />

    Previous Chapter</a>  Next Chapter</a>

 Chapter 6 - Fenrir

    So despite my earlier promise, this is a pretty short chapter.  This perspective will be carried onto the next chapter, which I would''ve combined but then it might''ve been far too long otherwise.  Good news is that I got the next two chapters planned out and a portion of Chapter 8 written already (where we''ll be returning back to Child Gilean''s perspective)

    As for the nature of this chapter, I was REALLY tempted to call it "SPAAAAAACEEEEE", but I felt that might''ve detracted from the serious tone I wanted to (or at least attempt) portray in this.  A lot of new terminology that will only get partially explained in this chapter, but I promise there are good answers for (probably).  Content wise, I''d probably refer to this as "Mature", though I wouldn''t label it with "Sci-Fi".

    [p=center]<h2>Chapter 6 ¨C Fenrir</h2>[/p]

    Age of Ethos ¨C Year 2580

    The structure almost seemed insignificant in the vastness of the void. Officially it was known as a ''Jump Station'', but it was colloquially referred to by it''s creators as ''The Shard''. It''s size was made even more diminutive compared to the vibrantly colored gas giant that it orbited around. Yet it was one of the key pieces that spurred Demonic expansion. It looked almost quiescent from the outside, no trace of light could be seen to escape from it''s diamond-shaped exterior. On the inside, it''s inhabitants were constantly moving to and fro as they prepared to receive a guest from another sector.

    The demons that manned the controls of the shard and prepared to launch the magical array carried with them an air of nervousness. The reason was clear: The ship that was entering the system hailed from the Vakerion system; a collection of stars that belonged in the Asmodeus sector. Moreover, based on the communications with the ship captain, it''s passenger was someone of a very high rank. Displeasing him in any way would mean that their lives were forfeit.

    The Shard came alive as the large scale transport magic was activated on both ends. Mana consumption was within normal limits, though it was still quite a taxing process, even with the batteries they had on board. There was a brief flash and the previously dormant structure came alive in the depths of space with a bright blue glow that surrounded it''s exterior. A large panel near the bottom of the Shard slid open, releasing a soft golden glow into the darkness.

    Within the opening that had suddenly appeared on the Shard was a fairly large room with people bustling around the sides. A faint glimmer at the opening indicated the presence of a shield at work that prevented the vacuum of space from taking effect. The back of the room showed stairs and a metal door with a wheel for a handle. The center seemed to be the main purpose of the room however: Bearing several raised platforms with intricate series of tall metallic rings that looped through each other on each dais. On one such platform, resting on a point where the rings intersected each other, was a vessel.

    The sleek ship bore a blood-red hull with four large wings that fanned out from it''s sides and angled backwards. Eight large thrusters dotted the back of the ship, though they were currently inactive. It was neither too large nor too small. Efficient and utilitarian, as would befit a vessel of Asmodeus'' followers, who were just as military oriented as their ship would indicate.

    In the bridge of the ship, overlooking the crew members who were busily preparing to take off was a slender figure. He, for it was most certainly a male, watched the hustle and bustle with sharp, bestial eyes. Silvery fur could be seen coating his partially exposed chest and ran up the sides of his neck to end in smooth light-colored skin. His hands were grasped around the railing in front of him, the claws that extended from each digit lightly scratched his palms. Much like the rest of the crew members, he was in a standard (and uncomfortable looking) uniform. The only addition he had was a long silky black cloak that stopped just short of the floor. And even though there were no stripes or medals or anything to indicate his position among the ship, it was quite clear from Fenrir''s bearing that he was in command.

    It could also be said that his appearance was particularly unique in that many of the bridge members all resembled each other. Except for the one demon in the pilot seat who had onyx-black shimmering skin with eyes that were just as dark; all of the bridge members were either succubi or incubi.

    ¡°Nebulon cores online.¡± announced one technician. The characteristic thrum noise reverberated throughout the ship as the nebulon began to draw in elements.

    ¡°Thunder cores drawing in at 80%. Gravity core drawing in at 6.3%. Wind core currently drawing in at 30%¡± said another technician.

    The technical officer pressed a few more keys on the illuminated panel in front of her. ¡°Thrusters engaged.¡± she reported.

    ¡°ETA to Elmyn?¡± asked Fenrir.

    ¡°Forty five minutes at top speed, my lord.¡± announced Rosier at the helm.

    ¡°Make sure to stop well before the moon base and hail them. I don''t want to give our allies an excuse to blow us out of the sky.¡± ordered Fenrir.

    ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± cried the deck members in unison. They did not salute however and remained focused on their individual tasks, though Fenrir approved as such actions were wasteful and wholly unnecessary. Still...forty five minutes meant he had a little bit of time to relax. For a little while at least.

    Fenrir made his way from the bridge to the upper deck where his quarters were, passing numerous crew members who gave him respectful bows if they weren''t doing work at the moment. As he clambered up the stairs, Fenrir began modifying his eyes, adjusting the way beams of radiation entered them. His vision flickered and the colors of his surroundings brightened, as some colors such as red faded out entirely. Now then...let''s see how my toys are doing, shall we?

    The doors to his quarters silently slid open when he stood in front of them and closed just as quietly when he passed it''s threshold. Two of the people who were inside the room looked up despondently as he entered. The third had quite the opposite reaction.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡± cried out a voice in ecstasy, ¡°Hah-My lord, Fe-Fenrir. You''ve returned! I''ve missed you sooo much.¡± moaned Scarlet. She writhed on the floor in desperate need as her fingers scrabbled towards her nether regions. All the while gazing hungrily towards Fenrir. All three of the leyan girls were in the room were naked. Like all of the other members of their kind, these leyans were extraordinarily beautiful. The glossy scales that covered their bodies caught the light that hit them and reflected it back in such a way that they seemed to be glowing. Unlike many of his demonic brethren however, Fenrir did not care about their appearance.

    Inwardly he sighed. He had hoped Scarlet would''ve been able to last longer than the last one. She had displayed so much fire when he had first brought her. Resisting in whatever way she could every time he defiled her. Hm. The aphrodisiac might''ve been too strong.

    Fenrir extended a hand towards her that she latched onto with a fierce desperation, pressing it to her scaly cheek. ¡°Did you miss me, pet?¡± asked Fenrir in a warm voice.

    ¡°Yes...yes! Yes!¡± exclaimed Scarlet.

    ¡°Snap out of it, Scarlet!¡± scolded one of the girls on the bed. She tried to move closer towards her sister when the collar around her neck activated and sent a shock through her body.

    ¡°Gahhh!¡± she screamed, falling back onto the bedspread and whimpering in pain. Her other sister cried out to her sibling though remained where she was, fearful of triggering the activation of her own collar.

    Fenrir grinned. Despite the fact that they had no mouths, leyans still managed to produce the most delightful noises with their odd mental projection of sounds. Their ''voices'' created a curious echo effect that seemed to bounce off of the walls of his quarters. For her part, Scarlet payed no mind to the sufferings of her sisters and only continued to rub her body against Fenrir''s leg.

    ¡°Puh-Please, my lord. I need you.¡± groaned Scarlet. Fenrir stroked her head and crooned gently towards the girl, but he kept his gaze locked on her two sisters on the bed who were glaring at him. Leyan females had the inherent ability to mesmerize males of virtually any species with their eyes. Sometimes Fenrir liked to pretend that he had forgotten to modify his eyes and make it seem like he was under their control. Once he had even let them undo their own collars and try and make it off the ship before he ¡°regained control¡± and beat them savagely for their attempted escape. It was the little things in life that gave him pleasure, he thought fondly.

    He started to dig into Scarlet''s scalp, claws slipping past the scales and drawing blood which ran in several rivulets down her face. She only moaned happily at the touch, pain was always something he gave before he delivered pleasure. He smiled at the look of despair plaguing her sister''s faces.

    ¡°Scarlet...!¡± ¡°You fucking monster!¡±

    ¡°Monster?¡± repeated Fenrir innocently. ¡°Now that''s not a very nice thing to say, is it Scarlet?¡±

    Scarlet shook her head vigorously, ¡°Not nice at all! But it is correct, my lord!¡±

    ¡°True enough!¡± chuckled Fenrir, patting Scarlet''s cheek, ¡°Now why don''t you get in position.¡±. Scarlet giggled girlishly and quickly assumed her place on her hands and knees, shaking her lower body enticingly. He gave a firm slap to her backside, causing her to squeal in joy. ¡°But we shouldn''t have all the fun, should we?¡±

    Scarlet''s sisters paled at the underlying tone in his voice and started trembling.

    ¡°Can we make my sisters feel good too, my lord?¡± asked Scarlet excitedly.

    Fenrir''s mouth split open to reveal the rows of sharp fangs in a feral grin as he licked his lips in anticipation. ¡°Yes. Yes we can, my pet.¡±

    Fenrir walked over to his desk and pulled out a small metal case he kept within the drawer. The latch came free with a soft click to reveal the contents: Five small pink vials neatly arranged in a row were securely encased in a foam packing, next to a syringe. He considered one of the bottles he now held in his hand, and acting on an impulse, gathered fire elements to heat up the liquid inside. In a well-practiced manner, Fenrir filled the syringe with the contents of one of the bottles and snapped the case shut. Scarlet''s sisters had moved towards the back of the bed, trying in vain to put as much distance between him as they possibly could.

    But that would be rather boring if he did it this way. Fenrir stopped by Scarlet who looked up in confusion at him. ¡°Get up.¡± he ordered. She quickly complied and rose to her full height. ¡°I think your sisters would feel more at ease if you were the one to give them pleasure.¡± said Fenrir.

    Scarlet''s eyes widened in pleasure, ¡°Yes! I''d love to!¡± holding out her hands for the syringe. Fenrir looked at the two girls who looked on at the unfolding scene in horror. He never took his eyes off of them as he placed the syringe into Scarlet''s waiting hands. ¡°Go to them.¡± he whispered, taking off Scarlet''s collar as he did so.

    ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡± she said happily. There was no hesitation in her voice. She did not try to run for the door or attack Fenrir with fists or magic. Scarlet only heeded the orders of her master and was more than happy to carry them out.

    ¡°Scarlet, no!¡± ¡°Please wake up sister!¡± wailed her siblings.

    ¡°Lata. Maya. Don''t be afraid. It might hurt a little bit since you won''t absorb it like I normally do, but once you feel what I feel, you''ll always want lord Fenrir to grace you with it.¡± explained Scarlet sweetly. She stopped at the foot of the bed and cocked her head as she stared at the syringe and then looked towards Fenrir, ¡°Shall I give both of them half, my lord?¡±

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Hmm, perhaps we''ll start with your younger sister for today. We can try something later with Maya.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± screamed Lata. She jumped off of the bed and raced past a confused looking Scarlet towards the door. She never made it more than a few steps when Fenrir''s spell hit her and bound her in place.

    ¡°I''m glad to see you''re so eager to jump into my arms!¡± laughed Fenrir as thick tears pooled in Lata''s eyes and fell down her face. Scarlet made her way over to her younger sister and gently brushed away her tears.

    ¡°Shhh, I''ll make it all better now.¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Please...don''t! Scarlet, don''t do this!¡± begged Lata, struggling to free herself from Fenrir''s enchantment. He was pleasantly surprised at the force of the resistance she was putting up, to the extent that he had to pour more mana into the spell. Lata gave a long, drawn out scream as the needle slipped past her scales and the aphrodisiac was injected into her bloodstream. She fell to the ground insensate as Fenrir released his spell, adopting a fetal position as she huddled up against the wall.

    Scarlet was once again on all fours and looked up longingly towards Fenrir, ¡°Now? Master?¡±

    Fenrir lovingly stroked her long red hair, ¡°Soon my pet. I just have one last thing for you to do.¡±

    ¡°Anything.¡±

    Fenrir looked at Maya, demanding her attention with his powerful gaze. There was no magic in his stare, all he used was his overwhelming presence to ensnare the older sister. As a result, she couldn''t even look away from him. ¡°I want you to tell your two sisters what you are.¡± His hand moved sensuously down her body, causing her to wriggle in delight, until it finally settled near her dripping sex.

    Scarlet seemed to radiate pleasure, as if Fenrir had given her a gift. ¡°I Scarlet vi Enthefuschia am, and always will be, Lord Fenrir''s willing slave.¡±

    ¡°And why are you a willing slave?¡± asked Fenrir, though he kept his focus on Maya, savoring the despair on her face. It was incredible just how much emotion these leyans could convey just through their eyes.

    ¡°Because the pleasure you give me is beyond compare.¡± moaned Scarlet as Fenrir slipped two clawed fingers inside of her, grinding against her sensitive spots.

    ¡°You''re getting a little bit too excited with this.¡± remarked Fenrir, ¡°I think there''s another word for a shameless girl such as yourself. Someone who would debase herself to her father''s killer.¡± He dragged a claw over her back, drawing blood as he did so. ¡°What are you?¡± he asked again.

    ¡°Are you a princess?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Are you just a slave?¡±

    ¡°No~¡± she squealed as he probed deeper inside of her.

    ¡°Then what are you?¡± his fingers moved in and out of her in rapid succession.

    ¡°A whore!¡± she cried out in ecstasy.

    ¡°That''s right.¡± said Fenrir gently, though there was a hard light in his eyes. ¡°You''re nothing more than a worthless whore.¡± he grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. Scarlet winced in pain, though she seemed even more excited.

    ¡°Just another piece of trash.¡± Fenrir quickly slashed a claw across her throat.

    ¡°No!!!¡± cried Maya. Scarlet touched the incision in a dreamlike state that was pumping out golden blood at an alarming rate.

    ¡°...Master?¡± she slumped onto the floor, a thick pool of her own blood already forming beneath her.

    After that, Fenrir violently took Maya from behind, forcing her to look at her sister''s corpse. She fought and screamed at every motion. Lata watched their bestial copulation with one hand between her legs, tears streaming down her face despite her evident arousal.

    A single bell tone rang throughout the room soon after. A message from the flight officer that they would be in range of Elmyn soon. Fenrir quickly cleaned and dressed himself, paying no heed to the still crying Maya on the bed. Assembling a wind blade spell, he quickly dissected Scarlet''s corpse and pushed it into the trash chute. A water ball and another wind spell to dry the area, and all traces of Scarlet had been removed from the room.

    ¡°You...fucking...monster!¡± gasped Maya as Fenrir turned to leave, ¡°The only reason you broke Scarlet were those disgusting drugs you kept on injecting in her!¡±

    Fenrir stopped and smiled, ¡°Oh? I didn''t give her any today. Yet she seemed perfectly happy to give some love to little Lata.¡± grinning at the youngest of the three sisters. She shivered under his stare and looked away, ¡°Who I noticed was enjoying the little show we put on for her.¡±

    Lata flinched and buried her head in shame. Maya quickly rose to her defense, ¡°Only because of those vile substances you made Scarlet put in her!¡± she said hotly.

    Fenrir''s grin only widened, ¡°You know these substances were actually made by one of the crew members. He''s got a knack for making these. Unfortunately, they have to be kept at a certain temperature, otherwise they won''t work anymore. If they get too warm, the active ingredient will be inactivated.¡±

    Lata raised her head and looked at him with a horrified understanding. ¡°Did it feel a little warm when it entered you, Lata?¡± Laughing, Fenrir left the room, to the sweet sound of Lata''s screams of denial.

    Fenrir chuckled to himself as he thought: Not that it actually gets inactivated by heat.

    <hr />

    ¡°Wish we had their corresponding communication stone.¡± muttered the communications officer.

    ¡°Technically we should have it, considering we''re allies and all.¡± commented her neighbor.

    ¡°Agreed. It''ll definitely be something that will come up in negotiations, but for now we have no choice.¡± said Fenrir through clenched teeth. He gazed ruefully at the myriad of omnimetal stones encased in a secure transparent box at the communication''s area of the bridge; underneath each stone was the label of it''s sister stone''s location. Unsurprisingly, all of the stones were locations listed in Asmodeus'' sector.

