《Perspective》


 Baronet town of Faeray – side A

    A girl walks down the artisan¡¯s street, heading toward the southern gate. Her silky skin is white as porcelain, her hair dark as night, perfectly symmetrical features, and her eyes have an emerald¡¯s shine; it¡¯d be hard to mistake her for humans, in fact, many believe her to be an elf from the great forest of Alfskog.


    As she walks, she sometimes looks at her brand-new cloak and smiles happily. Her pure and innocent smile draws the eyes of men and women alike, and occasionally, men attempt to approach her, only to see her skitters away like a frightened animal.


    Her fear is understandable, she is unaccompanied and the history of human and elf is full of conflicts. As things stand, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for unwanted attention to be badly interpreted and quickly degenerate into a serious incident.


    Hiding in alleys and following her from afar, are unsavory individuals who, unlike the passer-by have no foolish delusion of earning her heart and her fortune; their eyes are on the cloak.


    The article of clothing is a marvel of craftsmanship, made from the finest fur if a rare and mighty animal; the legendary frost tiger.


    By itself, the fur is already worth a king¡¯s ransom, and the value of the cloth is further enhanced by the delicate embroideries of gold, silver, and mithril running across the cloth.


    The criminal also identified her as an Elf, but unlike the passer-by, they know the difference between the true elves and their half-breed offspring. Faes are troublesome opponents, and their appearance rarely reflects their true power.


    Attacking a spirit of nature carries enormous risks, but this time, the spoil is well worth the risk and the criminals have tested her many times; she doesn¡¯t appear capable of detecting their approach.


    As long as she isn¡¯t joined by an escort outside the city, striking her down with a surprise attack and a dagger in the neck should be possible, and worst-case scenario, a few iron bolts will do the trick, even if it risks damaging the goods.


    As the girl near the gate, a number of men exit the city through secret tunnels known only by select members of the criminal guild.


    Oblivious to this, the girl waits in line at the gate; to enter the city, all strangers must leave proof of their identity at the gate, and leave the city at the specified time, lest they wish to be hunted as spies.


    There are always insults exchanged at the gate, but today is worse than ever; since this morning, the guards had to break no less than twenty fights, more than six times as much as usual.


    A few steps behind the girl, on the vehicle side of the gate, two Ox drivers who had been spitting insults at each finally get physical. The larger of the two pushes the other against his cart, but the other takes a wooden plank from his cargo and hit the big man in the face.


    The atmosphere becomes heavy, the air shimmer, and as though summoned by the blood, liquid drips from space itself to coalesce into a dark, oily shadows, pale imitations of life known as the Unliving.


    Only a single heartbeat passes between their apparition and the attack. The first to die are the big Ox driver and his smaller colleague.


    The Unliving are unprejudiced, innocent or guilty, young or old, they do not care; all that lives must die.


    Screams resound all around, people climb carts and each other to run away faster, but the shadows continue to multiply. Blood splatters everywhere, the guards attempt to mount a resistance, but the crowd hinders them¡­ As a result, the most courageous die, but it gains a few minutes for the others to regroup outside the city and prevent the monster from reaching the mindless mob outside.


    Inside, though, it is a scene of carnage. The girl is still alive, covered in blood as she stands transfixed. For now, the creature ignores her, prioritizing those who run away.


    Suddenly, she yells something unintelligible, picks up a short sword from a nearby corpse, and starts hitting the nearest shadow on the head. It does no visible damage, and the creature ignores her to rip apart the injured draft-animal, at least until one hit cuts deep into its silhouette and it makes her his primary target.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    From outside the gate, a guard calls to her, tell her to run away, but whether she doesn¡¯t hear or doesn¡¯t listen, she mindlessly continues to hit the monster.


    As a guard would later describe, ¡°It was a strange fight. She¡¯d hit them with all the strength her tiny little arm could muster, and they would fight back, but¡­ None of their attacks hit, she barely moved, but they always missed, as though lady luck was by her side, pushing her away, fending their attack. It made no sense at all; by the time the reinforcement arrived, there were seven of them flailing at her, but they never hit her, not even once!¡±


    <><><>


    The officer on site is troubled, the Elf saved many lives with her heroic action, but she isn¡¯t a citizen, and dealing with nobles of other species is well above his pay grade. He sent a runner to the baronet, but he has yet to return.


    At least there¡¯s a silver lining, if you can call it that; the poor thing is not in a state to make conversation; ever since the fight stopped she¡¯s been staring blankly at her blood-drenched cloth.


