by Dixon, TJ
“It’s almost sunrise.” Peter says looking up as if he can see through the forest canopy. “There’s no point going back to sleep. We may as well pack anything we need to and prepare to move on.”
“Like the bed.” Lucy says darkly. Sor was sleeping on it whilst everyone else slept on the ground. It is a pity she only kept one in that bag.
“Just because you didn’t think to bring one, don’t blame me.” Sor says.
“Like we could carry around a bed without one of those magic bags you have.” Lucy says with a glare.
“Then you should have got a magic bag too.” Sor says.
“Do you have any idea how rare they are?” Lucy asks.
“Not really.” Sor says with a shrug.
“It takes a very skilled alchemist to make it, but worse it requires extremely rare ingredients. You could buy a whole street in Portalis much cheaper than that bag.” Lucy says.
“Really?” Sor asks sounding interested for the first time.
“Yes.” Lucy says.
“Well Emi’s mother made it, so I’m never selling it.” Sor says and I breathe a sigh of relief. “What, you thought I’d sell it?”
“No!” I protest.
“The sun has risen. Could you just put the bed away? Everything else is already packed.” Peter says.
“Fine.” Sor says and quickly puts it in the bag. Hinata seems really impressed it fits in a bag many times smaller than itself. Dairon however appears a little uncomfortable about it. “Ready.”
“Don’t you think you should wash before you say you’re ready?” Lucy asks and Sor goes red.
“Fine, but if anyone looks, I’ll kill them.” Sor says. It may sound like an exaggeration but for Dairon and Peter she actually means it.
“I’ll go on a little ahead and wait for you to catch up.” Peter says. He looks like he has already washed even though he was standing there the whole time. Dairon and Lucy appeared to be fresh even when they first got up. Lucy and Dairon follow Peter and that just leaves Sor and Hinata with me.
“That includes you Hinata.” Sor says with a glare and Hinata gulps and turns away from us. It doesn’t take long for us to wash our bodies and our clothes. Peter didn’t go far so we catch up quickly.
“Ready?” Peter asks.
“Yes.” Sor says and I nod.
“Dairon estimates another week and a half before we reach the mountains. Of course it does depend on maintaining a reasonable pace.” Peter says.
“Why are we walking?” Sor asks and her frustration is clear.
“We don’t have a choice.” Peter says with a frown. “I wish we could port or fly, but we’d be detected by the enemy.”
“Elves aren’t exactly known for their skills at dimensional magic.” Sor says.
Dairon shakes his head before speaking. “The enemy aren’t all elves and even an elf can detect a port. It was different before we were conquered but we have been trained in basic dimensional magic. Most elves still wouldn’t know exactly where or who had ported but they’d know there had been a port nearby. The Envoy however would know exactly where we were.”
“How many elves are we up against?” Sor asks curiously.
“Let’s walk and talk.” Peter says and Dairon leads the way. Sor struggles to keep up with Dairon but for now she is managing to walk beside him.
“So how many?” Sor asks.
“We believe a whole tribe of elves is using the Kuroneko Mountains as a base to attack Contractia, or at least they were before Minerva fell. Now it is just part of their territory and the tribe is keeping the locals under control.” Dairon says.
“So how many in a tribe?” Sor asks.
“It depends on the tribe. If it is a small tribe, perhaps just a few dozen but some tribes have at least a few hundred elves in. The original tribes had tens of thousands, but they split up long ago.” Dairon tells her.
“Even a few dozen is a bit much for such a small group.” Sor says clearly just as worried as I am.
“We’re not here to defeat the tribe.” Dairon explains.
“We’re not?” Sor asks confused.
“No. Only Lucy and Peter know what our mission is but it isn’t to defeat the elves.” Dairon says.
“Emi, ask one of them what our mission is.” Sor says even though they can both hear her.
“Even if you asked me directly I wouldn’t tell you, and neither will Peter.” Lucy says with a laugh.
“It better not be something pointless.” Sor says with a sigh.
“It isn’t.” Peter says confidently.
“So tell me what it is.” Sor says angrily.
“I can’t.” Peter tells her.
“Then it probably is pointless.” Sor says with a huff and then looks away from Peter.
We walk sometimes talking but mostly in silence. Sor quickly falls behind Dairon and soon I am walking beside her at the back of the group. Peter is only just ahead of us with Lucy on his shoulder but Hinata and Dairon are at the front a good ten to twenty foot away most of the time. Dairon and Hinata often stop to wait for the rest of us but we always fall behind again very quickly.
“I’ve got to stop for a minute.” Sor finally says. Before we joined them we often ported a small distance to catch up when Sor needed to take a quick break. Now though we are walking together and have been told not to port, so that is no longer an option.
“The annoying girl is even worse than Peter.” Lucy says with a sigh.
“Sor has only just recovered from the curse.” I remind Lucy.
“Then she should be grateful for the chance to exercise her body.” Lucy says with a huff.
“Grateful?!” Sor asks, but she can’t say anything else because she is so short of breath.
“Yes.” Lucy laughs and I glare at her.
“Lucy…” Peter says sounding exasperated.
“Yes?” Lucy asks sweetly.