    Omnimetal was a precious resource, not only for it''s rarity, but also for it''s singularly unique capability: Magical replication over infinite distances. Any magical alteration applied on one piece of omnimetal would be duplicated on another piece of omnimetal that had been refined and smelted from the same deposit. They were the core material behind Jump Stations and were what made interstellar travel possible; a feat that even the Rovenians were unable to accomplish.

    In comparison, communication stones were not nearly as specialized as those utilized in Jump Stations. But they were an effective means of communication in that one could apply a rapidly oscillating thunder element discharge to transmit information in much the same way that radio waves did. But of course they wouldn''t let us keep something as valuable as that...tch!

    ¡°Do it.¡± ordered Fenrir.

    At Fenrir''s command, the people on the bridge began the long process of powering down the nebulon cores. Magical phenomena significantly interfered with Rovenian technology; even the simple act of drawing in elements would create an immeasurable amount of static if one were to use a conventional radio. It was a vexing problem that even Elmyn''s engineers were reportedly unable to solve.

    The small vibration that had been running through the ship, indicating that the nebulon cores were online, lessened and soon faded out all together. Silence on a starship either meant two things: Catastrophe or a need for communication. Fenrir still wasn''t sure what this situation qualified as. Everyone on deck tensed as the silence filled the ship. An attack on the ship now would be fatal for nearly everyone.

    A few moments passed by when it seemed like no attack was forthcoming and Fenrir broke the silence. ¡°Looks like we live to fight another day.¡± his hands relaxed. ¡°Dalia.¡±

    ¡°Sir!¡± responded the communications officer.

    ¡°Open a channel with them and let''s get this over with.¡± Fenrir moved over to Dalia''s side as she pulled out the microphone and turned on the short-range radio. A sardonic voice filled the bridge of the ship almost the second that two-way communication had been established.

    ¡°Fenrir! Long time no talk! What brings you to this neck of the galaxy?¡± The look of annoyance that lined Fenrir''s face was mirrored on every person who heard this voice.

    ¡°Business. I''m here on Duke Samael''s behalf to discuss trading rights with Duchess Belphegor.¡± answered Fenrir tersely.

    ¡°Ooh, sounds important.¡±

    ¡°...Indeed.¡±

    ¡°So why''d they send you?¡±

    Refusing to fall for the taunt, Fenrir merely sighed and asked, ¡°Are we clear to enter Elmyn?¡±

    ¡°Tch, you''re so boring.¡±

    A vein twitched in Fenrir''s forehead, ¡°Business usually is, Merihem. Are we clear to enter?¡± he asked again.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah...you''re clear to go Count Fenrir.¡± answered Merihem in a bored voice as he abruptly cut communication.

    ¡°...That seemed a little too easy.¡± said Dalia uneasily, breaking the silence. Fenrir agreed; normally it would take ages for Merihem to shut up.

    ¡°Should we pull out, sir?¡± asked another bridge member.

    For a moment, he briefly considered the idea.  If it was this crew and this ship, they could get away. To hell with Asmodeus and Samael, he would carve out his own path once more. But where would that leave his crew? No. If he was going to do this, he would see this through to the bitter end.

    ¡°No, we''ll proceed as is.¡± decided Fenrir, ¡°But...¡± he continued, making sure all of their attention was on him, ¡°If something does go wrong, evacuate as fast as you can.¡±

    ¡°Self-destruct if you can''t.¡± he finished.

    ¡°Yes, my lord!¡±

    <hr />

    Previous Chapter</a>  Next Chapter</a>

 Chapter 7 - A Meeting of Dukes

    Alright, so this took a bit of time to pump this one out, but I like the way it turned out and hopefully you guys get some enjoyment out of it, despite this mostly being a build-up chapter.  Next release will be a chapter of "Remember Me Fondly" and HOPEFULLY one more chapter of the Crimson Wolf before December ends.

    <hr />

    Chapter 7 ¨C A Meeting of Dukes

    Fenrir''s boots clacked loudly against the metal grille of the ship''s corridors as he made his way to his quarters once more. The door slid open and Fenrir stepped inside. The two Leyan girls were sleeping on the bed, hands stretched as far as they could towards each other but not quite touching. He briefly considered waking them up, but soon dispelled that notion as soon as it had formed. They would be docking soon and he needed to be on deck as quickly as he could.

    With a sigh, Fenrir walked over to his desk and unlocked a hidden compartment with a key he constructed with earth element. There was a soft click and a door silently swung open near the bottom of the desk to reveal a small compartment whose contents were that of a small velvet box about as large as his palm and a stylishly engraved silvery collar. Fenrir pocketed the box and idly spun the collar around one finger as he walked over to the bed where Maya and Lata were sleeping fitfully.

    This was certainly not how he wanted to dispose of them, but he supposed beggars can''t be choosers. He spun the collar around his finger once more before catching it and letting it lay flat on his palm. Collecting his thoughts for a bit, Fenrir constructed a suitable spell in his mind, fiddling a bit with the earth elements until he had arranged and optimized the spell to an appropriate manner. He couldn''t resist saying one last line however.

    ¡°Game over.¡± he whispered. Both Maya and Lata''s eyes opened at the noise, though the fog of sleep was still prevalent as they gazed blearily at Fenrir who loomed over their bed. He triggered the spell and watched as segmented, thin and razor-sharp earthen blades sprang out from the collar in his palm to meet each other in the middle. The two omnimetal collars around Maya and Lata''s necks briefly shone as the duplicated the spell on the master collar.

    There wasn''t even time for them to cry out as the blades sliced cleanly through their scaled necks as if it were tissue paper. A golden line above the collar slowly formed, their blood slowly ran down from the wound in steady beats. The light had long since faded from their eyes. Not wishing to dirty the bed, Fenrir cocooned their bodies in a wind spell and brought them down onto the floor. In the process of doing so, their heads detached and floated obscenely in the air, still contained within the bubble of wind elements. Working efficiently, Fenrir cut up their bodies much like he did with their sister and took special care to ensure that not even the smallest fragment of their eyes or brains remained.

    Fenrir maintained the cocoon spell while simultaneously applying a wind blade spell as he performed his grisly task of grinding the Leyan girls into meat with an uncaring expression on his face. The bubble of wind quickly became opaque with blood as he directed the ball towards the trash chute. Fenrir opened a small hole in the bubble as he constricted it at the same time, causing the internal pressure inside to skyrocket. The remains of the Leyans spurted out into the chute, until there was nothing left, not even the smell of blood, to even suggest that they were once alive.

    Just as he was about to return to the bridge, the door slid open and his second-in-command stepped inside of the room. He gave Fenrir a quick salute before speaking. ¡°Sir. We''ll be finished docking in another five minutes.¡±

    Fenrir gave him an odd look, ¡°And you needed to come to my quarters for this, Bagara?¡±

    Even with his onyx-black skin, it was surprisingly easy to tell that he flushed guiltily, ¡°Well...I thought....No.¡± his voice gained confidence, ¡°I need to tell you something-¡±

    ¡°That this will be my last stop?¡± interjected Fenrir coldly.

    Bagara''s mouth opened and closed a few times before he asked, ¡°You already knew?¡±

    ¡°Of course I knew.¡± snorted Fenrir derisively. ¡°Despite his attempts to be sneaky, Samael is not a very good liar. Something you two have in common.¡±

    Bagara dropped to the floor and knelt with his hands folded in submission, his posture was that of one who fully expected a death that he deserved. The killing blow never came however. Bagara looked up at Fenrir in confusion, a single word passed between his lips as he looked at his lord, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°...Make sure you''re clear of this system when I get off the ship. Make up some excuse if they try and stop you. Punch through if you have to.¡± said Fenrir, walking past the still prostrated Bagara. ¡°And don''t look back.¡±

    <hr />

    ''Eylon au mynrea''; Elmyn for short. While it meant nothing in the Demonic Plane, it carried a rather lofty meaning in one of the many other planes: ''Font of Knowledge'' by a race of long-eared bipedal creatures known as Elves. The name and it''s origin were known by many, as was the knowledge of who gave the planet it''s name in the first place. No one was quite sure why Elmyn''s ruler chose it, though it was accepted as the ruler was famous for her eccentricities.

    Although ''eccentric'' might not be the proper term for such a place. Elmyn was infamous throughout the Demonic Plane for the monstrous experiments that were performed on the people there: Demon, Non-Demon, Allies, Enemies; it did not seem to matter to the rulers of Elmyn. But perhaps the majority of Elmyn''s fear stemmed from the one who ruled over. Mammon''s Mad Scientist. Duchess of Death. And a thousand more titles all served as a grim reminder of the thing that Fenrir was seeking an audience with.

    These thoughts tumbled around in his head as he walked down the gangplank of his ship towards the people who waited patiently for him with plastic smiles. There was an eerie uniformity in that group, not on their physical appearances, but on the atmosphere they exuded. They felt...wrong somehow. Fenrir struggled to keep himself from destroying them on the spot as he walked towards the one who felt like the leader.

    ¡°Count Fenrir. On behalf of my lord, I welcome you to Elmyn. I am Count Luvart.¡± greeted the wizened demon with faded red skin. Hooh. A count huh? Fenrir was surprised that they would send someone like him to do the greetings. While Luvart certainly gave off an odd feeling, he didn''t appear to have the bearing that a count should have. Then again, he was a demon. Appearances meant nothing.

    ¡°Thank you for having me here.¡± said Fenrir, shaking his hand. A friendly enough greeting, but what was this oppressive atmosphere he was feeling? The three demons behind Luvart were tense, their hands on their weapons as they maintained the smiles on their faces. Earls most likely...Interesting. A tad insulting though if they think that this would have been enough to stop me however.

    Luvart''s eyes pored over Fenrir''s ship appreciatively, ¡°A fine vessel you have there, sir.¡±

    ¡°She gets the job done.¡± replied Fenrir in a dismissive tone.

    If Luvart was annoyed at the terse answer, he did a very good job of not showing it. Chuckling the old demon cheerfully beckoned for Fenrir to follow him. The three guards fell in step a few paces behind them.

    They were in the main docking area for extra-planetary arrivals. It was a massive open-roofed structure in the middle of the capital city. Ships much larger than the one Fenrir had arrived in could be seen flanking the spacious hallway that they walked downwards. Luvart occasionally pointed out a ship or a certain feature of the building that caught Fenrir''s eye, giving a detailed explanation about each with a surprising amount of enthusiasm.

    Fenrir glanced over towards a set of stairs that seemed to be the only method of getting down. They passed by the stairs without slowing down and continued walking towards the open area at the other end of the building. The area was devoid of any walls and greatly resembled an ocean dock for ships, though instead of wooden walkways, cold metallic pathways that glittered from the sunlight that bounced off of them extended out into open air. At the entrance of each walkway was a metal pedestal with a cylinder base that grew thinner as it reached the top until it split into two fashioned so as to resemble arms with deadly looking claws at the end of it. Held securely in between the claws was a small object that Fenrir recognized as a piece of omnimetal.

    Perhaps it summons an elevator of sorts? Like he expected, Luvart placed a hand over the omnimetal and started channelling thunder element in quick bursts. With a gesture, Luvart urged Fenrir to follow him out onto the walkway. He looked over the sides of the walkway and saw that the ground was quite a ways down. Nothing that looked like an elevator could be seen to be rising from below, nor was there some sort of hidden platform.

    In a few moments, his question was answered as a long, sleek looking vehicle pulled up soundlessly at the side of the dock. Unlike the land-based vehicles that were prevalent back in the Asmodean sector, Fenrir could see no wheels decorating it''s undercarriage. A purely flight-based vehicle then, but with no obvious means of propulsion. Extending his senses out of curiosity, he could detect the faint pulling of gravity element.

    ¡°Our newest ship design!¡± declared Luvart proudly. Luvart was grinning from ear to ear as he clearly expected an amazed reaction from Fenrir. He had to admit, he was tempted to give him just that. Either Elmyn had a lot of nebulon to blow on planetside vehicles or they had developed a much more efficient engine compared to the bulky, but energy-conserving, engines aboard starships. Though he kept his face a blank mask and was gratified to hear a sigh of disappointment from the old demon. There was a hiss of escaping air as the previously smooth side of the vehicle split along a defined series of edges and the metal segment that was outlined pushed outwards and lifted up to allow entry.

    The surprisingly spacious and well-lit interior featured a set of comfortable looking seats opposing each other. Perhaps to set his mind at ease, Luvart got in first, ducking his head as he did so when he entered the car. Not even a mild tremor when a passenger enters...a dangerous design. Suppressing a sigh, Fenrir ducked down and entered the vehicle. The three guards clambered in silently one after another and with a knock on the tinted window from Luvart, the vehicle''s door sealed shut.

    There was a slight inertia as the vehicle accelerated, but not as much as there should have been based on the speed that they seem to be travelling when he looked out through the window. Even while in the car (slightly to his chagrin) Luvart kept a running commentary and pointed at various details through the window. Fenrir''s mind wandered as he stared at the scenery of the city below and its various inhabitants.

    It was greener than he expected. For the capital city of Elmyn, he had expected there to be a completely urbanized settlement that was devoid of anything natural. But there was a great abundance of parks and native wildlife that meandered through the city. There were even a few rivers that ran freely between the skyscrapers that did not even look out of place. A true union of the natural and the artificial.

    The inhabitants, appearance-wise anyway, looked much as he expected; mixes of all different kinds of demons drifted through the city. What was odd though, was the idyllic atmosphere that the city exuded. Unlike the peoples in Asmodeus'' domain, not all of the demons here seemed to have a defined purpose as they moved through the city. Some appeared to simply be following the meandering paths for pure relaxation as he saw several demons sitting by the riverside. There were families happily chatting amongst each other; their children playing merrily.

    ¡°You look confused.¡± said Luvart.

    He was tempted to ignore the comment, but Fenrir couldn''t restrain the burning curiosity he felt, ¡°This place is not what I was expecting. I thought Elmyn to be a place that would be more...¡±

    ¡°Horrific?¡± suggested Luvart with a knowing smile.

    ¡°To put it mildly, yes.¡± There was a freedom here that he couldn''t find back in Asmodeus'' domain. An age-old hunger that lay dormant inside him stirred at that thought.

    ¡°Is Makar very different?¡± asked Luvart.

    ¡°It''s certainly not as relaxed as here.¡±

    Luvart chuckled. ¡°You caught us on a holiday of sorts. Any other time, the city would be fairly busy.¡±

    ¡°And where we''re going?¡±

    ¡°Well, that would be an exception. Our lord may grant us the occasional breaks, but she will rarely take one for herself.¡± There was a hint of admiration in Luvart''s voice. Fenrir idly wondered how long it had been since he had heard the same in his subordinates voices. ¡°Ah! If you''ll look over there, you can see the fourth technological institute that had been recently renovated...¡±

    <hr />

    Utilitarian. That was the first word that came to mind when he saw their final destination. It was a large building that was painted in a lustrous white color. There were few windows that could be seen dotting the sides of the building and those that were present were all tinted and looked heavily reinforced. The front entrance was under heavy guard as well. Fenrir counted no less than thirty armed guards near the set of small double doors that appeared the be the only entrance into the facility on this side.

    Contrary to his expectations, the guards that had followed him from the spaceport did not leave their sides and remained behind Luvart and Fenrir like watchdogs. After subjecting himself to a thorough pat down, they were waved on through the entrance. Surprisingly they didn''t object to Fenrir carrying in the sword that he had buckled in at his side. Apparently they were more concerned of him bringing in something that was concealed.

    The atrium of the facility was quite large. There were many demons milling around in lab coats and several more guards that were dressed in black suits that were similar to the ones he saw outside. At the far end of the hall was a desk that was manned by three titans. Fenrir stifled a laugh with a hand at the odd sight of the three large creatures sitting behind a desk and diligently working on secretarial tasks. These weren''t even succubi or incubi either, but rather the large bruisers that he was accustomed to seeing as part of the vanguard during firefights.