    Minutes pass and finally the runner return, accompanied by the baronet¡¯s third son, a nice youth training to be a knight; courageous and honorable, you can say he is on a highway to get himself killed.


    ¡°Milady,¡± says the youth, ¡°I am Fidel, and my father the baronet, would be delighted to make your acquaintance. My humble self would also like to offer you his thanks, your bravery saved many today.¡±


    She continues to stare, and he finally acknowledges her state, ¡°Pardon my foolishness, you cannot meet father in such a state! There are baths and maids in the castle to take care of yourself and your clothes.¡±


    He seems to have struck the core of the problem, she asks feebly, ¡°Cleansing?¡±


    Yes, Milady.¡±


    She nods in approval, and he calls for a coach to carry them both back to the castle.


    <><><>


    The Elf walks the aisle of the castle¡¯s judicial room; it is used both to render justice and ceremonies. The maids did a marvelous work, and it¡¯s impossible to imagine that both the girl and her clothes were covered in blood a few hours earlier.


    ¡°Introducing, Sylva Inimica¡± announces the chamberlain.


    While Sylva¡¯s demeanor seems calm, her emerald eyes betray her apprehension, they dart around as though searching for something or someone.


    The lord doesn¡¯t let it show, but he is very impressed by the Elf¡¯s garments, her jewels are mithril and gold, and the cloak is most impressive. It would take decades of his baronet¡¯s tax and quite a bit of luck to acquire this treasure.


    ¡°Lady Inimica, your service to our town were great, and many citizens owe you their lives. If there is anything in my power, I can do to repay you, please ask.¡±


    Sylva looks at the lord, then at herself. Her mouth moves, but no sound comes out. Seeing her so weak and unsure, something dark awakens in the Baronet¡¯s mind; such a rich and beautiful Elf, if he could somehow acquire her.


    ¡°Would a knightship be of interest to you?¡±


    Knighthood is an honorary title, the only one a lesser noble like him can grant. Most commonly, a knight is a warrior bound to the lord, but as the smallest non-noble title, it has come to encompass a lot of things and is often granted as a reward, along with an allowance and no corresponding duties.


    In her case, it would give her rights equivalent to citizenship, such as free entry and permission to hold property in the walls.


    The lord asks his nearby help, ¡°Go fetch me a blank.¡±


    Without precision, the word can have two meanings, either a blank magic contract, or a pre-inscribed contract used for criminal slaves; all duties, no rights.


    ¡°A blank, as in a p-blank?¡±


    ¡°Yes, hurry!¡±


    His mind draws crazy plans; with her riches he could expand the city, and a lovely trophy such as her would raise his prestige among his peers.


    This train of thought is unlike him, never once in his life did he pressure someone into giving him something he didn¡¯t earn. Sure, he¡¯s not a saint; he used his position to trade favors and increase his status, but never once did he force himself upon an unwilling woman, nor did he use his function to enslave someone unjustly.


    A voice puts a stop to his delusion, ¡°Why would my self-serving actions deserve a reward?¡±


    That was unexpected, just an instant ago, she seemed so weak and unsure, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Do you give a treat to cats every time they hunt a rat? I did what I did because it was my nature, and because I wanted to. If you really want to offer a recompense, give it to the families of the guards who died protecting the citizen. Unlike me, they acted for the good of others, and beyond their duty.¡±


    Sanity comes back to the baronet, he feels disgusted by his self from an instant ago and speaks sarcastically of himself, ¡°You are wise Milady, selfishness corrupts, and those deserving should be the one receiving rewards.¡±


    A noble who only seeks the good of people is likely to see his house disappear, but a lord who seeks his interest above all will bring his and his country¡¯s end.


    ¡°I am thankful for the lesson, noble Elf. Is there really nothing I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°All is good as long as I may enter the town.¡±


    ¡°You will always be welcome here, Milady, same for your people.¡±


    ¡°Then all is good. I bid you goodbye, sir.¡±


    ¡°Please, allow me to accompany you to the gate¡­ Was there someone waiting for you at the gate? Will they still be here at this hour? Do you need a coach?¡±


    For the first time since she entered the room, she smiles, ¡°There is no need, I¡¯ve already warned them, and they should be waiting for me.¡±


    <><><>


    Twenty-seven people lost their lives that day, among them seven guards. It should have been a sad day, but most of the citizens didn¡¯t know nor care about the deceased. Instead, they rejoiced; the criminal guild that had been plaguing the city for years had been all but annihilated in the attack.

 Baronet town of Faeray – side B

    ¡°Here it is lady Inimica, my masterpiece.¡± says the artisan with a mix of pride and greed.


