“Beautiful. The word you’re looking for is beautiful.” Denise smirked to me, and I noticed the elven woman that led us up giggle in front of us. The little eavesdropper.
“Okay, fine, beautiful. It really does look a lot different than human cities. But then, I guess that it would be as different as a tree is to a stone.”
I decided to check out of curiosity, and noticed that my mental map was indeed working here. “Huh. Looks like we’re almost there.”
The elf in front of us looked back at us with mild surprise, “You have been to our city before?”
“No, uh.. long story. I’ll explain it later, assuming my head remains attached to my shoulders.” I smiled a bit, and she nodded. Denise just shook her head with a grin.
“What am I going to do with you?”
“Uh, everything?”
“Good point.” She smiled to me, and reached over to take my hand.
The elves in front of us stopped as we approached a large hollowed out tree, which the other platforms seemed to have as its center. “We are here.” The elf in front of us nodded, and motioned for us to go inside. When we did, we found the interior to be quite spacious, with simple furnishings placed around to indicate that this was a meeting area.
At the far end of the room was an elf that appeared to be middle-aged. Of course, as far as I know they never really look older than that, so it was impossible to really know how old he was. “These are the.. humans?” He said the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.
“They are, sir.” Apparently, the elf woman was going to be speaking as well during this.
“And I am told that they can speak our tongue?” At that, he looked at me, and I nodded.
“For a time, at least.”
“I see. I was not aware that human magic had advanced that far yet. It has been an age since we had contact with the outside. So tell me, why did your savages come into our lands and injure one of our young?”
Well, shit. I blinked. “Pardon? I was not aware that there had been any injuries among the elves. Perhaps it would be best if you explained what happened? I only know up until the hunters left their village.”
The elf nodded. “Very well. Three nights earlier, we sent a group out to collect herbs. While they were out, they noticed that the animals were restless, and went to investigate the cause. Afterwards, the savages appeared and started screaming, throwing spears at us. One of our young was not able to avoid getting wounded, but we captured them for their attack. The next night, more came, following the path left by the attackers and wearing their cloth. So we took them as well.”
I sighed, shaking my head. “I see.. I think I know what has happened. If you would allow me to explain?” When he nodded, I began. “The first group were young ones out on their first hunt. Since the village they are from cannot sustain themselves on merely their fields, they rely on meat from the forest. When the young become a certain age, they undergo a rite of passage where they are sent into these woods together on a hunt. I think that, because they were so inexperienced, the animals were easily able to detect their presence. That’s why they were so restless.”
“And the reason for their attack?”
“The villagers do not know that elves live in these woods. At least, not completely. The one I spoke with said that there were hunter spirits, which I believe refer to your clan. When your group appeared to investigate the disturbance, I believe that they surprised the young hunters. And, because they are not old enough to know better, they assumed you were humans. To them, other humans appearing in what they perceive as their lands would be an act of aggression. So, when your group did not speak to them, because we speak different tongues, they assumed you were hostile. As I said, they are but children.”
“Then explain the ones who came later.”
“That is actually the easiest part about all of this. They were the veteran hunters from the village, who were sent to find out why their young had not returned. Like you said, they were dressed the same and followed the same path, so this time you assumed that they were hostile.”
“I see.. Tell me, this spell that you use, to communicate with us. Would you be able to use it on one of them, as well? I would like to question them without your presence. As you seem to be a third party, I can trust that you have not spoken with them before.”
“I understand. You want to get their story without the chance for me to tell them what to say, correct?” I smiled to him, and he nodded.
“As you say. You are strangers to this land, and the value of your word reflects as such. Dariel will escort you to where they are being held, and will observe you casting the spell. She will act as your escort while you are here. Perhaps you could even instruct her in the spell’s use, as she is one of our shamans.”
“I will do my best to do that as soon as my duties are complete, sir.”
He nodded, waving a hand to dismiss us, and the elf woman--Dariel, apparently-- led us out. “If what you say is true, then it seems both of our people have misunderstood the other.”
I nodded to her, following behind with Denise. “Agreed. And I’d say that the main reason would be a lack of ability to communicate. If you wouldn’t mind, I would actually like to teach you the spell when we are done. I’ve also got a few questions for you, as well. Needless to say, this is my first time meeting an elf.”
She looked back at us and smirked. “And yet you know our city as if you lived here. Perhaps I have questions for you as well, stranger.”