    ¡°Yes?¡± said one of the secretaries, looking up from a document as they approached the desk. ¡°What can I do for you, my lord?¡±

    ¡°We have an important guest who is seeking an audience with her highness. Where might we find her?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm...¡± the secretary leafed through several papers before pulling out a pad embedded with omnimetal. ¡°Floor 27 at the moment my lord. But I''ve been told to tell you that he should wait in the audience chamber on Floor 48. Her highness will be up there in about ten minutes.¡± he said after a few deft manipulations with the omnimetal. ¡°Will there be anything else you need, my lord?¡±

    ¡°No, that will be all.¡± answered Luvart curtly. With a swirl of his cape, Luvart turned on the spot and confidently led the way to the elevator. The doors slid open and both Fenrir and Luvart stepped inside. To his surprise, the three guards bowed before Luvart as the doors closed, leaving just the two of them inside.

    ¡°48 and above is restricted solely for her highness. Only those with her express permission are allowed up there.¡± said Luvart quietly.

    ¡°And this elevator will take us up all the way there?¡±

    ¡°You think it a bit lax?¡± he laughed and then continued before Fenrir could answer, ¡°No one here is foolish enough to go up to her level without permission.¡±

    The elevator was designed out of a transparent material so that passengers could enjoy an unobstructed view of the different floors of the building as they passed by them. Some floors had many doors lining a hallway, some had large structures whose purpose Fenrir was unable to divine and some floors appeared to have nothing at all.

    Fenrir glanced at Luvart, who was being rather uncharacteristic in that he was fairly quiet. Nervous, almost. Their upward journey continued in silence until the elevator slowly came to a stop and the doors slid open. Fenrir stepped out and looked back at Luvart.

    ¡°Coming?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Technically you were the only one permitted to come up here and I''d rather not push my luck. Please wait here.¡± With that, the elevator doors closed as it began it''s descent. Well...that was rather ominous.

    Compared to the rest of the place, the audience chambers were unexpectedly lavish. There was a finely polished wooden table that had been exquisitely carved so that each leg resembled that of a large winged animal that Fenrir did not recognize. At the far end of the table was a highly polished and embedded circular piece of omnimetal; possibly meant for local communication. Equally expensive looking chairs made out of a dark crystalline material and padded with fluffy cushions were arrayed on all sides of the table. Interestingly, all of the chairs were identical, there was no single chair that was greater than the rest. Several couches coated in a rich, vibrantly-coloured upholstery were arranged in groups of three around an ornate table in different corners of the room.

    Different foodstuffs and drinks decorated each of these tables and gave off enticing, exotic smells that appealed directly to Fenrir''s stomach. A large bay window occupied the eastern and western walls that gave a pristine and magnificent view of the city that lay below it. Curiously, there was a plain looking iron door at the far end of the room that starkly contrasted with the rest of the room.

    Fenrir was not tempted to see what lay beyond the door though. This wasn''t because he was particularly afraid of any consequences that may have followed if he did, but rather a simple lack of interest. In that respect, the view of the foreign city that lay below him was a much more fascinating sight. The warrior part of his mind engraved the landscape into his memory and attempted to seek out any weaknesses in it''s defences. As he moved closer towards the eastern window, he felt a small burst of movement magic with the magical sense of his mind and stopped in his tracks. His nebulon blade had been freed from it''s sheath and thrummed with energy as it started to absorb elements.

    ¡°I''m not gonna bite you.¡± said a sweet voice with a tinkling laugh. Fenrir turned around, keeping his guard up despite her words. Though if she really wanted to kill me, I''d be dead already. Standing just a few paces in front of him was a fairly attractive demoness giving him a coy smile.

    She was dressed in a light blue shirt with a matching set of baggy blue pants. Both articles of clothing were stained with blood. Oddly enough though, the heavy white overcoat that she wore over everything else was pristine. Writing utensils, notebooks and what seemed to be a phonendoscope were stuffed in the many pockets on the coat. Extending from her back were four leathery wings that were red, blue, black and white in color respectively. A pair of large black horns extended out from beneath the flowing locks of her blood-red hair to curve back on themselves so that their sharp tips were angled towards her face. She had flawless purple skin and ruby-red lips that would make even a succubus happy. Her emerald green eyes glittered mysteriously, as if they burned with an inner fire, and seemed to draw in Fenrir''s mind the longer he stared at them.

    Fortunately for him, physical beauty was something that held little appeal for Fenrir. Especially with demons. Still he had to make an effort to keep himself from staring. ¡°Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet me, Lady Belphegor.¡± greeted Fenrir coolly.

    Belphegor''s grin dampened slightly, ¡°Ehh, you''re no fun. You military types are always so serious.¡± she pouted. A childish remark, but Fenrir could see the intelligence that lay within those mesmerizing eyes of hers. This was an opening salvo to the forthcoming dialogues.

    Not exactly how I pictured my last battle would be. ¡°I try not to let myself have too much fun.¡± replied Fenrir, though he flashed a quick grin at her as he sheathed his blade in one smooth action. ¡°Anymore at least.¡±

    Belphegor laughed and gestured for him to sit down on the nearest couch. ¡°Help yourself to anything if you''re feeling hungry.¡± waving her hands over the exotic spread of food arrayed neatly on the table. Clearly, they were all grouped according to some factor, but just based on the appearance and smell, Fenrir couldn''t tell what that might have been.

    Belphegor raised an eyebrow and randomly plucked a purple coated...something off of one of the plates and made an exaggerated motion of chewing it and slowing it. ¡°No special digestive modifications needed, then?¡± asked Fenrir, though he was already reaching for another one of the purple items, figuring he could make the adjustments on the fly if he needed to.

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°Not at this table anyway.¡± grinned Belphegor. He popped what he assumed was a sweet into a mouth and was surprised to find that while it had a smooth texture, the consistency was akin to that of a finely-cooked steak that was flavoured with a spicy and tangy sauce. ¡°Better than your ship, I think.¡±

    ¡°Infinitely better.¡± he praised already reaching for another of the meat pastries. She had poured herself a cup of steaming tea that was a lustrous silvery color and had a strong smell of cinnamon.

    ¡°It may have only been a short glance, and in a vehicle no less, but what do you think of Elmyn now that you''ve seen it?¡± she asked after taking a sip of her drink.

    Good question. Was this holiday meant for the people''s benefit or as a clever disguise for a visiting ship? ¡°It seems a bit too peaceful. Too relaxed, even.¡± That was something he felt clearly enough.

    Belphegor leaned back against the cushion and gazed thoughtfully out of the bay window. ¡°I suppose that''s a fair assessment. But we are having a holiday at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Seems like quite a few people in this building are still busily working still.¡± as he poured himself a cup of the same tea that Belphegor was drinking.

    She returned her gaze to him and gave Fenrir a secret smile, ¡°We like our work a bit too much to take a day off from it.¡± She took another sip of her tea and set it down on the table, hands folded across her lap, ¡°Now then...shall we get down to business?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Just to give a quick summary, I Count Fenrir am here on behalf of Duke Samael to discuss the mining rights of Daleon Theta as well as the exchange of various communication stones and trading route establishments.¡± said Fenrir.

    ¡°Hmm, the mining rights and trading routes will take a bit more time to discuss, so let us proceed with the stone exchange. Which system''s stones will it be then?¡±

    ¡°Just one.¡± Fenrir pulled out the box that he had stored in his pocket and laid it on the table. Belphegor''s eyes flashed and she reached across the table and grabbed the box. Flipping the latch open, Fenrir could see her surprise as she saw what lay within.

    ¡°Makar''s communication stone?¡±

    ¡°Direct line to Duke Samael to be more specific.¡±

    ¡°And in exchange? I won''t be giving up Elmyn''s stone just because you offered your own homeworld''s.¡± Her concern was understandable: Communication stones were a double-edged sword.

    In exchange for being able to transmit information across incalculable distances one also had to deal with omnimetal''s ''limitation''. Namely that there was a high amount of magic that one could transmit through omnimetal links, to such a degree that if one wanted to, they could discharge a mid-level thunder spell into a communication room.

    Of course there were limits; you wouldn''t be able to blow up an entire building as the amount of magic that would be required for that would literally overload an omnimetal and break whatever connection it had to its other half. In addition, there would be a backlash over the original omnimetal that was used to transmit the spell if one were to try such a thing.

    ¡°What if I asked for a new stone then? Specifically for Elmyn''s moon base.¡±

    Her eyes widened, ¡°These mining rights must be pretty important for you.¡±

    Shit. No sense beating around the bush then. ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°And the trading routes? Were they meant to be favourable for me as well?¡±

    ¡°They''re actually related to the mining issue.¡± admitted Fenrir.

    ¡°Hmm. I should praise you for your honesty, though you did beat around the bush a bit.¡±

    ¡°These are all legitimate offers though and they would''ve been presented to you regardless.¡±

    ¡°Is this alliance really so valuable?¡± she asked skeptically.

    Fenrir frowned, ¡°To Duke Samael and several other nobles it is.¡±

    ¡°And what do you think?¡±

    Fenrir swallowed a scathing reply when he realized that she was genuinely curious about his opinion. ¡°I don''t think it will last long enough for either party to get much benefit from.¡± he said honestly.

    Abruptly, Belphegor started laughing, so much that her dark skin become flushed and her wings fluttered as she held her sides. ¡°Ahahaha! You''re right! You''re exactly right!¡± she exclaimed, ¡°Do those idiots even realize what they gave up? Hahaha!¡± Fenrir was shocked to see tears coming out of her eyes as she continued to laugh raucously. Slowly she regained her composure as she shook back the sleeve of her white coat to reveal a slender wrist with a gold bracelet embedded with several small stones. While her body was still shaking from giggles, she rotated the concentric rings of stones on the bracelet with deft maneuvers until she settled on a stone with a dark blue color. Fenrir could feel her channelling thunder elements in a rapidly oscillating frequency. She must have a great deal of confidence to be wearing that many omnimetal stones on her body.

    He heard the sound of the elevator moving as someone came up as soon as she ended her communication. Just from the speed, Fenrir knew that Belphegor must have had an attendant waiting for her signal. It was to his surprise then that it was Luvart who stepped out of the elevator. He gave a friendly smile towards Fenrir before giving a short bow before Belphegor, ¡°What do you need of me, your highness?¡±

    ¡°Have Bzyan and his team prepare a pair of new communication stones and give one to the captain of Count Fenrir''s ship and send the other up to Merihem.¡± At the mention of Merihem''s name, the seemingly permanent smile on Luvart''s face was transiently replaced with a frown. Fenrir was gratified to see that Merihem was annoying to everyone.

    ¡°At once my lady. Count Fenrir, I wish you well.¡± Luvart turned on his heels and made an expedited retreat out of the audience chamber. Both Belphegor and Fenrir took the opportunity to pour a fresh cup of tea for themselves. They shared a small smile as they celebrated the successful first part of their negotiations.

    ¡°Let''s move onto the trading routes then.¡± proposed Belphegor. All traces of the giggling demoness had vanished, leaving only the imposing duchess in front of him.

    ¡°Halyon Prime, Zeta Cluster and Cygnus.¡± listed Fenrir in short order.

    Belphegor snorted, ¡°Really? Only outer systems? That''s not even worth being discussed.¡± waving a hand in derision, ¡°But then again-¡± she fixed Fenrir with a piercing gaze and a queer smile, ¡°You''re a smart boy after all. You wouldn''t waste my time with something like that, would you?¡± There was a thinly concealed threat behind that smile.

    ¡°True, while there are some notable deposits of platinum, iridium and the like; resources such as nebulon and omnimetal are scarce. Though both Cygnus and Halyon Prime surprisingly each have habitable worlds in them.¡±

    ¡°So I''ve heard from my own scouts, though the oxygen seems to be a little low for extended stays without permanent modifications for demons.¡±

    ¡°True enough, though one of the counts responsible for those three systems figured it was worth setting up a temporary mining outpost in Cygnus.¡±

    ¡°And what did they find?¡±

    ¡°More like who found them.¡± Fenrir grinned as Belphegor rolled her eyes at his meagre attempt to build up suspense. ¡°Cruzor scout ship.¡±

    ¡°''The enemy of my enemy is my friend'' is it? This trade route is beginning to sound more appealing...if a tad cliche. Please continue.¡±

    <hr />

    Four factions. Four rulers and their respective demonic armies. Each vying for control of the Plane through a series of orchestrated battles jokingly referred to (and widely known) as ''The Game''. It was something that the other races which inhabited their Plane could not understand. For despite the name, these were not mock battles, but true and bloody wars. On the surface, it seemed like true wars, as intricate plots and deception were rampant among the many battles that the demons waged against each other.

    But these were not fights based out of a desire for resources or conflicting ideologies however. Indeed, many demons from the different factions seemed to get along very well with each other when they weren''t on the battlefield. Nor was it out of something born of retribution, vengeance or love; even though demons certainly displayed those traits. But to call it a quest for power wouldn''t be correct either, even though these great forces were certainly vying for dominance over each other.

    The many different species who were not demons soon came up with an answer for this overwhelmingly powerful and incomprehensible people. An answer that was both simple and complex and could be summed up in one word that seemed to embody the race known as demons: Madness.

    Their battles were legendary and swept away all those species who might have tried to resist it. Some were great galactic empires in their own right and some were still in their infancy of civilized development. It was a grim realization for these species to know just how small they truly were and how cruel the universe was. That a madness had held sway over the Plane for a very, very long time. The non-demon races were thus given a choice: Either join in the madness. Or be consumed by it.

    This was true for all forms of life, even those who hardly seemed to be alive at all. Cruzors. That''s what they called themselves. A hyper-advanced machine race that the forces of Leviathan had encountered over 100 years ago. Out of their long history, the cruzors had put up a fight that rivalled that of the Rovenians if reports were to be believed. Despite the assistance of one of the 4 Princes, the Cruzors had managed to wage a worthy battle against Leviathan and his forces. Surely, if the demons were not around, the cruzors would''ve been the dominant force in the Plane. In the end though, it was a battle they were destined to lose.

    <hr />

    The cruzors provided a formidable asset to be used against Leviathan and his forces. And while the initial meeting with the Cygnus mining outpost wasn''t the best of introductions, they were eventually convinced of our hostile relations with Leviathan. It took around four hours to lay out the details for Belphegor, who insisted on knowing every possible fact, even things that Fenrir considered to be largely irrelevant. By the end of the discussion, Fenrir was satisfied with the results: Belphegor would send a small detachment of her own forces to join with Asmodeus'' on Cygnus. Her forces would act like they were part of Asmodeus'' camp and use their expertise in properly analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the cruzors; the results of which would be used to benefit both Asmodeus'' and Mammon''s forces. Both parties would provide tactical info for the cruzors as well as participate in various covert hit-and-run missions on Leviathan-controlled worlds.

    Belphegor stretched her arms behind her neck happily, ¡°Ahhh, if only all my negotiations could go this well.¡± she gave Fenrir a quizzical, but bemused, look, ¡°The conditions of the trade route are particularly favorable for our side as well.¡±

    Fenrir tipped an imaginary hat and gave her a sardonic grin, ¡°Duke Samael sends his regards.¡±

    She laughed out loud, ¡°Oh, I am liking you more and more!¡±

    ¡°Can I tempt you with another serving, my lord?¡± asked an attendant holding out a fresh plate of Elmyn''s local delicacy known as suraku. Several incubi in expensive-looking suits were milling around the floor. Belphegor had called for a late luncheon when the trade route discussion showed that it would take a long time to get through. The sky outside was drenched in a blood-red color as the sun began to set on Elmyn.

    ¡°No, thank you.¡± said Fenrir. Another attendant was pouring a frothing blue liquid into two crystal goblets and bowed to both of them as he retreated backwards to give them privacy.