    The woman finds the man¡¯s greed annoying, but apart from their strong emotions, humans are the easiest to deal with. Demi-Elf lack imagination and always use the same patterns, Dvergrs aren¡¯t as bad as other Faes, but they are too proud and stubborn to listen to their clients¡¯ demands. As for Fae, the adage says, ¡®There is a fine line between genius and madness¡¯ and as far as she is concerned, Goblins and Elves stepped over that line to jump right into insanity.


    The cloak is a priceless piece, and many times, he thought about running away with the materials; with the sale of those alone, he could live in comfort for the rest of his life. His craftsman pride got the better of him though, it was his one chance in life to work with mythical materials, to create a work of legend, and be admired by all his fellow.


    Being called by a name is novel, she held many titles over her long existence, most of them derogatory, but since she needed one to enter the city, she made this one on the spot by mixing of her role with the place she lives.


    ¡°It is perfect.¡± Lies the girl, she can spot defects, but the design is original, and she can have better craftsmen do some retouch at a later date.


    ¡°It is enchanted against stains, wear and tear, you could walk all over it with dirty boot and it would stay unblemished.¡± boasts the boutique¡¯s owner.


    ¡®Why do mortals always feel obligated to state the obvious?¡¯ thinks the woman.


    ¡°I see. This is some fine work you¡¯ve done; I¡¯ll make sure to remember you next time I need something done.¡±


    She pays the man, puts on the cloak, and leave the boutique. Once outside, she cannot help but smile, the article of clothing cost her many pieces of her collection, but it¡¯s unlike anything she had before; it was made specifically for her, following her directives.


    She feels greed, lust and all kinds of feelings being directed at her.


    ¡®As though it wasn¡¯t enough that this place is full of miasma and grudge, now I also have to deal with their disgusting reproductive instincts.¡¯


    A long time ago, she wasn¡¯t so averse to the deed, but her past role disgusted her from any and all sort of relationship.


    She walks faster to avoid the approaching men and girls?... This one has far more greed than lust, and she¡¯s smeared in grudge and miasma. She isn¡¯t alone, there are many more, observing her from afar and stinking the atmosphere and some of them feel quite murderous.


    ¡®This is why mortal are such a nuisance; they don¡¯t know their frigging place.¡¯


    She continues toward the gate, doing her best to avoid the unsolicited courtship and the even more annoying followers skulking around.


    Trying to leave the city at this hour was probably a mistake, but she cannot bear to stay much longer in this miasma filled city, surrounded by greed and lustful humans.


    She thinks resolutely, ¡®Next time, I¡¯ll use a demi-elf to commission the work for me.¡¯


    She nevertheless perseveres and waits in line, she might need her identification again in the future, and leaving it behind seems to generate all sorts of annoyances.


    A few steps behind, on the vehicle side of the gate, two Ox drivers start a fight, releasing even more miasma in the polluted city. This was the last straw, the atmosphere becomes heavy, the air shimmer, and the miasma and grudges drip to coalesce into the Unliving.


    ¡®Moronic mortals¡­ And where are the demons when you need them? Slacking on the job? No, I¡¯m probably giving them too much credit; without someone to lead them they couldn¡¯t fight their way out of a paper bag.¡¯


    As she entertains such thoughts, people die all around, it¡¯s none of her concern but it could make taking back her identification tricky.


    Right beside her, a monster rips a person limb, and as the blood splashes on her, the dead¡¯s grudges cling to the unprotected cloth and infect it with miasma.


    She looks at her treasure in shock and horror, ¡®You damn piece of shit! I hadn¡¯t had it enchanted yet!¡¯


    The scene of carnage doesn¡¯t bother her, nor does the blood, but the venomous feelings stuck to the cloth are something else entirely, she¡¯ll need a powerful shaman or a demon to remove the stain.


    She yells in an ancient language, ¡°Prepare to become my punching ball you little piece of shit!¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Hitting the creature does them no harm, the Unliving do not feel, do not think; they¡¯re just an accumulation of grudge unleashed upon the world. She doesn¡¯t care though; she isn¡¯t trying to kill them, she just passing her nerve on the nearest target.


    From outside the gate, a guard calls to her, tell her to run away, but whatever the mortal want is none of her concern; she has a target for her vengeance, and she won¡¯t stop until she¡¯s relieved her stress.


    The shadows have no interest in immortals, but if one keeps on hitting them, sooner or later, they¡¯ll fight back. Not that it matters, weak attacks like theirs simply slip harmlessly around her.