“Can you try not to torment our friends?”
“But it’s just so much fun.” Lucy says with a laugh.
“Please?” Peter asks.
“Oh fine, but if they provoke me I’ll show them no mercy.” Lucy says cheerfully. That Sor doesn’t respond just goes to show how much she was struggling.
“Is everything ok?” Dairon asks walking back towards us.
“Yes.” Peter says. “We’re just waiting for Sor to catch her breath.”
“Am I walking too fast?” Dairon asks sounding worried.
“Maybe we should slow the pace slightly if it is this hard for Sor.” Peter says.
“It will take longer to get to the mountains but I’ll try to walk a bit slower.” Dairon says nodding.
“I should be better now, if we walk slowly.” Sor says but she is still clearly short of breath. I look at her worriedly.
“I may not look it but I am quite strong. Would it help if I carried Sor?” Dairon asks.
“Do you want me to kill you?” Sor asks him with a glare.
“No.” Dairon says shaking his head clearly confused.
“Then don’t ask stupid questions.” Sor says still glaring.
We continue at a slower pace and Sor stops every now and again to get her breath back. We stop for the day a little before the sun sets. Dairon and Hinata go to gather food whilst we wait in another small glade. I turn some nearby stones into comfy seats and Peter gathers firewood. Sor lies on the grass clearly even more exhausted than when we were following everyone. She doesn’t even have the energy to get the bed out. Thankfully Lucy keeps quiet for now.
Once everyone is back Hinata prepares supper. I am starving so am really grateful for the food. It is roasted spicy spider. The spider’s body was about three foot wide and even its legs were a couple of inches thick. It looks a bit disgusting but it smells and looks lovely. Fortunately Sor didn’t see it until it was cooked and the smell was enough to wave aside any complaints about the appearance.
Our seats are near the fire so they are warm now. We just sit there full and content fo
r a while. Neither Lucy nor Sor seem to want to argue so it is quite peaceful. Peter and Dairon will be keeping watch tonight and it will be our turn again tomorrow. Hinata and Lucy will not be taking turns. Sor gets the bed out and gets in it as the rest of us settle on the soft grass.
“We should probably avoid the glades from tomorrow.” Dairon says as he settles down onto the grass.
“We’re that close?” Peter asks surprised.
“No, but I sense danger ahead. The elves still shouldn’t be a problem this far away, but monsters may be.” Dairon says cautiously.
(Nico Na)
When the elves came we were caught completely unprepared. Even at a feast like the one were eating we could easily have fought off most enemies. The Kuroneko would have smelt them long before they reached us, but even caught by surprise we would have recovered. Even if we hadn’t been caught off guard though, we could never have beaten the elves.
Now most of my people are serving the elves like slaves. The Kuroneko herself could not be so easily captured even by elves, but with her followers enslaved she is much weakened. As far as I know I am the only one from my people to have escaped the elves. They knew we couldn’t port so they didn’t put up a port block. I was ported by the Contractians though and I tried to copy them. I manage most things with my first attempt and this was no exception. It worked exactly how I thought it would.
My escaping didn’t go unnoticed, but one catman is hardly a threat to the elves. They are much more concerned with catching the Kuroneko. They have guards almost everywhere near the temple mountain, but they seem more concerned with people sneaking in, rather than out.
I made it to safety through a rarely used tunnel under the mountain. It isn’t the main one that connects to the villages under the mountain, like the one Yu Kii and Haru Kii came from. I have heard rumours that this was an ancient dwarven tunnel that is even older than the Kuroneko herself.
I came out just inside the forest. Fighting an elven tribe alone is impossible but I hate the idea of simply fleeing. What other options do I have though? I thought about it a while before deciding that I have none. So I cursed my weakness and fled deeper into the forest to save myself. Now I am living far from the mountain of my birth in disgrace hunting for food and living from day to day just to survive.
I smell something different. It only takes a moment to realise it is an elf. Just one elf though. It is common sense that a catman can’t beat even just one elf, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try. They will track me down and kill me even if I flee. It is much better to fight than to be hunted and slaughtered. Hoping they haven’t noticed me yet, even though I know that they surely have, I approach them silently.
The elf is in a small glade, and after a moment I realise I mistook her smell, because in those light brown trousers and that pale grey linen shirt is clearly a young human woman and not an elf. I would guess she is about six foot tall. She has short white hair and pale skin with a golden tint, so I assume she is from the mountains. What I notice first though, is that she is caught in the web of a huge spider. The spider’s body is perhaps thirty foot wide and has a natural shield against magic.
The woman is using a magical shield but it is weakening by the moment and she seems to have no power to attack. I cannot kill that spider without attracting the attention of the elves but I should be able to cut the web and get her away from the spider if I time it right. I can’t wait long though, because her shield could fail at any moment.
I jump at her, dodging the spider’s venomous spit and razor sharp legs. I extend my spirit into blades from each of my claws and cut the web around her. I withdraw my spirit and claws, as my body throws her to the ground. The spider spits at me again but I put up a quick shield. Then I throw the woman onto my back and run on all fours like my ancestors did.