    ¡°Now this is the part where I would say we move onto our final topic, but I feel like taking a little break.¡± standing up as she said so and moving over towards the bay window. Fenrir belatedly got up and followed her. She should know what I''m doing and that I know what''s going to happen, so why prolong this? He thought irritably, though he didn''t let such emotions break his polite mask.

    Belphegor''s slender hands danced through the air, a soft light enveloped each of them, as various images were displayed in vivid detail across the large window. Fenrir was suitably impressed; Belphegor was skillfully using an advanced application of the movement school of magic and it didn''t seem to be taxing her at all.

    ¡°Hummm, not here.¡± A scene of a square that Fenrir recognized from the car ride. A few demons were strolling casually through the center and several shop vendors were calling out silently to passers-by in a last-ditch effort to entice customers before they retired for the day. ¡°Maybe here?¡± The town looked picturesque from the high vantage point Fenrir was seeing through the glass. It seemed to be an observation platform as there were several pedestal-mounted binoculars arrayed in the semi-circular field of vision that the image provided. ¡°No, too dull...¡±

    Belphegor continued to flip through various locations: Some were scenic, others looked rather dreary and some seemed to have no prominent features at all. Finally, with a pleased sound, she settled on a location. No matter how hard he looked, Fenrir thought that it looked like an ordinary clearing in a forest. The trees were unusual sure, but not unduly so, and the surrounding wildlife that flitted through were rather plain. He looked away from the image and saw Belphegor extending a hand towards him with an impatient look on her face.

    Suppressing a sigh, Fenrir took hold of her soft hand and felt the telltale lurch of a movement spell as they appeared in the clearing. While he relaxed his grip, he was surprised when Belphegor didn''t release hers and pulled him immediately towards a gap in the treeline. She weaved through the trees with practised ease, but there didn''t seem to be any noticeable path underneath them. Perhaps it was only she who came here then.

    Finally they exited the trees and Fenrir had to squint and cover his eyes as a burst of the evening sunlight hit him squarely in the face. Belphegor''s hand dropped away from his and he instinctively started to modify his eyes to reduce the amount of light entering them. In the span of a heartbeat, Fenrir was no longer dazzled by the light and took some time to appreciate the magnificent sight arrayed before him. A strong wind blew through the open plateau that they were standing on. At the far end of the unobstructed view of the land was the sun beginning to creep over the edge of the world as it started to set. The large river that coursed through the middle of the grassland below seemed to be on a direct course towards that great ball of fire; it''s fading light reflected strongly off of the water''s surface.

    Fenrir and Belphegor stood on the cliff quietly for a long while, watching the sun slowly disappear over the horizon. ¡°Thank you.¡± he finally said.

    She glanced over at him, but remained staring off into the distance. All of a sudden, Fenrir felt various elements being drawn in towards Belphegor and he reflexively tensed. Oddly enough, it didn''t seem as if she were about to use a spell and was just drawing elements around their location. ¡°Feel like telling me?¡± she asked quietly.

    ¡°About?¡±

    ¡°Why you still came here. You must have had some notion of what was going to happen.¡±

    ¡°...What did you ask for in exchange for Daleon Theta?¡± asked Fenrir, answering her question with another.

    She didn''t seem to mind though. ¡°I think you already know.¡±

    ¡°I''d still like to hear it from your mouth. Perhaps I''m just being paranoid.¡± laughed Fenrir mirthlessly.

    Belphegor turned to face him as he did the same. ¡°You.¡± she said simply.

    ¡°As what?¡±

    ¡°A test subject.¡±

    ¡°The dead kind?¡±

    ¡°The dead kind.¡± she confirmed.

    ¡°And the proof needed?¡± he asked, though he knew the answer already.

    ¡°Witness testimony of your corpse by your ship''s captain.¡± replied Belphegor succinctly.

    ¡°You still haven''t answered my question.¡± she reminded.

    He felt like he should be more belligerent, but Belphegor had been nothing but courteous towards him. ¡°I wanted to repay my debts to the people I betrayed.¡±

    Belphegor sputtered, ¡°What debts could you possibly have left?!¡±

    Confused, Fenrir raised an eyebrow, ¡°I thought you knew what I did?¡±

    ¡°I also know all of the things you did afterwards and your most recent accomplishment of toppling the Leyan Empire almost single-handedly was the least of them!¡±

    Fenrir shrugged and decided to give her a partial truth. ¡°I''m a soldier who committed treason. That means death, no matter what I do to try and make up for it.¡±

    ¡°Even after all of this, you''re not going to tell me the real reason?¡± her eyes narrowed as she seemed to re-evaluate her opinion of Fenrir.

    ¡°I am being serious about repaying my debts.¡±

    She stared at him intently, trying to divine his true intentions. ¡°But you''re not just a soldier...you were more than that at one point in time...¡± she said slowly. Her eyes widened, ¡°You...for them?¡±

    Fenrir said nothing. Belphegor shook her head in disbelief, ¡°You''re not much of a demon, you know?¡±

    He had to chuckle at that, ¡°I only ever seem to hear that from other demons though.¡±

    ¡°There''s a limit to loyalty, you know?¡± sighed Belphegor.

    ¡°The day''s coming to an end.¡± commented Fenrir mildly, ¡°Should we finish these negotiations.¡±

    ¡°You''re not going to even fight?¡± she said incredulously, the wings on her back drooped slightly as if they were matching her emotional state.

    ¡°If they''re allowed to leave unmolested, then I won''t.¡± replied Fenrir bitterly.

    Belphegor seemed to be actually stunned by this comment as it took her a few moments to give a comment. ¡°I''m not sure whether I should admire your dedication to your crew or mock your stupidity for helping that same crew who''s betraying you.¡± She paused and tilted her head with a frown as if she were making a decision about something. She walked closer to Fenrir until they were almost touching and whispered to him, ¡°How far does your loyalty extend, Fenrir?¡± she asked carefully.

    ¡°If it was to protect my crew...I''d do anything.¡± he said in just as low of a voice.

    ¡°Just them?¡±

    ¡°Just them.¡±

    ¡°Then I think I know how we can make this work in both our favors.¡±

    <hr />

    The Elven Language

    Eylon au mynrea: Font of Knowledge

    Previous Chapter</a>  Next Chapter</a>

 Chapter 8 - Captured

    Wow, sure took a long time for me to address the events of Chapter 3, which is where this chapter picks off of.  Still debating whether or not to make the next chapter a present one or a past one, as I''ve already written some stuff for both.

    But we''re finally ramping up the tension in this series and if the next one is a current chapter; it''ll be a fairly interesting one I think, as I''ll finally be able to showcase a good portion of everyone''s abilities (well, maybe not everything Melia and Gilean has to offer anyway.)

    Interestingly enough, a similar situation is also happening in my other fiction ''Remember Me Fondly''.  Lot of stuff planned for the next chapter of that as well.  I''ll probably end up flipping a coin to see whether the next chapter I upload will be from ''Road to S'' or ''Remember Me Fondly'', as both have some fun content that I''m itching to write.

    Oh! One other thing that I wanted to (proudly) mention.  If you''ve read this far for either of my series, congrats! For both ''Remember Me Fondly'' and ''Road to S'', I''ve hit a personal milestone of typing out over 100 pages of each! Thus I applaud you brave souls who managed to trudge through my literary insanity and...as always...I hope you guys continue to read my works (and hopefully enjoy them too!)

    <hr />

    Chapter 8 ¨C Captured

    Age of Dorweir ¨C Year 2609

    ¡°...ake up¡± said a familiar voice. Silpherion felt his body being roughly jostled as the voice came again, ¡°-ilph! Say something!¡±

    Silpherion could only groan in response, his body was incredibly sore, but nothing felt broken. ¡°He''s okay!¡± shouted the voice. He could hear sounds of relief all around him. It sounded like there were six or seven people around him. His eyes fluttered open, but he was unable to make out any concrete details.

    What filled his blurry vision was a figure bent over him, examining him for wounds. Behind the figure was a large, faintly glowing monolith that Silpherion recognized as the mysterious structure that occupied the Glade.

    ¡°Tamara and Althian are recovering well too. Luckily no major blood vessels were hit.¡± said another voice a few paces away. Recognizing his parent''s names and that they were wounded prompted Silpherion to try and get up. His efforts were quelled by a gentle, but firm hand, to his sternum which pushed him back down to the ground.

    ¡°Easy there, partner, you took a pretty nasty blow to the head.¡±

    Silpherion''s vision swam back into focus, ¡°Veo?¡±

    ¡°The one and only!¡± declared Veo proudly, though his smirk was almost instantly replaced by a look of concern, ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    Silpherion groaned, ¡°I''ve been better. What happened?¡±

    ¡°I should be asking you that. Ten minutes ago, Glendara found the three of you passed out on the ground and the monolith shining like a damn lighthouse.¡±

    His heart skipped a beat when he heard that, his memories suddenly coming back to him, ¡°Three of us? Not four? Where''s Gilean?¡± Silpherion struggled to get up, beating back Veo''s hand as he once again tried to get Silpherion to lie down.

    No answer came from Veo. ¡°Where''s my little brother? Has anyone seen Gilean?!¡± With a little bit of effort, Silpherion got to his feet and repeated the question as he searched among the figures in the Glade for traces of his brother.

    There were thirteen people in the Glade, excluding himself: Veo and Lauren were the two closest to him. Meera was standing together with Aume and Ela in a tight cordon at the edge of the Glade to keep away any curious onlookers. With a jolt of surprise, Silpherion saw Glendara talking to Elder Vyon who appeared to have just arrived on scene and was listening to a detailed report from Glendara.

    Standing some distance away from Elder Vyon was Elder Fom? and Retsa who were examining and discussing the glowing monolith together with a keen interest. Hovering over the now awake figures of his parents (he was relieved to see that they appeared to be unharmed) were two of the best healers in the village; Samaya and Talia.

    All together, the elves that were gathered were some of the most well-known and powerful figures in Nevara''el. But this was a secondary concern as he anxiously scanned for traces of his little brother.

    Come on...think! I was trying to talk Gilean down and then mother and father came bursting out of the trees to do the same. Gilean was crying and holding up a spare novochore blade that he had gotten from the house. He was...trying to cast a spell and of course it wasn''t going to work. The sword glowed...and so did the monolith...focus! He had injected too much of his soulself into the blade.

    He glanced at his parents who were getting to their feet, brushing off the attempts of Samaya and Talia to get them to rest, and were also asking where Gilean was. It probably shattered and since they rushed forward, they took the brunt of the shrapnel. Then...nothing. Shit! That can''t be all! There has to be something! Anything!

    Using the clues from his memory, Silpherion tracked down the spot where Gilean should have been standing before everything faded in that strange light. Veo and Lauren were asking him something, but he tuned them out. Kneeling down at the spot where Gilean disappeared, he traced the ground for clues as to where he might have gone to. As his fingers stretched towards the spot, he felt the odd sensation of passing through water and he watched his fingers disappear.

    He could still feel his fingers though and they felt like they had been placed into a sauna. Yanking his hand back, he examined his still intact fingers, though he felt no relief as a cold revelation became evident to him. Oh Gods, no. Veo and Lauren had stopped talking, they had seen what had just happened to his fingers.

    Without wasting any time with words, Silpherion pressed two fingers to each eye and activated a highly specialized spell while desperately hoping his horrible suspicions wouldn''t be confirmed.

    ''Dimension Sight'' became active as his soulself enveloped his eyes. The colors of the world faded into a washed out grey as the spell took effect. Silpherion gazed in horror at the now plainly evident rip in reality that looked like the very world had been wounded. A jagged white, pulsating void that seemed to make the very air ripple around him, hovered directly over the spot he was examining.

    Where his brother would have been standing was a breach.

    <hr />

    It''s hot. Those were the first thoughts that Gilean had when he had regained consciousness.

    His entire body hurt, every tendon and muscle he had throbbed in unison, sending an agony coursing through him that threatened to send him back into the confines of his own mind. Overlaying all of that though, was an incomparable fatigue plaguing his entire body. He could scarcely manage to open his eyes, let alone twitch so much as a single one of his sore muscles. Even his own thoughts felt sluggish and so it took him a good deal of time, or so he thought, to realize he was moving.

    No, that wasn''t entirely correct. He was being moved.

    Fresh waves of pain assaulted him as he was being jostled around on the floor of something that was moving alarmingly fast. They must have passed over a particularly rough bump in the road as Gilean''s body left the surface of the floor and he was temporarily suspended in the air. The brief giddy feeling was quickly dispelled by something yanking him back down as he threatened to rise higher.

    His body hit the floor and the sound of metal could be heard clanking. What was that?...An innate sense of danger warned him not to open his eyes too much or make any noise.

    Cracking open his eyes the first thing he noticed was an unfamiliar landscape melting away in the distance at a rapid pace. It was a barren land that was sparsely populated with fauna and plant life that he didn''t recognize. Something resembling a deer, but with two heads and large curved horns was bounding by the vehicle he was being transported in.

    Yes, transported was definitely the right word for it. He focused his field of view so that all that filled his sight was the iron manacles shackling him to the metallic cage that he was currently a prisoner of.

    It''s so hot. He could feel his clothes sticking to him from all the sweat he had been producing. Gilean knew he wasn''t anywhere near Nevara''el anymore. He closed his eyes and sharpened his senses. He could sense that there was a magical focus very near to him that was constantly drawing in the thunder element. Though for what reason it could be, he was not sure.

    ¡°Ease up on the throttle, you moron!¡± came a harsh grating voice in an even harsher language. Gilean badly suppressed a shiver when he realized that they were speaking in Demonic. One of the very first languages he had learned as a child along with Elvish, was Demonic. His family had relentlessly schooled him in both languages with the primary focus being on the language of demons. ''Victory is achieved by those who know their enemy.'' said his father.

    Yet it was one thing to hear the language in the sweet tones of his mother''s voice and quite another to hear it from one of it''s horrid natives. And despite his family''s earnest teachings, there were more than a few words that he didn''t recognize.

    ¡°**** you! If anything we need to go even faster than this! Otherwise we''re going to lose the ****!¡± spat another voice.

    Gilean chanced another look towards the source of the voices. Two figures. Heavily built with great curved horns curving over their heads. One had metallic blue skin and another was coated in an almost slimy-looking green substance. More importantly was that they were very large creatures, more than double the size of his father. Based on the size...they''re most likely Class 3 demons...Titans!

    They were talking again, Gilean hastily snapped his eyes shut when he saw one of them turn his head towards Gilean. ¡°Are these **** really so fragile, Davouka?¡± said one of them doubtfully.

    ¡°This one is a child, Ravelga. The heat of two suns will be too much for such a creature.¡± curtly answered the one known as Davouka, ¡°Dawn is quickly approaching and the protections of this cage will only protect it from so much.¡±

    Two suns? Gilean''s heart was hammering in his chest. Now even the possibility of escape seemed like a bad idea. The other titan grunted something that sounded like assent and Gilean felt a noticeable increase in their speed as the vehicle accelerated. For a few tense moments, they continued to travel in silence and Gilean discreetly tried to see if he could remove the manacles that were shackled around his wrist.

    If he was older, he might''ve tried activating his valence and snapping the metal bindings. As it was, the only thing that Gilean could think of was breaking both his thumbs to be able to wiggle out of the bindings. The thought of mutilating his own body like that frightened him, but the thought of being held captive by these demons terrified him even more.

    But even if he got out of the shackles, what then? He was still locked in a cage and possibly stranded in an unfamiliar world. Not just any world either...!

    This place...I''m in the...Demon World. How...How did I even get here?! Gilean''s thoughts froze as he remembered the words from Teacher Retsa: ¡°Breaches are the most common ways that Demons, and various other creatures, can get into our world.¡±

    A breach. The last thing Gilean remembered was being surrounded by a bright light in the clearing. What if that was the opening of a new breach? Was he the only one to get sent here? Where was his family?! He could feel his breath becoming ragged and he quickly forced it back to a normal pace, worried of alerting the demons to his awakened status.