“Jin.”
“Pardon?”
“My name. Stranger is… well I’d rather be called by my name.”
“Very well, Jin. I am Dariel Vinehaven. And, may I ask your companion’s name?”
Denise smiled to the woman. “I’m Denise. A pleasure to meet you. Your city really is beautiful, you know?”
“Thank you. You are our first guests in many decades.”
“So you haven’t had.. new elves appearing?” I asked, trying to find a way to approach the subject.
“I’m afraid I don’t get your meaning.”
Thankfully, Denise took over. “Some of the human cities over the last couple of months have had people, foreigners we call them, appearing in the center of town with neither knowledge or wealth of our world. I believe Jin was asking if this place was the same.”
Dariel shook her head, “No, though I can not speak for other elf clans. Even among our own kind, we have been isolated too long. Maybe your arrival is a sign that we need to change, and embrace the world rather than hide from it.”
I nodded, “That would be nice. If your clan could form a peace with the human village beyond your woods, then it would be a good start.”
“I agree. But there are those even among the elves who thirst for battle. For a peace to be possible, first the humans must support your story.” She finally brought us to another hollowed tree far away from the others, though this one was the only one with something like a door. Forming a criss-cross pattern like the bars of a jail cell, thick wooden branches served as a gate for this tree. Not only that, but the ‘bars’ were wrapped in thorned vines. Inside, I could see at least a dozen humans, mostly male, ranging in age from teenagers to men in their prime. “These are the humans we have captured. Please, perform your spell.”
“Is it alright if I use the incantation? I don’t want to risk you thinking I am attempting something, but at the same time I’d have the spell as strong as it could be to prevent errors in translation.”
She nodded. “Very well. I am versed enough in the arts to know if your actions are false. You may proceed.”
“Alright.” I pulled out my grimoire and flipped it open to the page with the spell. “Sorry, new spell so I had to look up the incantation.” I smiled sheepishly to Dariel, and she shook her head with a slight smile. “Okay, here we go… In writ and spoke, in law and deed, let language flow from silver tongue. Tongues.” I pointed at a man near the front of the cage who seemed to be the least
angry at our arrival, and then nodded to Dariel, who approached the tree.
“Hunter, can you understand me now?” She asked curiously. Perhaps she wanted to make sure the spell worked first.
Either way, the hunter blinked. “You can talk? And you speak our tongue.”
Dariel nodded to me, satisfied. “Thank you, it appears that the spell works.” She waved towards an elf on a nearby platform, and then looked at the hunter again. “One of my people will be here to talk to you in a moment. Please answer his questions honestly. I truly hope that this will be resolved.”
The hunter nodded, and Dariel turned to us again. “And now, we must go. Since I am your escort, I will show you to my habitat. There, we may ask each other our questions.”
Denise giggled a bit, likely thinking about how her and I first met, but I nodded to her. “Please, lead the way.”
Chapter 9
After returning to Dariel’s habitat, which was another hollowed out tree without a door that held a comfortable looking bed and a few wooden chairs, she immediately asked me to explain how I was able to know their city so well.
“You see, the foreigners we asked about earlier? After coming to this world, they are able to learn some unusual abilities over time. In my case, I am able to navigate cities. Not entirely useful for an adventurer who spends most of his time outside, though, is it?” I smiled to her.
“No, I can see how it wouldn’t be.. So, you are a foreigner? But, you said they have only been appearing for a couple months. Does that mean that human magic has advanced to the point where one can become so skilled in such a brief period?”
I shook my head to her. “Not at all. Most children train for years. Another quality about foreigners is that our abilities grow at a faster rate. I’ve also learned that this can be shared with someone from this world.” Dariel’s eyes grew wide as saucers at that. “Ah, sorry, let me explain. Denise here is from this world. But after meeting, the two of us became good friends, and she decided to join me on my adventure. At that point, her abilities began growing as mine did. I think it would take genuine loyalty to form a bond like that.”
“I see.” She smiled and looked to Denise. “You are quite fortunate.”
“You have no idea… Adventuring has always been my dream.”
I nodded, and then remembered something. “Oh, right, I should teach you that spell. It’s not really complicated, since it was something I made on the spot, but it should prove helpful to all of you.” I took out a parchment and pen, and began writing out the details of the spell that came to me through my Magical Knowledge and Spell Knowledge skills. After I finished, I handed the page to Dariel, and she looked it over.