The spider pursues us but I easily outrun it. After a while it loses interest. Then I throw the woman off my back and onto the ground. It is not good for a catman to let a mere human ride on his back.
“Thank you!” She says bowing deeply.
“Who are you?” I ask suspiciously.
“I’m Kai. I was travelling to the temple of the Kuroneko.”
“Why?”
“I was told that it was really impressive, so I wanted to see it.” Kai says.
“The Fallen Angels and elves have captured the temple, so you should turn back.” I warn her. Her face goes grim as I mention the Fallen Angels.
“So how did you get away?” Kai asks accusingly.
“I ran away like a coward.” I admit. Then Kai laughs.
“Well, thank you for saving me.” Kai says.
“Are you thanking me or mocking me?” I ask confused.
“Perhaps both.” Kai says with a playful smile.
“Well, good luck.” I say and walk away from her.
“Wait!” Kai calls out.
“What now?” I ask.
“Is there any chance you could help me get unlost?”
“You’re lost?” I ask surprised.
“Yes. I entered the forest weeks ago and haven’t a clue where I am anymore. Is that the way towards the mountains?”
“No. That’s directly away from the mountains, and would be the best direction to walk.” I tell her.
“I ran out of food a couple of days ago.” Kai tells me sounding desperate.
“So you mock me and now you want my help?” I ask.
“I was mostly thanking you.” Kai says wincing.
“Where did you come from?” I ask.
“I can’t go back where I came from.” Kai says firmly but looking sad.
“Why not?” I ask.
“I’d be killed if I went back.” Kai says looking at the ground.
“Why?”
“You’re not allowed to leave my village.” Kai explains.
“So why did you leave?”
“I was bored.” Kai says and I blink.
“Bored?”
“Yes.” Kai nods as if that explains everything.
“So how did you learn magic?” I ask.
“My father taught it to me.” Kai tells me. It is unusual for someone living in a village, but perhaps a mage retired there or fell in love with a woman from the village.
“There’s a human fishing village near the river. That’s not where you’re from, right?” I ask.
“No, it isn’t.”
“Then I’ll take you there. I have nothing else to do. Not that I can do anyway.” I say.
“Thank you!” Kai says bowing deeply again.
(Nairon)
I have been ordered to help capture the Kuroneko. Capturing a god is no simple task. There are of course many others hunting the Kuroneko but I have two elves under my command and both are talented spider riders. We each ride a spiderfly. Their bulbous grey bodies are about ten foot wide and covered in thick brown fur. They all have unseen dimensional wings and their long, thin legs are covered in the same brown fur as their bodies. Elves can’t stand these foul creatures, but we have no choice. We must use them, because it is the Envoy’s command and we dare not disobey.
The Kuroneko was hiding in the mountains, but it seems to have fled into the forest now. A poor choice, because the forest is where elves are at their best. It is also further now from those who believe in it, so it will have a harder time replenishing its soul. Even so we must not let our guard down or underestimate our foe.
Seraph is looking down intently. Her blue eyes are glazed over so she is obviously using her elemental senses to detect the Kuroneko. Her pale skin is common amongst the tribe but her short blonde hair is not. I heard she has a little Contractian blood. Her great grandmother was a Contractian captured in the last war if I recall correctly.
Ishki looks at me with a grin as his short brown hair blows in a strong gust of wind. His green eyes gleam in the bright sun and his pale skin almost glows. His eyes, skin and hair are all common traits amongst our tribe, and ones I share. The wind only grows stronger so he
has to shout over it. “There’s a small group of humans below. I sense an elf too.”
“The elf doesn’t seem to be a prisoner. I’ll deal with him. You two take out the humans. Capture them alive though. It should be easy enough.” I tell Ishki and Seraph.
I don’t wait for an answer before diving down below the forest canopy. One elf and a handful of humans versus three elves and three spiderflies. The outcome is obvious. I have my spiderfly spit at the elf and I strengthen the binding goo with magic. He predictably raises a magical shield. Against a spiderfly it is the right tactic, but not against a spiderfly with a rider. The goo goes right through his shield and he is paralysed and bound.
The rest of the fight should be easy. I relax for a moment and look to see how Ishki and Seraph are doing. Like me they are using their spiders’ natural attack but strengthened with magic. We are all trained to use it when capturing an enemy. One human is already bound by the goo. To my annoyance one of the humans seems able to port goo before it hits and is now creating a perfect defence against our natural attack. I will need to help my comrades even though the enemy are just mere humans.
All of a sudden the spiderfly I am riding is dead. It happened instantly and I only understand after it is dead that it was a lightning attack. I sense dimensional energy too as if there was a small port. Did the enemy port lightning into the spiderfly? Regardless I use flight magic and abandon my dead mount.
I sense dimensional magic. Dodging I barely avoid having lightning ported inside me. I am a bit more sensitive than most elves to dimensional magic because I am not a pure blooded elf. I was also trained more vigorously than most elves because they assumed I had more talent for dimensional magic. Right now I am glad I was. I hate doing it but I raise a port block over the whole area. It hurts my body the moment it is up but they can’t use that attack again.
Who are these humans? Are they really just humans? I have never heard of humans capable of porting lightning before. Right now though what matters is defeating them.