    He had to think calmly if he wanted to get out of here now. Don''t worry about them now, I just have to figure out a way to get out of this. He had a goal now, if a little bit unrealistic, but it helped him to calm down. Escape. That''s all he had to worry about now. The only question was to how he was going to do that.

    As soon as he had thought about the problem, the answer came to him in a flash. If a breach was how he got to this world, that would be how he would get out.

    Time was a crucial factor as he recalled that breaches were liable to collapsing at any moment. But if I tried breaking out now...he considered the strength of the cage. A formidable opponent by itself, not to mention that he would have to somehow deal with the two titans as well. A third problem was the distance they had already covered. Gilean was confident he could find his way back to where they had picked him up, by following the trail that the vehicle was making in the ground. But to make the journey on foot would be nearly impossible.

    Unless I could somehow hijack the vehicle...Dangerous thinking, but it might be his only option. He couldn''t pull it off now, but when they had come to a stop, he''d be able to make his escape then. In order for any of the myriad of plans that were running through his head to have a shot at working, he needed to understand exactly how this vehicle was running.

    Exhaling slowly, Gilean sharpened his magical focus and concentrated on the seemingly random flow of thunder elements that streamed through the air. He may have had no talent for actually doing magic, but he had studied every aspect of it relentlessly from whatever source of information he could get it from. Whether it was books, teachers, friends or even scraps of legend; Gilean had an insatiable hunger in his pursuit of magical knowledge.

    <hr />

    Gilean and his brother Silpherion were together in the Glade one late afternoon. It was a particularly fond memory of his, not just because he was learning something new about magic, but because it was one of precious few times that he got to spend with his big brother.

    From an early age, when he was only a little older than Gilean himself at the time, Silpherion had been hailed as a prodigy. He went on missions with the adults when most of his peers remained in the forest. Oftentimes, he would outperform the older members of his village on such missions. Barely a few years after he had entered adulthood, he attained the title of ''Kalvelum Satenya''; signifying his position as the strongest of Nevara''el.

    But he was never arrogant about it. Never bragged about his obviously superior abilities. He only gave people that reckless smile of his; a smile that contained only pure joy about being able to fully utilize his strength. The village cherished him for his abilities but they loved him for that smile. Gilean was no exception.

    His parents were already excellent and his brother, even more so. Yet it might''ve been that smile of his that had driven Gilean to pursue his studies so relentlessly. So that maybe one day, he''d be like his brother and they would go on the most amazing adventures together.

    Today, Gilean had begged Silpherion to teach him more about magic; something that he''d been struggling with for quite some time. Some of his friends could already use a few spells; Stilvan who was a few months younger than him could already use a basic freezing spell. It wasn''t as if he was lacking in any magical aptitude either; thus Gilean thought that it was his lack of knowledge that was the limiting factor.

    A small part of him knew that wasn''t really the case though.

    ¡°An elementalist that is compiling a spell is doing something that is every bit as challenging as designing a house.¡± said Silpherion. ¡°And the process that a swordmage follows in designing spells is the same. If carried out by someone who is untrained and severely lacking in experience, that house could come crashing down on the person and everyone around them.¡± warning Gilean with a severe voice.

    ¡°Yes, ava.¡± replied Gilean just as seriously. It was information he already knew, but it was important nonetheless.

    Silpherion raised an eyebrow in apparent disbelief, ¡°Tell me: What are the four essential steps involved in constructing a spell from the Elemental School?¡±

    His frustration must have been evident on his face, for Silpherion continued in a softer tone, ¡°This is important Gilly. Whether you think you know this already is irrelevant. As your teacher in this respect, I need to make sure you''re fully equipped with the appropriate knowledge, rather than risk a faulty spell due to some piecemeal information you may have collected.¡±

    Gilean flushed with embarrassment and muttered something that sounded like an apology. A vein twitched in Silpherion''s forehead as he crouched down and faced Gilean on his level. Almost gently, he placed both his hands on Gilean''s face and began tugging Gilean''s cheeks apart.

    ¡°Ow, ow, ow, ow!¡± cried Gilean.

    ¡°Eh? I couldn''t hear what you said? You might-¡± Silpherion started pinching his cheeks as he pulled on the soft folds of his flesh, ¡°-want to speak up!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, sorry!¡± hastily apologized Gilean. As soon as he had done so, he was abruptly released from the vicious hold of his brother''s fingers. Gilean rubbed his sore cheeks and gazed reproachfully at Silpherion.

    ¡°So what are those four steps again?¡± asked Silpherion, a grin on his face now.

    Gilean bit back a scathing reply (his cheeks were still hurting!) and gave the answer Silpherion was looking for. ¡°Gathering, Linking, Pulsing and Maintaining in that order.¡±

    ¡°Details.¡± replied Silpherion curtly.

    ¡°Step 1 or Gathering is the collection of the different elements present in the world in discrete amounts with the application of mana. Linking is the joining of these elements in specific patterns or structures in order to quite literally build the spell. Elements are held together in these formations again with the application of more mana in a way that is similar to a needle and thread.¡± said Gilean with a detailed explanation.

    Silpherion nodded approvingly and gestured for him to continue. It gave him a small flush of pleasure at that motion, even though it was stuff that Gilean considered to be basic. Trying not let any of these emotions through, he proceeded with his answer in a collected manner. ¡°After Linking, the next stage is Pulsing which is so named because of the surge or ''pulse'' of mana that is released through the linked chain of elements in order to activate the spell.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Which of these stages can those with proper training be able to sense?¡± interrupted Silpherion.

    ¡°Normally only Stage 1.¡± replied Gilean instantly, who had been expecting an interruption at some point.

    ¡°Why only normally?¡±

    Gilean hesitated before answering as the explanation was still currently a theory in the world of magic research. ¡°Those with magical potential are constantly aware of the different elements in the air around them. While they may not know exactly what they''re sensing, their magical senses are able to instinctively feel the presence of these basic components of matter. That is why any disturbance of these elements, such as during a spell, can be felt.¡±

    ¡°Mana is a different story though. The mana from person to person is as unique as it is between individuals-¡±

    ¡°What about twins?¡± interjected Silpherion.

    ¡°...Still unique?¡±

    ¡°Good guess.¡± chortled Silpherion, waving a hand for Gilean to continue.

    He smiled and then got back on track, ¡°Because we aren''t constantly around this unique mana like we are with elements, we won''t sense the changes associated with linkages and pulses. We might able to if there were only a small amount of elements in the air, but it''s like an ocean of the stuff, and it''s hard to concentrate on how drops of that ocean are being re-arranged without complete focus. And getting that kind of concentration would be pretty much impossible if you''re in a fight.¡±

    ¡°The exception is when you''re exposed to the unique mana as much as you are with elements like with close friends or family. In such cases, one would...have an advantage in being able to sense what kind of spell is being prepared in advance.¡± finished Gilean.

    ¡°Nice explanation! Good to see you''re properly studying.¡± praised Silpherion. Gilean awkwardly rubbed his head as he felt his cheeks becoming warm. ¡°Alright, continue with the fourth stage of elemental construction.¡±

    ¡°Ahem,¡± Gilean cleared his throat a few times before lapsing back into the original question, ¡°The third stage; pulsing, will only cause a brief flare-up of the spell after which time the elements that were gathered will begin to disperse naturally, a magician needs to be able to supply mana for a certain amount of time in order for the spell to take full effect. This is the last stage known as Maintenance in which the thread of mana is maintained in order to keep the spell actualized.¡±

    ¡°Does one need to continue to supply pulses of mana in order to do so?¡± cut in Silpherion.

    ¡°...For some spells?¡± answered Gilean hesitantly.

    ¡°For example?¡± replied Silpherion with a maddening grin.

    ¡°...Um...for example...Chain Lightning.¡± hazarded Gilean with a guess. Silpherion raised both eyebrows in derision and Gilean cast a downcast glance towards the ground, ¡°I''m not sure ava...sorry¡±

    ¡°Don''t be, you actually guessed right.¡± laughed Silpherion, redoubling his laughter as Gilean processed what he said.

    ¡°Ava!!¡±

    <hr />

    Gathering, Linking, Pulsing and Maintaining. Gathering, Linking, Pulsing and Maintaining. Gathering, Linking, Pulsing and Maintaining...

    Gilean repeated this string of four words to himself like a mantra. It helped to focus and organize his thoughts as he considered the nature of the demonic vehicle. Davouka and Ravelga were still bickering with each other, and while he was partially listening in on their conversation to make sure he didn''t miss anything important, the majority of his brainpower was on focusing on the thunder element that was being gathered.

    Yes, gathered was the right term for it. Because he was lying down and the only thing he had to concentrate on was just the elements, he could see that the thunder elements weren''t being gathered into a specific formation. They just seemed to be...coming together in one spot.

    He couldn''t be sure, but Gilean was reasonably confident that this vehicle operated on a different principle than the Sea Serpent created four years ago, which made use of clever enchantments and mechanical gears. Hmm, but maybe this also makes use of mechanical parts as well or maybe this some strange spell that only demons know or...or...maybe...

    Gilean''s brain was racing through various possible scenarios, drawing from his admittedly limited knowledge of advanced magical technology from his own world. Something he was beginning to suspect wouldn''t matter much here. A few minutes passed in furious concentration as Gilean became more and more frustrated with the lack of ideas and his utter powerlessness. Ahhhhh! I don''t know! I don''t know!

    Gilean banged his fist against the cage in his anger and immediately froze as he became horribly aware of what he just did. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!

    ¡°Is he waking up?¡± said Ravelga. He could hear the demon that just spoke shifting in his seat to get a better look at Gilean.

    Asleep, they''d let their guard down. Awake...he might as well forget about escaping. Despite his mounting fear, Gilean continued to breathe peacefully and, in a risky move, muttered something unintelligible as if he were talking in his sleep.

    ¡°Hmph, guess not.¡± muttered Ravelga.

    ¡°Good.¡± said Davouka, ¡°I''d rather not drag a screaming child to the holding chamber.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said they were fragile?¡±

    ¡°Too fragile but they can have unexpected strength. Especially if they happen to be gifted with magic. The last time I handled such a child, I accidentally crushed their skull.¡± grumbled Davouka, ¡°Made a mess of the car.¡±

    Gilean suppressed a shudder, continuing to play the role of the sleeping child as best he could. He was about to return to his magical investigation of the demonic vehicle when the two demons started a new conversation that chilled him to the marrow of his bones.

    ¡°Do you think this child has magic?¡± asked Ravelga, the voice sounding further away now, indicating that he was once again facing towards the road.

    ¡°You did not take a good look at this child, but he is from the race of Long-Ears.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Ravelga shifted around once again in his seat, most likely to get a better look at Gilean. ¡°Then this child is being delivered to...?¡±

    ¡°Yes, their species are a particular favourite of the Duchess.¡±

    Ravelga made a low whistling noise, ¡°Might be better for the child if he died right now.¡± he ruined any sense of concern he seemed to have for Gilean with a snort, ¡°Though now I see why you''re being so careful with this one!¡±

    Davouka gave a dark laugh, ¡°Quite the payday when we bring this one in.¡±

    ¡°You think our oh-so noble Earl will try to screw us over on this and claim credit?¡±

    ¡°Undoubtedly.¡± muttered Davouka, ¡°That''s why we need to get him in the chamber as fast as possible and contact Elmyn on our own.¡±

    The two continued to discuss various plans but Gilean had stopped listening to their conversation as soon as they had mentioned him being handed over to a duchess. Shamefully, Gilean felt the area between his legs become warm as a single tear escaped from his eyes and rolled down his cheek.

    Save me...someone...anyone! Please!

    <hr />

    Silpherion and his father were once again in their treehome, the absence of his mother and younger brother could be keenly felt in the stifling atmosphere that filled the room. With quick and efficient movements, the two elvnmaga outfitted themselves in a pair of matching silver scaled armour that hugged the entirety of their body and perfectly outlined their muscular frames. Looking more like a second set of metallic skin, this so-called draconscale armour boasted incredible defensive capabilities while at the same time allowing a full range of motion.

    ¡°Food and water?¡± asked Silpherion as he snapped his two longswords into special holsters on either side of his waist with a series of loud clicks.

    ¡°Glendara and Samaya are taking care of it.¡± answered his father who was pulling on a pair of deceptively plain-looking hobnailed boots that covered the patch of bare skin not encased in the draconscale armour. As soon as he had finished tightening the laces however, the suit flashed and the scale pattern seemed to slowly drip downwards as if it were melting and completely covered the boots. After a moment, the writhing mass of metal settled and the boots now looked as if it were always part of the armour, as no line could be seen that indicated where the armour ended and the boots began.

    Despite their advantage as swordmages, neither Silpherion or Althian ever equipped a full helm. Instead they opted for a pair of gleaming golden circlets inscribed with the elven words for protection and repulsion to adorn their heads. Althian finished his outfitting by sliding his intimidating, midnight-black greatsword into a baldric on his back.

    ¡°Where is mother''s wand case?¡± Silpherion knelt down and opened the cabinet where she usually kept it, only to find the cabinet filled with nothing but books and inkwells.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± his father made a noise with his throat and directed his eyes meaningfully to the top of the cabinet.

    ¡°What?...Oh.¡± There was a single highly polished mahogany case with a lavishly detailed inscription that read as: ''Mama''s Wands'' with a symbol of a heart placed at the end of the title, all decorated in the flowery script of his mother''s delicate handwriting.

    His father clapped a hand to his shoulder, looking as if he was about to say something. He stopped when Silpherion gave him a determined gaze, ¡°I''m good.¡±

    ¡°I know, son. I know.¡± His father embraced him in a short, but tight, hug. Pulling away from him, he gave Silpherion a lopsided grin, ¡°Ready to go hunt some demons?¡±

    ¡°Hell yes.¡±

    Silpherion and his father quickly descended the ladder from their treehome and began to run back towards the Glade. At the pace they were setting, any elves that happened to be up at this hour would be unable to catch up to them and ask them what was going on. In the course of a few minutes, they emerged from the thicket of trees into the Glade. No trace of physical exertion could be seen on either of their perfectly calm countenances.

    There were a few more elves in the clearing now, all of whom Silpherion recognized as expert fighters and support. He glanced at one of the two elves in white robes with a bit of melancholy. The thin robes looked small on the elf''s unusually massive and muscular frame which completely contrasted with the passive nature of elvnmas in question.

    As if sensing his stare, the elvnmas glanced up from his discussion with the other robed elf and gave him a curt nod, before beckoning the pair of them over.

    ¡°Good to see you, Banark.¡± grasping the other elf''s outstretched forearm. His father was greeting the other elvalya who was holding something in her hands.

    ¡°Wish it were in better circumstances.¡± replied Banark. He held up a hooded cloak as his robed compatriot did the same, ¡°You two will need these. Scouts say it''s pretty warm on the other side.¡±

    Silpherion was already shrugging on the cloak, fiddling with the ends of his swords so they didn''t stick out odd angles. ¡°How long will they last?¡±

    ¡°Heat-resistance enchantment should be good for a few hours, though the longer you''re exposed, the faster it''ll wear off.¡± answered the other elf, whom Silpherion recognized as Mina: Banark''s teacher in the priestly ways.

    ¡°Thank you. Both of you.¡± thanked his father sincerely.

    ¡°If I could come with you, I-¡± began Banark, before he was gently cut off by Silpherion.

    ¡°I know. I do too. Your healing skills would''ve been indispensable were it not for the very nature of the Demon World to render everything from the Spirit School useless.¡± Clapping him on the shoulder, he gave Banark a conspiratorial grin ¡°But those same skills could be invaluable when we return, so don''t get dragged off by Veo on another stupid adventure like usual, eh?¡±

    ¡°Depends on the adventure.¡± chuckled Banark. Silpherion laughed in return as he and his father made their way over to the group of elves surrounding the breach.