“I see.. It really has been too long since we embraced the outside. Our understanding of runes has become limited to those of nature.”
“Well, that’s one of the reasons I was looking for an elf clan, actually. I was hoping that I might be able to learn your Nature magic.”
That got a surprised blink from her, and she looked up at me. “You wish to know the magic of the elves?”
“I do. I am not like most foreigners, you see. Due to circumstances I can’t explain, I am unable to return to my world. As such, I need every bit of knowledge that I can get in order to survive here.”
She slowly nodded to me. “I see. Very well, I will prepare one of our beginner tomes. If your story with the humans turns out to be true, I will grant it to you as a reward. Is that alright?”
I nodded, and smiled weakly. “No point in giving it to me before I know if I’m going to see the next sunrise or not. Though, personally, I hope that I was right.”
“As do I, Jin. I do not want our clan to embrace the world in an act of war. If we come out, I want it to be with peace.”
“I understand. I hope you can accomplish this. Now, may I ask for something else?”
“You may ask, though whether we can grant it will depend on the request.”
“Of course. Denise here is an archer, but her bow is not capable of displaying her full skills. I have heard that the elves are the best archers of the land, and was hoping we might trade for one such bow.”
Dariel grinned slyly to me. “You certainly do ask for a lot, don’t you?”
“I merely wish to be able to trade. If we have anything of value to you, we will share it. In fact… I think I may know of something that would be valuable enough to purchase a good bow..” I smiled, and she tilted her head curiously. “In order to graduate as a human mage, we must perform a feat of magic that none before us have accomplished. That means that I know a spell that nobody else in the world can use. If I teach it to you, would that be sufficient?”
Denise blinked, and then grinned, and Dariel’s eyes grew wide again. “That would depend.. What form of spell is it?”
“It is my own creation, down to the rune that was used. This spell allows you to recast an existing spell as a new one. Hmm, let me give an example. As a summoner, I am capable of merging two or more of my creatures into something new. If I were to use this spell, I could then take that hybrid, and split it into its component creatures by changing it to a basic summoning, or vice versa. I could also turn one elemental spell into another, without the need to fully cast the new spell.”
“Pardon my suspicion, but what is the benefit of altering the spell instead of simply casting a new one?”
“Well, first of all, the cost of the magic used is reduced. If the first spell I cast has a greater cost than what I wish it to become, then I do not have to expend any of my own energy to cast the second spell. And if it is the other way around, I merely have to pay the difference.”
“I see… that would certainly be useful in a prolonged battle, allowing one to conserve their energy without restricting their ability.”
“My thoughts exactly. I hope to expand this spell later to learn more uses as well, but for now this is the only use I have for it.”
“And you said you created this rune yourself? That is not a simple task.”
“Yeah, well… I was very determined. For the humans, you only have one chance to become a mage. If what you create is not truly unique, you are forbidden from trying again.”
“Oh my.. there must not be very many such mages among the humans... “
“There truly aren’t. And most of those who graduate stay in the college as instructors. Typically the answer to the test is to create a spell that requires specific circumstances to cast. But, as I had no wealth to purchase rare materials, or time to wait for a rare celestial event, my options were limited.”
“I am curious.. what is to stop one from leaving the college without taking the final test, and simply claiming they are a full mage?”
“Ah, about that.” I pulled out my grimoire again, and Denise’s eyes went wide. “This is a present granted to those who pass the final test. A magical tome that automatically records all spells the user gains, and can increase their ability.”
“I do believe it can do more than that… may I?” She held a hand out for the book, and I blinked a bit before handing it over.
“What do you mean?”
“If these are a gift for graduation, I can understand why it is so rare to pass the test. Apologies, it seems it is my turn to explain. This is not simply a spellbook, as you were told. If I were to guess, there are no more than two hundred of these books in existence, and only a handful have reached their full potential.”
“You’ve lost me. So, what else can the book do?”
“At the moment, nothing. There are two methods of unlocking the abilities within these books. The first is to fill its pages with numerous spells.” She flipped through the book quickly. “You’ve got a few to go before you reach the first goal with that. The second method is to have the book itself blessed by one of a different race. In doing so, it gains a mark on the cover. Currently, you only have the human mark, which allows the recording of new spells. Each race’s mark will grant a different effect.”
The Dive: Birth of a Wordsmith Page 15