    <><><>


    Some stupid bastards came and killed her targets before she had calmed down, and now she has trouble stopping herself from releasing her pent-up rage on the nearby idiots.


    The officer looks at her with a troubled look, unlike his men, this one got a pass, no lust, no greed, no envy, just pure concern about how to deal with her.


    As she mulls over what she needs to do, a young man speaks to her, and this one got a pass too, no extraneous feelings, only pure gratitude.


    ¡°Milady,¡± says the youth, ¡°I am Fidel, and my father the baronet, would be delighted to make your acquaintance. My humble self would also like to offer you his thanks, your bravery saved many today.¡±


    She stares at her cloth, booking an appointment with a demi-elf shaman will take time, and if she threatens them to get what she wants, it¡¯ll hinder future dealings with them


    ¡°Pardon my foolishness, you cannot meet father in such a state! There are baths and maids in the castle to take care of yourself and your clothes.¡±


    ¡®Take care of my clothes? Do they have a powerful priest around? Whatever, the blood stinks and a bath would be nice.¡¯


    She doesn¡¯t really believe there¡¯ll be a priest powerful enough to cleanse the stain on her cloth, but she asks anyway, ¡°Cleansing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Milady.¡±


    She nods in approval and the youth calls for a coach to carry them to the castle.


    <><><>


    The bath was nice, and the maids did a wonderful job to clean her, but she can¡¯t say the same of her clothes; they still give the same ill-feeling.


    ¡®The damn skivvies only removed the blood. It¡¯s not like it was hard, a damn bucket of water can do the job!¡¯


    A maid guides her to a room in the castle, and it¡¯s the most stupid place she¡¯s ever seen. Some moron thought it was a good idea to put a protective spell around the walls to protect it from miasma; brilliant idea, now the grudges are neatly accumulating into a big nice curse.


    ¡°Introducing, Sylva Inimica¡± announces the chamberlain.


    Sylva looks with apprehension at the accumulated grudges; her presence is causing them to transform into a curse faster than normal.


    ¡°Lady Inimica, your service to our town were great, and many citizens owe you their lives. If there is anything in my power, I can do to repay you, please ask.¡±


    Sylva looks at the lord, then at herself. Her mouth moves but no sound comes out.


    ¡®I already had a bath, and they can¡¯t cleanse my clothes¡­ I don¡¯t really need anything more from them.¡¯


    ¡°Would a knightship be of interest to you?¡±


    Knight is a human honorary title; it doesn¡¯t mean much anymore and isn¡¯t accompanied by duties most of the time. She doesn¡¯t want to associate with humans more than necessary, but they have some good craftsmen in town.


    The lord asks his nearby help, ¡°Go fetch me a blank.¡±, too low to be heard by a normal person, but she¡¯s all but normal.


    ¡®He¡¯s getting cursed¡­ He doesn¡¯t seem that bad of a person, but the greed and lust he¡¯s throwing at me now are so freaking annoying.¡¯


    ¡°A blank, as in a p-blank?¡±


    ¡°Yes, hurry!¡±


    The curse is driving him crazy, and he¡¯s making her the first target of his madness. Unlike miasma and grudge, a curse that has taken hold is something she can deal with. She dispels it and asks ¡°Why would my self-serving actions, deserve a reward?¡±


    Her question is genuine; she doesn¡¯t understand the way of mortals, but she is sure that normally recompense involves an exchange of work or something like that.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± answers the baronet, unsure.


    ¡°Do you give a treat to cats every time they hunt a rat? I did what I did because it was my nature, and because I wanted to.¡± Dealing with this crap is too much; she decides to redirect his attention on someone else. The nice man from earlier was speaking about helping the victim¡¯s family, so she proposes, ¡°If you really want to offer a recompense, give it to the families of the guards who died protecting the citizen. Unlike me, they acted for the good of others and beyond their duty.¡±


    The curse dispelled, sanity comes back to the baronet, she feels his disgusted at himself, ¡°You are wise Milady, selfishness corrupts, and those deserving should be the one receiving rewards.¡±


    ¡°I am thankful for the lesson, noble Elf. Is there really nothing I can do for you?¡±


    She keeps her answer for herself, passing for an Elf is beneficial, but she can¡¯t help but scream internally, ¡®Who is an Elf; asshole?¡¯


    Instead, she answers, ¡°All is good as long as I may enter the town.¡±


    ¡°You will always be welcome here, Milady, same for your people.¡±


    ¡°Then all is good. I bid you goodbye, sir.¡±


    ¡°Please, allow me to accompany you to the gate¡­ Was there someone waiting for you at the gate? Will they still be here at this hour? Do you need a coach?¡±


    She sends a quick mental message to her servants, the only two beings she truly cares about in this world and smiles, ¡°There is no need, I¡¯ve already warned them, and they should be waiting for me.¡±


    <><><>


    Early evening, in the slums, men and women gather in an abandoned warehouse reconverted into a meeting room. Today was a catastrophe, many of them died uselessly, and their target got away. Admittingly, after getting the cloth it would have probably degenerated into a bloodbath, but at least a few of them would be rich.