    Apparently, Lauren had taken the job of maintaining the breach on this side; her brow was furrowed in concentration as she stared at the spot where the breach was. While not a difficult spell, because only one person could maintain a breach on either side without it collapsing meant that she''d be there for a long time. Silpherion noted the line of elves behind Lauren, all of whom were capable of magic, ready to take over when her strength flagged.

    Veo, Meera, Aume and several other elves were formed into three teams that surrounded the area of the breach in a loose semi-circle with weapons drawn and at the ready. Standing a few paces in front of the breach, but with their backs turned to it were Samaya and Glendara. Elders Vyon and Fom? were just behind them, standing motionless as they gazed at the breach.

    ¡°Got some stuff for you for the journey, Althian.¡± grinned Glendara, holding up two large leather belts with numerous pouches sewn on at regular intervals. One might think that two belts filled with meagre rations was hardly the correct amount for a potentially long journey. However, Silpherion knew that each of the pouches stitched onto the belts were all individual ''Bags of Holding'': wondrous items containing a miniature pocket dimension inside of their leathery domains that were capable of holding several weeks worth of rations inside just one bag.

    His father''s brow was creased with worry as he took the belt and held it gingerly in front of him, as if afraid of the contents. ¡°Who packed the bags?¡± he asked suspiciously.

    Samaya''s eyes twinkled merrily, ¡°Don''t worry, I was the one who took care of packing.¡±

    With a look of relief, his father equipped the belt without any further objections; openly smirking at the scandalized Glendara. ¡°How rude!¡± exclaimed Glendara, ¡°I pack only the necessities!¡±

    ¡°And those necessities being?¡± asked Silpherion with full knowledge of his father''s friend''s vice.

    ¡°Whiskey, rum and good old-fashioned Nevara''el ale.¡± listed Glendara. He winked at Silpherion and added, ¡°All of which you can find in the third pouch on your left-Ow! Kidding! I was kidding!¡±

    Looking faintly embarrassed, Samaya stopped pinching her husband''s side and released her painful hold on him. ¡°We gave Tamara her own already. She''s already on the other side, setting up a fortification around the breach with Lucas and Mejarna.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Sam.¡± hugging his old friend and clasping forearms with Glendara.

    It could be said that Silpherion and his father were taking things a bit too relaxed, no matter the efficient manner in which they were equipping themselves for the journey. But they were experienced warriors who knew the value of saying farewells to loved ones before embarking on a potentially fatal journey. Such rituals helped to prepare their minds and still their bodies from making any rash judgements that could prove fatal for all of them.

    They stood before the entrance to the breach, with only Elders Vyon and Fom? in their way now. Of the ten elders in Nevara''el, these two were the only High Elves among them; the last of the original founders of the village. They were harsh and very strict when it came to enforcing rules; a rigid discipline based on a true love of helping the village grow.

    ¡°Luckily for you, this breach appears to be unusually stable.¡± commented Elder Vyon.

    ¡°How long will we have?¡± asked his father.

    ¡°A day. Perhaps half-a-day more before it''s collapse.¡± answered Elder Fom?. She turned away from the breach and addressed the both of them directly. ¡°I''m sorry we cannot send more with you, but the safety of the village comes first.¡±

    Silpherion nodded bitterly. It was a harsh truth that the lives of the villagers were a priority...even over a child.

    ¡°We may be only three-¡± his father placed a hand on his shoulder, ¡°But we are also the three strongest in the entire village.¡±

    Encouraged by his father''s words, Silpherion added his own piece, ¡°We will be more than enough.¡±

    Fom?''s eyes softened, ¡°Nevertheless Kalvelum Satenya...take care of yourselves...¡± she looked into both of their eyes, ¡°And bring our child back safely.¡±

    With mirrored actions, both father and son pressed their fingers to their eyes and activated the same spell. Once again Silpherion looked upon the blank void that had stolen his younger brother from him. In unison, they walked together towards the breach as the last words he heard Gilean say to him echoed loudly in his mind:

    ¡°Don''t...leave me alone...¡±

    ¡°...Wait for me Gilean, I''ll save you.¡± whispered Silpherion just as his foot passed the threshold into another world.

    <hr />

    The Elven Language

    Kalvelum Satenya: Peerless Blade

    Previous Chapter</a>              Next Chapter</a>

 Chapter 9 - Elites

    Soooo....I know that it''s been QUITE a while since my last update and it wasn''t even for "Remember Me Fondly" (though the next one will be).  By way of explanation, the simple reason is procrastination.  Sure I had exams and some real-life drama going on, but there were definitely days where I could''ve been working on the chapter when I had nothing else to do.

    I can''t promise updates will be any better in the future, but I can promise that I''ll still be working on these stories, BOTH of them.   Hopefully the chapters that I do manage to pump out, you guys/girls/robots will still get a kick out of.

    Now on to release schedule and other story issues.  This chapter is more world building and not a whole lot of action (though there''ll be a lot in the next two) going on.  I''m still not sure how to introduce a lot of these terms and places in "The Crimson Wolf" without clogging up the story too much.  Valence is one of these terms.  A couple of the places and their history I''ll probably leave in the story and introduce them as they come up, but I might make a separate release for the Magic System while I''m working on the next chapter.

    On that note, the next few chapters will be for "Remember Me Fondly".  The reason for this being is that I''m only three chapters away from the end of the first volume.  All of them are kind of cliff-hangery too, so I''d rather get that out of the way.  There won''t be a 5 month wait like it was for this chapter, but it''ll still take some time to write.

    Anyhoo, enough of the rant.  ONTO THE CHAPTER!

    <hr />

    Chapter 9 ¨C The Elite

    Before she had even taken a step towards him, Gilean''s eyes sprang open. His internal clock was rather good in keeping track of night shifts. Though this was an acquired ability that had been heavily ingrained into both Melia and Gilean by their teacher.

    Stifling a yawn with his hand, he greeted Melia with a coquettish smile, ¡°Morning.¡±

    Melia rolled her eyes and nudged Gilean to move with her foot. Hard. ¡°Ow!What''s wrong with your own bedroll?¡±

    Despite his grumbling, Gilean was obediently rolling over and getting up as Melia plopped down onto his bedroll. ¡°Not as warm. Night.¡± she replied, her eyes shutting as soon as her head had touched the feather-filled surface of the sleeping pallet.

    Some people might''ve thought she was faking, but Gilean knew that Melia was well and truly asleep. Teacher often joked that this was her other special ability. Gazing at her for a few moments with a wry smile, Gilean stretched his arms as he gazed at the sleeping forms of his new companions.

    Wearing a thin grey shirt that was stretched tight over his muscular frame, Semphil was laying on his back with his hands folded atop his steadily moving chest. His armour lay in a neat pile beside him, with his sword laying on his other side.

    Damien had a rather slovenly sleeping appearance as he was haphazardly sprawled on his bedroll, hands clutched around the end of his rolled up cloak that he was using as a makeshift pillow. He seemed to be having a rather good dream, based on the dopey smile plastered across his face and the steady stream of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

    And then there''s him thought Gilean moodily. Much like a mother cat, Artok had enveloped the sleeping Samantha in a warm, protective embrace. His thick fur doubtless provided more warmth than the crackling fire that lay at Gilean''s feet. As if sensing his gaze, Artok cracked one of his blind eyes open and somehow managed to stare directly at him. Lips raised so that his sharp fangs could be seen, the two stared at each other for a few tense seconds.

    Artok''s eyes closed, but Gilean doubted that he had really gone back to sleep. Understandable, really. After all, Gilean was strongly beginning to suspect that Artok had seen him on his last midnight run back in Gelaweir. And if he had seen Gilean like that, then it was no wonder that he''d make sure to stay on guard with him.

    Samantha''s interactions with him had been very normal however, which allayed several of his concerns. Because she was a druid, Gilean worried that she might''ve been told something by Artok through a spiritual link that some druids had with animals in their company.

    Well...it was still possible that she was contracted with a cat spirit of sorts and in that fashion, she might be able to communicate with Artok once transformed.

    What''s done is done though. And unless he wanted to cut Artok into pieces, he was just going to have to deal with the consequences. Right now however, his job was to be the night watch. Better to focus on that than to dwell on any potential problems that may arise in the future. With this thought, he adopted a meditative pose as he prepared to delve into a trance state.

    He looked once more at Melia and silently mouthed an apology to her. Sorry Melia, I might''ve already fucked things up.

    <hr />

    Gilean stifled a yawn behind his hand as he watched the first light of the new day trickle into their campsite. He had broken out of his trance a few minutes ago to greet the new day. It had become something of a customary ritual for him, a way of saying to himself: ''Hey look! I managed to not fuck everything up yet!''

    Trancing was one of several innate advantages that Elves (and Eladrin) possessed over other races. Compared with humans, orcs and other such races; those peoples who were able to access the Trance state had the incredible racial advantage of being able to recover their strength during the night while still being fully aware of their surroundings. Even for Gilean, whose dreams were populated with his own nightmarish memories, was still able to remain vigilant.

    Truthfully speaking, even if they had left the guard of the camp to either Samantha or himself, they would not have been caught unawares. A grimace passed over Gilean''s face as he considered one of his own special qualities. The people who could trance only needed four hours to recover their strength. He however needed at least eight to nine hours. Slightly worse than the average human. Teacher always said it could be worse though. Gilean supposed that was true enough.

    Of course the strength he was truly capable of was something that a lack of sleep couldn''t possibly diminish. If anything...a lack of sleep might only make it stronger.

    A lovely yawn broke his troubled thoughts. He glanced off towards the side, watching Samantha rub the sleep out of her eyes. Four hours might be enough to fully recover one''s strength, but everyone enjoyed sleeping in. Elves were no exception.

    ¡°Amanthoriul.¡± greeted Gilean.

    Samantha flashed him a bright smile as she leaned back on her hands, ¡°Amanthoriul. How was the night duty?¡±

    ¡°Boring.¡±

    Her smile got even wider at his terse answer, ¡°Were you hoping for something to happen then?¡±

    Gilean looked at Samantha and then at Melia whose back was turned from him, so he couldn''t be sure whether or not she was awake.

    ¡°It...wouldn''t be entirely undesirabl-Geh!¡± Gilean hastily dove to the side as something whizzed by his head at a frightening speed. With a hard thunk, the object in question hit the tree some few metres behind where Gilean was previously standing. Where the object (a water bottle) had hit the tree, a sizable portion of the bark had been caved in at the point of impact.

    ¡°Tch. Who told you to dodge.¡± Gilean looked reproachfully at the clearly awake Melia who had evidently heard his answer. Wisely, he said nothing, which seemed to surprise Melia whose eyes widened slightly. Grumbling to herself, Melia shook off the last vestiges of her sleep as she began to pack her gear.

    Gilean let out a small sigh of relief as soon as her back was turned, doing his best to ignore Samantha who was smothering her giggles with a hand over her mouth. It wasn''t long before the rest of the camp came awake and they were soon scarfing down a quick meal as they packed up the rest of their campsite.

    Neyla rumbled with pleasure as she nuzzled Gilean''s face affectionately. A smile tugged at his lips as he indulged in the horse''s affectations by giving her a scratch along her head. ¡°Hmm? What''s this?¡±

    ¡°What''s what?¡± asked Melia. Any trace of annoyance she had in the morning was completely gone. After all, this was a rather common scene for the two of them.

    Gilean didn''t answer as he carefully brushed aside the long hair along Neyla''s head. When he was scratching her, his fingers had brushed across something that felt exceptionally hard and smooth at the same time. He gazed at the spot intensely where he had felt...something, but all that was there was normal skin; soft and smooth to the touch. ¡°Nothing I guess...¡±

    Melia laughed, ¡°You certainly bonded with that horse pretty fast.¡± stroking Gaia as she said so.

    ¡°If everything''s been packed, then saddle up.¡± said Semphil. Sitting astride his massive charger in a full set of armour, he cut a thoroughly majestic figure. Moving efficiently, the party quickly departed from the small copse of trees and re-emerged once more onto the highway.

    Conversation was sparse, but friendly enough, the goal for the first few days was to cover as much distance as possible and make good use of the clear skies while they had it. The highways in Elden, and even in Synarth as a whole, were very well maintained. However, the same could not be said for their destination in the neighbouring country of Lestaf, where the rainy season was soon approaching.

    But they were all experienced campaigners. Even Damien, the one with the weakest constitution of the group was able to maintain the harsh pace that Semphil had set for them. In that regard, Gilean admired the man. He knew exactly how far to push their group without everyone becoming completely exhausted.

    At nights, conversation was lively and the food was...well it wasn''t exactly high class or anything, but it was pretty good.

    ¡°...by that point the guards had already surrounded them, leaving them no room to escape.¡±

    Melia was clutching her battleaxe so hard that her fingers started turning white, ¡°And then?¡± she breathed out worriedly. Damien''s historical knowledge and his enthusiastic storytelling were the primary form of entertainment whenever they stopped for the night. Even Gilean couldn''t help himself get sucked into Damien''s world.

    Out of everyone in the group, Melia was the one most interested in his tales, often volunteering to do a watch with him so she could hear more tales. Her sincerity and obvious appreciation fostered a fast friendship between the two of them. He would be lying if he said he didn''t feel a twinge of jealousy when he saw her carefree face. Sometimes he thought he saw a mirrored expression on Samantha''s face whenever he looked her way, but he couldn''t be sure.

    ¡°The two lovers knew that the only way out was to break through those who would try to keep them from being together. Amolna, with a fierce look in her eyes, grabbed the hand of her future husband and held it tight. ''Together.''¡±

    ¡°One word is all that was needed. The trust between the two had reached such a point that their intentions and their feelings could be felt with a simple gesture and a single word. From here the story becomes unclear, for this was all related to by a very, very lucky guard. Supposedly, the fragile-looking peasant girl was even more fearsome with the blade than her lover, the Star-Crossed Prince, as carved a bloody path through the castle.¡±

    ¡°Shields shattered underneath their terrible blows, swords were practically blown to pieces from their ferocity and hearts trembled from their unwavering tenacity...¡±

    Exciting, action-packed stories like these were common around the fire. Some of the ones he told were quite sad. Others thought-provoking. And some were just plain silly. No one, except for possibly Samantha, was quite sure whether or not these stories were true or not, but no one really cared after all. They were a welcome rest after a long day''s worth of travel.

    Damien was an extremely likeable fellow and soon Gilean found himself chatting with him on occasion. It definitely wasn''t because he wanted Melia to stop talking with Damien alone though.

    Samantha had a fairly affable personality and Gilean was particularly favourable towards her, purely because of the fact that she was an elf. She seemed to treat Melia a little bit more distantly compared to the rest of the group, but Gilean chalked that up to his imagination.

    ¡°Is he always like this?¡± asked Gilean, who was in charge for cooking that day. He said this in an undertone as he was somewhat terrified of incurring Melia''s wrath for interrupting the story.

    ¡°Always.¡± chuckled Samantha, ¡°And he never seems to run out of new stories to tell. Some of the ones he''s told over the last few days were new even for me!¡±

    ¡°How long have you two been travelling together?¡± quietly asked Semphil. His longsword lay naked across his lap and he was slowly rubbing a high-quality cloth over it''s steel length.

    ¡°About 15 years now. Though I''ve known him for about 20.¡± she smiled at some unseen memory, ¡°He used to be such a cute kid.¡±

    ¡°Were you living in a mixed village in Stevrak before?¡± queried Semphil.

    Samantha shook her head, ¡°No. I was living in a rather traditional elven village. In our case, we lived pretty close to a human town. We did a lot of trade and as a result, the relations between our town were pretty good.¡± Her face clouded over a bit as she said this and she soon fell silent.

    They were a little bit odd, but they gave Gilean a pretty good impression. Their abilities were certainly exceptional for B-rankers. This was made clearly evident during that same week when they ran into an ambush of goblins.

    <hr />

    ¡°It''s not a very good ambush, is it?¡± sighed Gilean. Of course he had noticed them a little before Artok had, but he thought it''d be more entertaining to see if the rest of the party had noticed. If he had known Melia would give him a stern fist of disapproval later, he probably wouldn''t have done it.

    ¡°Well what do you expect? They''re goblins. Not exactly known for their cleverness.¡± replied Damien who was looking equally disappointed. This was their first battle as a team and it seemed as if he was hoping for a more dramatic first impression.

    Semphil on the other hand was rather happy about this turn of events. ¡°Well this is good in it''s own way. I''d prefer a simple challenge for our first battle than a particularly deadly one. Gives us a chance to iron out our teamwork.¡±

    ¡°...What are they waiting for?¡± quietly interrupted Samantha.

    The ¡°ambush¡±, if it could be called that, consisted of thirty goblins interspersed among the trees along either side of the road. Even if they had received no warning...and were deaf...and had the intelligence of a toddler...and were blind in one eye, it would''ve been very hard not notice the goblin''s attempt at camouflage.

    ¡°Think they see us?¡± rasped a goblin, who was holding two leaves over it''s eyes with a hole in the centre of each while pressed up against a tree.

    ¡°Talk quieter stupid! They hear you otherwise.¡± yelled one goblin who appeared to be wrapped in a faded rug that had been crudely painted brown to somewhat match the bark of the trees. It might''ve been somewhat effective if it wasn''t standing as close as possible to the road with two holes cut in the rug so it could hold up two branches.

    ¡°Easy for you to say! Grunjar always has best disguises!¡±

    ¡°Me can''t wait to get all of their grundles.¡± rasped another one from the trees. He was holding a crossbow loosely in one hand while he stared greedily at them.

    The goblins continued to bicker amongst themselves while the rest of the party quietly discussed amongst themselves who would take care of which side.

    ¡°We''ll take the right side.¡± said Melia, indicating herself and Gilean.

    ¡°Left side for Samantha and myself.¡± said Semphil. ¡°Damien: Take out their ranged.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°And if Artok could take care of any stragglers, we should be good.¡± finished Semphil. Samantha nodded and then leaned over Artok''s head to whisper a quick stream of Elvish in his ears: ¡°The ones that run are your lunch.¡±. The hulking animal licked his lips in anticipation; a faint bloodlust began to seep out of the beast.

    Their assignments had been doled out in only a few seconds. By an unspoken agreement, everyone waited for Semphil to give the signal. Gilean glanced at the still bickering goblins with a little bit of pity. Goblins were vicious creatures, true, but their incredible stupidity and small stature always made Gilean feel like he was bullying the weak.

    I''ll make it quick he promised.

    ¡°Keep two female elves alive.¡± barked one goblin who appeared to be the leader. An obscene smile crept over his ugly face along with an equally lurid bulge in his trousers. ¡°They make good night fun. One in black my type.¡±

    A snort escaped from Melia as she clapped a hand over her mouth, trying hard not to laugh out loud. ...Your death will be extremely slow vowed Gilean.

    Besides himself, Semphil was the only other person to not have a broad grin plastered on his face. Though if one were to look at his eyes, a person would find the telltale glint of mirth.

    ¡°Attack.¡± ordered Semphil calmly as he drew his blade in one soundless motion. Despite the difference in rank, all of the mercenaries leapt into action at practically the same time.

    Because they were such weak enemies, none of the warriors bothered activating their valence and opted for using their natural strength. That being said, all four warriors felt their bodies lighten after a whispered chant from Damien. A subtle shift in the wind that streamlined their movements was simultaneously applied on everyone; speaking volumes of Damien''s skill.

    Gilean surged ahead like a black tide that devoured any goblin unlucky enough to be caught in his wake. The tight spaces of the trees were clearly unsuitable for the giant blade in his hand, yet it danced freely in his dextrous fingers. A flash of steel was the last thing many goblins saw before their head were separated from their diminutive bodies.

    Similarly, Melia charged forward, creating an equal path of destruction alongside Gilean. Her blows were powerful, but focused. She displayed none of the berserker traits or otherwise brutish actions many of her kin would''ve otherwise displayed. Melia''s movements with her battleaxe strongly resembled Gilean''s swordsmanship, though it was not nearly so precise or fluid.

    What was mostly a silent slaughter of goblins on the right side, the same could not be said for the left. Half-a-heartbeat after Semphil gave the signal, a ferocious bestial roar erupted from Samantha''s throat. It was to Semphil''s, Melia''s and Gilean''s credit that they didn''t so much as flinch at the unexpected noise, even though they had been warned by Samantha herself what kind of druid she was.

    The destructive rampage currently being carried out by Gilean and Melia was casual enough that he could afford to spare a few glances towards Samantha. Gilean was surprised at how quick and how violent the transformation was. In the span of about ten seconds, Samantha had gone form an unassuming elvalya to a massive golden-colored panther that was only a little smaller than Artok.

    Gilean, who was making short work of the goblins with his longsword, glanced over at Samantha (I really want to call her ¡°Samanther¡± in this form.) soon overtook their fearless leader and started mowing the goblins down with her shiny new fangs and claws. The shrill screams of the goblins echoed throughout the forest and were punctuated by the twin roars of Samanther and Artok.

    The lone figure who stayed at the back, tightly clutched his staff as he fired off small elemental bolts with deadly accuracy at the goblins perched high on the trees. In less than two minutes, all of the goblins had been exterminated with a deadly and ruthless efficiency.

    Well. Almost all of the goblins anyway.

    ¡°Would you hurry up already?!¡± snapped Melia.

    ¡°Give.¡± Bam. A fist slammed into the goblin''s face which elicited a satisfying crunch as his nose snapped. ¡°Me.¡± Bam. Another blow to the abdomen causing the goblin to gag. ¡°A few more seconds.¡± Bam. Bam. Bam. The blows were neither too fast nor too hard. Gilean was making sure to take his time.

    The other three looked at the brutal beating with an equal mixture of surprise and sympathy.

    ¡°I almost feel sorry for him.¡± whispered Samantha softly.

    Surprisingly, the goblin leader managed to hear her: ¡°It okay, me like strong women.¡± coughed the goblin leader.

    The severe expression on Melia''s face was instantly broken as she started laughing out loud with the others soon following suit.

    <hr />

    Gilean was jogged out of his reverie as Melia sat down beside him. He gave Melia a sidelong glance. ¡°Story time''s over, then?¡± his laugh was cut short with a yelp as Melia punched him hard in the shoulder.

    ¡°I figured it was about time for dinner to be ready.¡± said Melia calmly.

    ¡°You figured right. Come, friends. Partake in the meal I have so lovingly prepared for all of you.¡± Gilean made an expansive gesture with his arms as everyone present, including the animals, rolled their eyes, though they all hungrily tucked into the meal.

    ¡°This is good...!¡± muttered Semphil with a surprised look on his face.

    ¡°It''s delicious! What''d you put in it?¡± Damien had already wolfed down his first bowl somehow and was already reaching for seconds.

    ¡°Oh you know, the usual. A little bit of this and little bit of that.¡± vaguely explained Gilean, who had still not touched his own bowl. He gave a conspiratorial wink, ¡°You might say they''re my secret spices.¡±

    Melia slowly dropped her spoon into the bowl and gazed at it intensely.

    ¡°What secret spices?¡± she asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Seasoning salt, chilli powder, onion powder, vusharn extract and a few herbs to give it that pleasant aroma.¡± He was unable to keep a grin spreading across his face. At this point, everyone except Damien had stopped eating and was glaring suspiciously at Gilean.

    Oblivious to the growing situation, Damien boasted, ¡°I''m pretty knowledgeable about herblore. Which ones did you pick? I might be able to recommend some even better ones!¡±

    While Gilean ¡°graciously¡± filled another bowl for Damien, the others had resumed eating, following Melia''s lead.

    ¡°Let''s think...¡± Gilean scrunched up his face as he pretended to concentrate. ¡°Silverleaf...¡±

    ¡°Ah, that would be where the slight refreshing aftertaste comes from. A good choice.¡± said Damien approvingly between gulps.

    ¡°Cinnaroot...Barrowind and some other plant that had a good aroma.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What did this plant look like?¡±

    Gilean made a strangling noise in his throat that seemed like he had choked on his food. Melia knew that in fact, the incorrigible elf was desperately suppressing a laugh.

    ¡°Are you all right, Gilean?¡± asked Damien with some concern.

    ¡°I''m-heh-ah, fine. Just swallowed a bit of food down ¨C heh ¨C the wrong pipe.¡± forced out Gilean in between (badly) concealed snickers. ¡°The plant was about...two fingers long with eight petals spreading outwards in shades of blue and pink.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...starblossom perhaps? What was the centre color?¡±

    ¡°I believe it was a deep purple.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Then it must have been a vale flower then!¡± proclaimed Damien triumphantly. ¡°Quite rare, those flowers you know? Used to be a prized product a few hundred years ago during the Haloten-Valyn Conflict.¡± began to explain Damien as he lapsed into his storyteller persona.

    ¡°Nasty stuff that vale flower.¡± commented Damien with evident distaste, ¡°Now it''s a banned substance. Vale flowers are highly sought after though for it''s highly poisonous properties! In fact...¡± Damien trailed off as he started to process something in his head. His face blanched as he dropped the empty bowl in his hands to the ground; a horrified expression on his face.

    With an incredible amount of speed that Gilean didn''t think that the young mage was capable of, he slapped the bowl away from Samantha. ¡°This is terrible! We have to find arrynleaves immediately! That''ll be able to detoxify us, but only if we can find it in the next fifteen minutes!¡±

    ¡°Damien, he didn''t actually...¡± began Samantha only to be stopped mid-sentence with a squeak as Damien grabbed both of her shoulders and put his face so close to hers that they were almost touching. ¡°I will save you! Don''t worry, we can do this!¡±

    The combination of Damien''s super serious expression and Samantha''s beet-red face was too much for Gilean to take as he burst out laughing. It was such a carefree and innocent laughter that wouldn''t have been out of place on even a toddler. Melia''s lips curved slightly into a smile even as she tried to fix a stern look on Gilean.

    ¡°Gilean! This is no laughing matter!¡± exclaimed Damien as he whipped his head towards the elf who, at this point, had fallen onto the ground clutching his stomach continuing to laugh uproariously. ¡°That vale flower you put into the stew is extremely toxic!¡± Damien was clearly getting agitated and was worried that the flower had induced a fit of insanity in the young elf.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Wiping a tear from his eye, Gilean shakily pulled out a long flower from a pouch and tossed it over to Damien. ¡°You mean that flower?¡±

    Damien ran his eyes critically over the flower: Approximately sixteen centimetres long with eight petals extending from the top. Each petal was splashed with vivid hues of a deep blue and a brilliant pink color. The centre of the deadly plant was occupied by a pale gold. ¡°Yes this is most certainly the vale flower. It''s incredible that there was even one growing in this dry region, but this purple centre confirms it...?¡±

    Damien looked perplexed as he peered at the flower for a closer inspection and then gave it a tentative sniff. ¡°...This is a starblossom.¡±

    ¡°That''s a starblossom.¡± chuckled Gilean, finally digging into his own meal. The rest of the party were calmly eating their own stew, alternately glancing at Damien with some concern and glaring at Gilean. The elf in question showed absolutely no traces of remorse as he slurped up his meal, eyeing Damien with an expectant glee in his eyes.

    For his part, Damien was staring at the flower with a blank expression, lips moving in an inaudible fashion. Finally he looked at Gilean who was shocked to see a smile appear on his face.

    Perhaps I''ve underestimated this fellow...!

    Gilean put down his own bowl and stared back confidently at Damien.

    ¡°Well played.¡± praised Damien sincerely while sporting a broad grin. ¡°Just remember that you started it.¡±

    The others were flabbergasted at this development and couldn''t understand what was going on as the two men came to some sort of mutual understanding. Damien held out the flower for Gilean to take back, who after a slight hesitation, grabbed onto the starblossom. He thought he could feel...something as he stretched out his senses, but he wasn''t sure. There was definitely something weird about the flower, but he was curious as to see what the mage would do.

    ¡°Ow!¡± cried Gilean, jerking his hand back. He opened his palm to discover a small red welt with a thin black line running down the middle. Gilean looked at Damien with begrudging admiration, who in response opened his hand. There, fixed to the centre of his palm, was a small shiny piece of novochore. Damien demonstrated it''s application by contracting the muscles of his hand once to display a burst of electricity racing out from the stone.

    ¡°Return fire acknowledged.¡± said Gilean, rubbing a small pasted onto his hand that Damien handed to him. ¡°Terms and conditions?¡±

    ¡°Time limit is until the end of the mission. All events must only occur during breaks and must not hamper progress.¡± quickly rattled off Damien.

    ¡°Very well. Let the Prank War begin.¡± announced Gilean solemnly.

    Both men spat into their palms and shook each other firmly, thereby sealing the pact.

    ¡°¡°Idiots...¡±¡± sighed Melia and Samantha. For one brief moment, there existed no invisible tension between them as they gave each other sympathetic looks.

    <hr />

    ¡°Hmph.¡± That was the only noise that Semphil made that gave any indication to his displeasure. Their previously smooth journey had hit a rather major snag. ¡°And how long is the alternative?¡± he asked the young knight in charge of redirecting traffic. A capable looking fellow, if a bit on the small side, who was looking rather intimidated for some reason.

    ¡°Ah, well sir, if you''re looking to get to the Lestaf border you and your companions will need to go around to Luval''s Post and from there take a ferry across the lake.¡±

    ¡°And how long would that take?¡± sighed Semphil.

    The youth looked uneasy, ¡°...About four days. Sorry, sir.¡±

    ¡°Don''t be. This...this was just rather bad luck.¡± Bad luck was putting it mildly though, as he eyed the ruined remains of the mountain pass. There were no other major geographic barriers between Lestaf and Synarth, besides this one. However, sources of water and food resulted in the creation of towns that lay close to the centres of each kingdom. Because of this, there was a lack of development for multiple roads leading between the two nations. In addition, Lestaf was a land that heavily touted human superiority. While Synarth was more of a country that believed in equality among all races. Despite this, the two nations were cordial enough, though both were understandably unwilling to develop any infrastructure that would further connect their nations.

    Semphil and his new travelling companions were standing in front of the now barred Alfore Pass. The major trading route between Synarth and Lestaf that snaked through a large and treacherous mountain range. What was once a wide lane where many people from both nations were passing through was now almost completely filled with rubble from the surrounding cliffs.

    It could not be said that Synarth''s forces were inefficient though, as the massive pile of rubble that blocked off entrance from the Synarthian side would be cleared within a week''s time. Unfortunately, Semphil and the others were on somewhat of a tight schedule.

    An idea came to mind, ¡°Are you lacking purely in manpower, by any chance? If so, my companions and I...¡±

    ¡°Sorry sir. This kind of work needs a delicate touch. While I''m sure that your abilities could clear this blockage in no time, they would also set off a chain reaction along the entire pass.¡± said the guard apologetically.

    ¡°Was the damage truly that great? How did this even happen?¡± asked Semphil concernedly. Alfore Pass was a long route that snaked between the towering mountain cliffs for about fifty kilometres. From the exit of the canyon, it would only be another thirty kilometres to the border and their midway point. Based on what he''d heard from the guard, nearly half of the pass had been blocked off.

    ¡°I''ve been told to tell travellers that it was a large band of trolls. People are surprised, but they can understand as there have been such families seen around the area.¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    The guard hesitated as he checked for anyone who might be listening in, ¡°...Truthfully sir, we''re not exactly sure what happened. All I heard was the sound of the canyon walls bursting apart and then filling in the pass. Some other men say they saw a bright violet flash fill up the entire place before the explosion.¡±

    Semphil frowned as he gazed once more at the blocked pass, ¡°Any survivors?¡±

    ¡°Not so far. We''re still clearing away the rubble...but so far we haven''t found anyone.¡± he said despondently.