    ¡°There you are, I¡¯ve had a terrible day, and it was all your bastards¡¯ fault for skulking around!¡±


    It¡¯s the target and the precious loot, but the aura she gives is something else entirely; they are frozen by fear, like rabbits staring at a serpent.


    A man burst in flame, another disappears in a flash of light. A man and a woman standing near a window, and out of her sight manage a few steps before an invisible force sends them back to the middle of the room with such power that their body hit the ground with a spattering sound.


    ¡°I¡¯ve accumulated a lot of grudges today, so I don¡¯t mind getting more.¡± explains the monstrous Elf as she slaughters them one by one.

 Raiders – side A

    A large tree breaks with a thunderous sound; beside it stands a wolfman with bloodied fists.


    ¡°That damned herbivore destroyed everything we¡¯ve been working for! Three weeks of planning lost in a fit of rage!¡±


    His lieutenant, a Foxman, stays quiet; he knows better than to offer an opinion without being addressed first.


    Lord Wolfe asks him, ¡°What is the extent of the damage? How many did we lose?¡±


    ¡°Two-thirds of the stock, sir.¡±


    ¡°The Dwarf?¡±


    ¡°Dead, it seems like the lord was especially targeting him.¡±


    He knew that before asking, there was no way he could have survived lord Hippo¡¯s stomping, but he still needed to ask.


    ¡°Feed the remains to the troops! I want every last bit of the Dwarf recovered, even if we cannot benefit from its knowledge, we might yet absorb some of its might.¡±


    Before following after his master, Fuchs gave the order to serve everything unfit for preservation and process the rest for transport. He nevertheless answers slavishly, ¡°It will be done as you command, my lord!¡±


    Wolfe knows perfectly the pointlessness of his order, the dwarf¡¯s value was its knowledge, and a dead meal gives no power.


    How did it come to that? Everything was going so well; by including weak and despised batmen among his scouting parties, they had shown unprecedented efficiency, and his harsh discipline had reduced the amount of useless death. Three times as much cargo and slave as usual and not a single good lost to a blood frenzy¡­ At least up until that damned fool came and ruined everything.


    ¡°The bastard did it on purpose, there is no other way. When was the last time the mighty lord Hippo observes a slaving raid?¡±


    Apart from rare occurrence of mythical Beastmen like Frost Wolf, or Basilisk, the strongest are always the same three races, Hippopotamus, Elephant, and Rhinoceros. Lord hippo though, is unlike any who came before him; he became the leader by slaughtering all the other champions regardless of whether they opposed him or not.


    ¡°Never. Such matters are below the great champion. He was to sabotage you, powerful herbivores may be irrational and prone to frenzy, but killing over two hundred slaves without provocation is unprecedented.¡±


    It is well-known that carnivores can absorb the power of their vanquished foe by drinking their blood and devouring their living flesh, while herbivores can only grow through training. However, in this case, a few magic items and a few dozen meals of dwarf wouldn¡¯t make up for the difference.


    Defeated, the lord asks his right arm, ¡°Can we somehow make up for the losses?¡±


    ¡°We hit all major villages, and unless we travel further inside, there are only fortified cities.¡±


    With their equipment, attacking a fortified city isn¡¯t an option, the same from traveling far into enemy territory.


    Wolfe sigh, ¡°I rescind my previous order, there¡¯s no way to eat two hundred slaves worth of food with our number. Order the excess to be salted and smoked; Luckily, one the caravan we hit had a shipment of salt.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful idea, sir! I wouldn¡¯t have thought of it myself.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°How long will it take?¡±


    ¡°Likely the better of the week.¡±


    ¡°You have four days, privilege guts and recovered meat over our usual rations.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    <><><>


    After killing the slaves and his valuable prisoner, lord Hippo found another way by taking half his troops on some supposedly important mission, but he didn¡¯t care if it meant the damn herbivore wasn¡¯t here to do any more damage.


    Wolfe orders a Rabbitman servant to bring him the remains of the dwarf. As expected, consuming gives him no rush of power. Feeling defeat for the umptieth time in a row is too much for the wolfman. Blinded by rage, he grabs the poor servant and rips his throat with his teeth to drink his blood and eat his flesh.