    ¡°What about suspects?¡± The security of Alfore Pass was quite thorough: several guard posts were scattered throughout the expanse of the canyon. The first and last posts at either end of the canyon recorded the identities of every person who entered and exited the pass. From what he remembered as well, grand treasures capable of long distance communication were stationed at each of these outposts, to ensure quick responses.

    ¡°A few. Maybe. But our patrols haven''t seen anyone leaving the pass either through it or over it.¡± he looked over his shoulder to see his partner waving at him, ¡°Ah, I better get back to re-directing traffic.¡±

    ¡°My apologies, I did not mean to take up your time.¡±

    ¡°Don''t be. It''s my job after all. Plus it was an honour to be talking to the legendary ''Mobile Fortress''¡± laughed the guard. He started to turn away and paused as if he had remembered something, ¡°If you''re really pressed for time, then maybe you could try something of a detour. It might actually get you to your destination faster, considering you wouldn''t have to stop at any posts.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Why aren''t you diverting people towards there?¡±

    ¡°It''s a very dangerous route. Narrow paths that cut high through the mountains. There''s a few monsters, but not many are too dangerous. I''ve heard from other people who have passed through there that there''s a fairly strong bandit group making base near the trail.¡±

    ¡°I''m surprised they haven''t been caught yet.¡± said Semphil evenly, trying to keep a reprimanding tone out from his voice.

    The young guard flushed angrily, though not towards Semphil, ¡°Slippery bastards always manage to get away. We can''t send any force in numbers as the pass is too narrow for more than two people to travel abreast. We''re sure there''s a hidden way that leads to the ground, though we haven''t been able to find it yet.¡±

    A smile creased his face, ¡°Then perhaps, this could work out in both of our favours.¡±

    The young man smiled in understanding before a trace of worry flashed across his face, ¡°I''m not pressing you or anything. This is still quite a dangerous-¡±

    ¡°It''s okay. I''m glad you told me. I can''t promise anything, but if we do run into these bandits, we''ll take care of them.¡± interrupted Semphil gently, easing the knight.

    ¡°I-Thank you, sir. If you do, please inform the guards at the other end of the canyon.¡± he then added on quickly, ¡°If, ah, you have time that is.¡±

    Semphil thanked the guard for his time who returned his words with a snappy salute. He was a rather earnest fellow thought Semphil as he walked over to his companions.

    ¡°No good. Pass is completely blocked off. Closest detour will put us off schedule by at least two days.¡± said Semphil.

    ¡°And I don''t suppose our guy will wait that long, will he?¡± asked Gilean with a glum face.

    ¡°His position is what will let us across the border, but it''s also his position that will force him to leave very soon after the scheduled time.¡± explained Semphil. ¡°Good news is that there''s something of a detour. I''ve heard it could be dangerous though.¡±

    ¡°Dangerous in what way?¡± asked Damien.

    ¡°Dangerous for normal people.¡± chuckled Semphil as everyone else laughed with knowing smiles.

    <hr />

    ¡°Surprisingly, they''re actually a little worse than the goblins.¡± commented Gilean nonchalantly.

    ¡°Really? The ambush was a lot better I think.¡± replied Damien.

    ¡°He''s talking about the smell. Avrak! These guys stink!¡± cursed Melia, wrinkling her nose in clear distaste.

    ¡°OI! What the hell are you lot muttering about there?!¡± shouted a burly man with greasy brown hair. Standing a least a head above the other twenty men in his company, he was dressed in what Semphil could only describe as being ¡°excessively gaudy¡±. A black and gold doublet with intricate designs on the sides was split open at the middle to reveal a silk shirt dyed in a royal purple. He had three necklaces outfitted with precious gems that possibly carried some sort of enchantment with similarly matching rings on every finger. A hefty-looking battleaxe was being loosely cradled in his hands, though it looked a fair bit smaller compared to the one adorning Melia''s back. To finish all of this off, the man had a golden crown with inlaid gems the color of the rainbow that flashed with every subtle movement of his head.

    Semphil was by no means a greedy man, but he did not think that today would turn out to be so profitable.

    The man''s angered shouts had no effect on the incorrigible elf and human youths. ¡°For a group holed up in the mountains, he seems to be wearing pretty clean clothes.¡± noted Damien, ¡°I guess it''s true that they do have a base somewhere up here.¡±

    ¡°So why are the other members dressed like crap?¡± wondered Gilean loud enough to be heard by the bandits.

    While several members cursed angrily at Gilean, Semphil noted with interest that there were not a few of them that directed such stares towards their leader.

    ¡°Keep your filthy mouth shut, elf.¡± ordered another man quietly. He was the second of three members of the group who stood out amongst the bandits. With skin darker than Semphil''s own and hair as white as moonlight, the drow curled his lips in a cruel smile as he stared malevolently at Gilean and Samantha.

    Artok growled low and dangerously at the drow who directed such ill will towards his master. The bandits on the ground with crossbows levelled their weapons evenly on Artok, fingers on the triggers. Samantha was crouched near Artok and spoke soothingly towards her companion in a long string of Elvish, though she glared at the drow as she did so.

    Per the guard''s directions, they had found the path easily enough, and true to his words, it was a rather uneven path. Getting the horses through some of the turns would''ve proved to be annoying, but thankfully, Damien''s magic came in handy at these occasions. They had walked for a few hours along the winding trail making idle conversation with each other about how ¡°impossibly difficult¡± this trail was and how ¡°tired¡± they were while studiously ignoring the several pairs of eyes that were ¡°secretively¡± watching them.

    ...For some reason, Semphil felt like he had become much more sarcastic in the short time he had been travelling with this group. Disregarding those thoughts, Semphil thought that the bandits had taken the bait a little too easily as he eyed the group displayed before him. The trail had opened up into a bowl shaped depression with only a single exit and tall ten metre walls surrounding it. Standing on the edges of the walls were ten other human men and women dressed in a mix of dark, loose-fitting clothes aiming crossbows at them from behind and at their sides.

    A total of thirty-one people, including the leader.

    ¡°Just to be clear...you are bandits, correct?¡± asked Semphil politely.

    ¡°Isn''t that obvious?¡± said the third man who stuck out. While not as swarthy as the leader he stood next to, he carried off a similar aura of strength. Together with the drow and leader, these three seemed to be the core members of the bandit group.

    ¡°And there aren''t any other bandit groups in the area? No hidden leader?¡±

    ¡°Motherfucker, there''s only one king of these mountains and that''s me! Gabor the Howling Axe!¡± proclaimed the gaudily dressed leader.

    ¡°From the Mercenary House?¡± Semphil was surprised that someone like Gabor was in a place like this. From what he had heard of the man was that he had ended up killing a client who delivered a request to the House and running off with the promised reward. His capture, alive or dead, was ranked as a B-rank mission.

    ¡°So you''ve heard of me, then.¡± said Gabor in a pleased tone of voice. ¡°Perhaps, you''ve also heard of my companions then as well.¡± nodding towards the drow and the black-haired man at his sides.

    ¡°Zoru of the Darkness.¡± introduced the drow.

    ¡°Volcanic Blade Beaumont¡± said the other man.

    ¡°Howling Axe? Pfft. More like the Howling Ass...¡± muttered Gilean.

    ¡°You say something boy?!¡± roared Gabor.

    ¡°Yes, sir! I was just wondering what ranks people as famous as you had achieved?¡± instantly replied Gilean.

    The three fugitives visibly swelled with pride at Gilean''s words, ¡°Good to see an elf with manners! Don''t see too many of those, do we Beaumont?¡±

    ¡°No sir! And the ones who don''t...¡± chuckled Beaumont darkly as he pulled out a zweihander from his back.

    ¡°Don''t live for very long.¡± finished Zoru with a sinister smile.

    ¡°Well boy, since you''re so curious, I''ll give you the privilege of seeing just who we are.¡± Gabor reached into his doublet to pull out a worn medallion with small, exquisitely designed carvings of a bow, hammer, staff and greatsword on it''s face. Even if he couldn''t see it from this distance, Semphil knew the words ¡°Strength in each other¡± were arrayed in a circular fashion around the weapon designs on the medallion. This was the official emblem of the Mercenary House; it represented an unmistakable symbol of authority and power in the world as well as a personal means of identification for rankers.

    Gabor squeezed his hand as the medallion seemed to come alive and glowed with an inner light, causing the weapon carvings on the face of the emblem to stand out even more. The rays of light shooting out of the light coalesced together to form two virtual symbols that hovered in front of the emblem:

    B2

    In the silence that followed, the strongest leader sneered at Semphil as he proudly displayed his rank. Semphil sighed, feeling like an idiot.

    ¡°Dibs on the crown.¡± exclaimed Gilean.

    ¡°Don''t be selfish, we''re dividing everything evenly.¡± admonished Samantha.

    ¡°Hey, I don''t want to melt it down. I actually want the crown. I''ll pay you guys what it''s worth!¡± explained Gilean.

    ¡°Wait, you actually want to wear that thing?¡± said Damien with a shocked expression.

    ¡°Hell no! I figured it would be a good present for a friend!¡±

    ¡°Who would want...¡± began Melia as a look of understanding dawned on her, ¡°Really? Who knows when we''ll see him!¡±

    ¡°Oh come on.¡± sighed Gilean, ¡°You know that stupid crown is exactly the kind of thing he would love. It''s not like we need the money either.¡±

    ¡°Who exactly are you two talking-¡±

    ¡°WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU''RE IGNORING?!¡±

    Samantha''s question was interrupted by a furious howl from Gabor. The veins at his neck were bulging out, his face was dyed in an angry red.

    ¡°We''re ignoring you, dumbass!¡± shouted back Gilean.

    Gabor reeled back as if he had been struck in the face. Though this shock only lasted a few seconds as he screamed with rage, ¡°BRING ME THAT POINTY-EARED FUCKER''S HEAD ON A PIKE! FIRE!!!¡±

    Gabor''s order was swiftly carried out as all of the crossbows that were aimed at them had their triggers pulled. Whoosh! A whirlwind was generated as soon as Gabor gave the order for his artillery. Surprisingly, some crossbow bolts managed to pierce the wind barrier, though they had lost most of their power and were easily blocked by Semphil.

    ¡°Sorry about that Semphil. They were a bit stronger than I thought. I think their leader personally used his valence for those last few bolts¡± apologized Damien.

    ¡°Don''t be. Nice work with the barrier.¡± said Semphil as he drew his longsword.

    ¡°Impossible! How the hell did he manage to block all of those bolts! Some of those I enchanted personally!¡± exclaimed Gabor.

    ¡°Called it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. We''re all very impressed.¡± said Gilean patronizingly. ¡°You mind if I take the drow, fearless leader?¡±

    At this point, Beaumont and several other warriors were charging towards their location. Surprisingly, besides Beaumont of course, at least six of them were capable of using valence. Different multi-coloured auras of ki in many different shapes coated these individuals. Of course Beaumont was at the forefront of these men, and seemed to at least be a B1 rank based on his speed.

    The distance between their two groups was trivial for B-rank valences and Beaumont had already appeared in front of Semphil. There was an ugly expression on his face as his muscles bulged obscenely, gripping the blood red zweihander in his hands with a deadly amount of force.

    But even without activating his valence, there was someone who was still faster than him. Gilean stabbed his greatsword into the ground as he blocked Beaumont''s swing with contemptuous ease. The ground practically exploded as Gilean''s sword touched it and Beaumont''s blade was repelled from the force. The man stumbled back, stupidly looking at the ground and his own blade.

    Semphil silently praised the boy''s swordsmanship: it looked like Gilean had simply blocked Beaumont''s blow, but through a clever shift of the incoming blade into the hilt of his greatsword, he had diverted the majority of the sword''s force into the ground.

    As if nothing had happened, Gilean continued to chat idly with Semphil, ¡°Or do you want me to get rid of the crossbow guys?¡± He tilted his head as a bolt whizzed by his elongated ears before striking the ground.

    <hr />

    The bandits who had been angrily roaring at their group had all fallen silent. Their second-in-command, whose power was only a bit weaker than Gabor''s, had had his blade blocked so easily.

    Beaumont had always considered himself to be strong, but he was smart enough to know there were some people who he couldn''t even touch. Gabor was not one of those people, even though in a one-on-one fight he knew that he would lose to Gabor. The people who could easily wipe out their entire gang were the elites of the Mercenary House. The A-rankers.

    ¡°You...who the hell are you?¡± rasped Beaumont. He hadn''t delivered his full strength into that blow, but it still shouldn''t have been repelled so easily. Beaumont thought that maybe this boy''s sword was specially enchanted somehow. There certainly was no sound of metal being struck and he had felt a weird vibration pass through his blade when he made contact.

    ¡°Me?¡± said the boy with a smile, ¡°I''m also part of the Mercenary House.¡± He gestured to his companions, ¡°We all are.¡±

    Sharp gasps went through the bandits. ¡°Fuck me, they were rankers?!¡± exclaimed Detha.

    ¡°Who cares if they''re rankers! They''ll go down, same as the rest!¡± shouted Gabor in an effort to restore calm to the rest of them. Beaumont could tell he sounded a little unsure though. Maybe we could retreat...like there''s any chance of that.

    More than the she-orc that gave off a ruthless aura or their leader who gave off an indomitable aura, there was something far more terrifying in this boy. When their mage had blocked their bolts, Beaumont had known that this group was strong. Which is why he thought it best to take out what appeared to be their leader. They were all dangerous, he could tell now. But when he stared into this elf''s golden eyes, a paralysing fear overcame him.

    ¡°Well? Feel like surrendering? You only get one chance.¡± asked the boy with a carefree smile.

    ¡°To hell with you elf!¡± roared Gabor as he activated his own valence. There was a dull boom as a pale blue aura of ki enveloped his body, pushing several of the bandits backwards from the force of the activation.

    Beaumont had already made his decision however as he threw his blade to the ground and knelt in submission. ¡°Beaumont you snivelling sack of shit! I''ll kill you for this!¡± promised Gabor, ¡°Take them all out Zoru!¡±

    Everything happened in a moment as three of the elf''s companions sprang into action. The she-orc and elf woman both triggered their valences: glowing emerald rings appeared on top of she-orc''s head as a similarly coloured layer of ki shimmered along her body. The elf woman''s valence was much more subdued, but still felt more powerful than Gabor''s, as golden streams of ki continually ran in rivulets down her body, seemingly forming ethereal claws near her hands and feet.

    The mage unleashed a ball of electricity towards the bandits who were standing on the walls while the elf woman leaped up to the men on the other side in a single bound. The she-orc had disappeared with a loud crack as a shockwave exploded from where she had previously been standing.

    Zoru had quite literally been cut off in the middle of his spell as the orc''s axe cleanly bisected him. Gabor and the bandits were standing there stupefied, unsure of what had just happened. As Beaumont watched the orc slaughter them, those expressions had still not changed when their heads fell to the ground.

    It was only a few seconds and their entire group, save him, had been utterly decimated by just three people. Beaumont shivered uncontrollably as the elf and the leader turned towards him. ¡°I-I surrender! I''ll go with you peacefully!¡± he babbled.

    ¡°Do we need prisoners?¡± queried the elf, looking at his leader.

    ¡°Too much trouble.¡± stated the man gruffly.

    Before he could say anything in protest, the elf leaped forward and impaled Beaumont on his sword. An unimaginable amount of pain. More than he had felt in his entire life, but he couldn''t even scream. He could only cough weakly as he felt his life ebbing away from him, staring into those demonic yellow eyes.

    <hr />

    The Orcish Language (Kork''ul Dialect)

    Avrak: General expression of disgust

    Previous Chapter</a>