    When the Beastman leader rage rescind, he looks at the mess he¡¯s done and screams ¡°Fuchs!¡±


    Not even a minute later, the Foxman enters the room. His sight quickly falls on the Rabbitman¡¯s corpse, and all can mutter is ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°I know, you don¡¯t have to tell me; after all we¡¯ve gone through to maintain discipline, I messed up! Honestly, I just wish this bastard had challenged me to a fight, at least I would have had an honorable death.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s afraid the changes you bring, and that¡¯s why he needs to undermine you.¡±


    ¡°Whether I had a good reason changes nothing; he¡¯s won, I broke my own rules.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I cannot allow that bastard to bring you down, I¡¯ll assume responsibility and take the punishment¡­ We are falling behind the other species, in number, equipment, territory, and you¡¯re the only one doing something about it!¡±


    The speech touches Wolfe deeply, he always suspected Fuchs¡¯s loyalty, as most leaders do when they have subordinates, they know to be far more intelligent than themselves.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll find a way to keep you alive, old friend; you¡¯re too precious to lose on a stupid mistake.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir, it was an honor serving with you.¡±


    They both know that the fox would make a better leader, but in Beastmen society strength is everything, and a weak Foxman is not fit to rule.


    <><><>


    The troops stare silently at their officer; despite being a weak fox, he survived the battering; a feat very few can claim. Until now, they obeyed him because their leader ordered them to, but now he has earned their respect.


    The proud fox stands up before the servant applies the healing spells. He¡¯s exhausted but determined to show his worth, to bring the changes envisioned by his master. Again, the sight moves Wolfe¡¯s heart, and he comes to stand beside his old ally and friend to address the men.


    ¡°Soldiers, learn from what you¡¯ve seen¡­¡±


    A Batman screaming interrupts him, ¡°Wrong! Silence everywhere! No noise, something¡¯s wrong!¡±


    Bolts fly across the sky, piercing through the sentinels, the batmen, and the two leaders¡¯ chests. The battered Foxman dies instantly, but the wolfman survive. Despite his injury, he orders his men to disperse. No normal bolt could penetrate his armor and though skin so easily, whoever shot them is using enchanted weapon, there is hope though; unlike bows, crossbows cannot be fired in quick succession.


    As though to prove him wrong, series of bolts follow one after the other; seven in total and at this point though, his troops were decimated, and the remaining run around in panic.


    Many shadows approach, and they are almost as large as they are tall. The dwarfs walk silently despite being fully dressed in chain-mail, and as if to mock the proud Beastman race, they wordlessly and efficiently plow through the panicked soldiers.


    This is too much, this isn¡¯t a fight; just a one-sided slaughter. ¡°Fight me, cowards.¡± screams the wolf lord.


    The attackers stop an instant to talk among themselves in unintelligible words. Two of them walks towards him, but this not the fight he hoped for; in an instant, the two enemies come from both sides to shatter his arms and legs.


    Unable to move, he can only watch as the dwarfs continue the butchery.


    <><><>


    A splash of water awakens the defeated leader. He quickly realizes that they healed him, but only enough to keep him alive in a diminished state; even moving his head is beyond him.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my son, beast.¡± asks a powerful figure standing over him.


    Wolfe has no hope, but either way, he will have his revenge, ¡°Fools, my troops were but a scouting party, you will never escape lord Hippo¡¯s wrath.¡±


    The figures talk among themselves in their own language.


    ¡°What¡¯s a Hippo?¡± asks one of them in the common language.


    ¡°A mighty warrior you can¡¯t ever hope to beat. He and his troops will soon be upon you to exact our revenge!¡±


    His speech agitated the dwarf, he hopes the fear of the impending army will stop them from making away with the slaves.


    Someone kicks his broken arm, ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about your hippo, beast. Where is my son?!¡±


    ¡°The dwarf is no more, lord Hippo stomped him dead, and you will soon join him!¡±


    The figures discuss among themselves again and separate to search the camp. Which of his revenge came true will forever remain a mystery, because his last sight was a hammer descending toward his face.

 Raiders – side B

    Eitralf looks down at his son, Eitril. The old Dvergr jeweler is at least one and a half times bigger, and they almost appear to be from different species.


    ¡°You are young, son, don¡¯t mistake speed with efficiency. She won¡¯t get married anytime soon, and if she really loves you as you say, she¡¯ll wait.¡±


    Over the millennia, children have become increasingly rarer, and even compared to when he married his wife eight hundred years ago, the situation has grown worse. There¡¯s barely one young for ten adults now, and only one out of four is a girl.


    ¡°Another opportunity like that will never come! I can quadruple my investment in a single trip.¡±


    ¡°At least, hire some helpers, humans don¡¯t make for good escort.¡±


    Even if he hired one of his fellow youths on the cheap, the loss would delay his marriage for months, maybe years. Oril would wait, he was sure of it, but what of her parents?


    The girl is not of age yet, and out of sight for most of the eligible bachelors, but it won¡¯t stay that way for long.  Not so long ago, when his own father young, bridewealth was but a tradition, but now it has become the prime factor to win over the bride¡¯s family. The girl still has the last say, but it only means she can say no to an arrangement, not choose her husband herself.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, if I hire another, he¡¯ll bring own wares with him, and depreciate my own.¡±


    What he said made sense, even if he hired other Dvergrs as guards, they would never let pass the opportunity to make more money out of the trip, and to make things worse, Oril was popular among his friends.


    Eitralf strongly desires to accompany his son, but he¡¯s received a commission from the Elf Queen herself, and she¡¯s not known for her patience, her forgiveness, or any good trait of character. Usually, it doesn¡¯t bother the old jeweler because he takes great pride in his work; he often boasts about how the demon king of eight hundred years ago destroyed a human city to recover some of his earlier work.


    This time though, he¡¯d love nothing much that to leave his work behind and follow his precious child, ¡°Be wary son, neighboring countries learned what comes from antagonizing Dvergrs with their blood, but individuals are quick to forget the risks when faced with profit.¡±


    ¡°I know, Dad! I chose a merchant who has a long history of dealing with us.¡±


    ¡®My father did the same thing to me.¡¯ thinks the old dwarf. ¡®Although in my case, my father was right, taking an apprenticeship under an ancient goblin craftsman was a terrible idea. Compared to that, a trip to a human city is like going on a vacation.¡¯


    ¡°Sorry child, I can be overbearing at times. Make sure to have a small chat with your mother before you go, she complained that you barely ever show your face anymore.¡±


    ¡°Only because she¡¯s even worse than you, Dad.¡±


    <><><>


    Missing schedule and contraband are the two best ways for a caravan master to lose his trade license, so to say being late rarely ever happen would be an understatement. The first day, Eiltraf didn¡¯t worry, the road goes through a forest after all. The second day, he kept on polishing his old equipment just in case.


    Now is the third day, and he¡¯s going around his old acquaintances to mount a rescue mission. For those who long sold their equipment, he¡¯s buying enchanted weapons, armor, and everything the small scouting party of thirty can need.


    His old friend Durn chastises him, but not over the apparent waste, ¡°You should talk to the king first, if there really was an attack against one of ours then it concerns the kingdom!¡±


    ¡°My wife will it taking care of that, but I can wait for the scouting parties; my boy needs me now!¡±


    There¡¯s no way to argue with that; the only thing more important than family, is the species itself, and most Dvergr would argue they are the same thing. What if he ends up wasting his wealth and everyone¡¯s time? Who cares, they¡¯ll laugh it off and make fun for him for a few decades.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°All we can do is follow the southern highway until we find traces of the caravan and see where it leads us.¡±


    ¡°I used to be a good tracker, but that was hundreds of years ago; I can¡¯t promise anything, old friend.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have enlisted the help of a Kobold.¡±


    Kobolds are friendly earth spirits; they love mining, smelting, the shaping of metal and hate the Giants with as much fervor as the Dvergr. If the myths are to be believed, both species share a common ancestry, but as pure spirits, the little sprites can make themselves intangible and even travel through the earth.


    <><><>


    Eitralf, is really thankful to the little Fae, it¡¯s not their way to leave the mountain, and yet it¡¯s here to help him, and what help; by themselves, reaching the site of the attack and following the tracks would have taken well over a week, but the sprite did it in a matter of hours. Two days of walking without sleep, and here they are, looking at a raiding party of around two hundred, and their hundreds of hostages.


    ¡°Should we take prisoners?¡±, asks Durn.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s an option¡­ With all those hostages, we¡¯ll need to strike hard and fast, if we want to avoid needless casualties.¡±


    Thirty members talking about overwhelming six times their numbers can seem odd until you take into account the difference in training and equipment of both groups. The old companions may have retired from adventurous life hundreds of years ago, but clad in their enchanted armors, they¡¯re a force to be reckoned with, and it¡¯s even truer when faced against naked primitives.


    The Dvergr aren¡¯t interested, but Beastmen are badly armed because their species revere individual strength above all and hold the belief that eating a living prey grants them its power. As a result, apart from plundered items and a few primitive weapons crafted by slaves, they go with what nature gave them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not take useless risks, we¡¯ll hit them tonight from afar. No need to take prisoners either; there are hundreds of hostages to give us the information we need.¡±


    <><><>


    Night comes, and the Beastmen gather to witness the torture of one of their own.


    ¡°Fucking beasts,¡± spits one of the Dvergs, " they¡¯re beyond insane!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t complain; they''ve gathered into a nice tight group and are even providing lighting for us. We are going to have a field day.¡±


    ¡°I thought they were merely animals, but they¡¯re far worse than that.¡±


    ¡°Look at this one¡¯s equipment, he has to be their leader, get ready!¡±


    Eitralf cast a silence spell, and give the signal to prepare. A few seconds later, the message has been relayed, and the sentinels fall one by one. To make every bolt count and avoid crossfire, they only shoot targets in their assigned perimeter.


    Despite the bolt piercing his chest, the beasts'' leader screams orders, but the silence spell prevents them from knowing what those are. None of that it matters though since the battle is already won. The mighty band put down their repeating crossbows and charge into the disorganized mob; without a leader, the beasts seem incapable of coordination.


    To the Dvergr surprise and worry, none among the prisoners rise in rebellion after the death of their captors; a sure sign that Eitril is either not among or in too bad a shape to do anything. Enraged by the thought, the old friends redouble in violence, slaughtering every Beastman in sight including the prostrating Rabbitmen begging for mercy.


    ¡°Fight me, cowards.¡± screams the injured leader in the common language.


    ¡°Their leader is still alive.¡±


    ¡°Make him stand still; we may need to him some questions later.¡±


    <><><>


    A quick search of the camp produced his son isn¡¯t among the hostages, and his armament is nowhere to be seen.  Some human prisoners claim to have seen a Dwarf being taken away with their fellows two days ago, but none of them have returned since.


    Eitralf heals the defeated wolfman, he is the only one to have enough control over his magic to ensure he won¡¯t die, but won¡¯t be able to move either.


    He throws water on the Beastman face and asks, ¡°Where¡¯s my son, beast.¡±


    ¡°Fools, my troops were but a scouting party, you will never escape lord Hippo¡¯s wrath, now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a hippo?¡±, asks a concerned Durn.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t care.¡± answers his friend.


    ¡°Another type of beast, nothing to be worried about.¡± says another.


    ¡°Don¡¯t dismiss it as unimportant, there might be an army at large.¡± in the common language, he asks, ¡°What¡¯s a Hippo?¡±


    ¡°A mighty warrior you can¡¯t ever hope to beat! He and his troops will soon be upon you to exact our revenge!¡±


    Eitril kicks the wolfman¡¯s broken arm, ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about your hippo, beast. Where is my son?!¡±


    ¡°The dwarf is no more, lord Hippo stomped him dead, and will all join him soon!¡±


    ¡°Sorry for your loss.¡± mutters his friend.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who is sorry, in my grief I almost lost sight of what¡¯s important; now is a time of war, mourning will come later.¡±


    ¡°They will pay in blood, they always do!¡±


    ¡°What about the humans?¡±


    ¡°Leave them be, we don¡¯t have time to babysit them; there¡¯s a real army at large, the kingdom must be warned.¡±


    The sorrowful father¡¯s sight falls on the Kobold patting his leg in an attempt to soothe him; spirits can¡¯t communicate well with people like him, but at home, there are plenty who can understand it.


    ¡°Sorry guys, but informing the kingdom comes first¡­ Durn, you¡¯re on scouting on the way back.¡± he then addresses the Kobold, ¡°Please, go home and warn everyone, war is upon us, a Beastman¡¯s army of unknown number is invading.¡±

 Hero - part 1

    A telepathic message reaches Inimica, ¡°They¡¯re gone, your majesty.¡±


    She exits the mansion to join her two companions outside, ¡°I have a name now, call me Sylva.¡±


    The shiny dragon-like creatures look at her puzzlingly, then answers, ¡°As you wish, mistress Sylva.¡±


    Thunder and Lightning are shiny, long and sinuous draconic figures but despite their appearance, they are elementals; ancient being that roamed the earth long before the first life forms. Inimica regards the two as her first and only friends, and the anchor to her sanity in that shackled life of death and rebirth.


    Something comes to mind; ever since they were born, the three of them have resented their position. She was given a function but refused name and freedom while they received both, but no purpose.


    ¡°What about calling yourselves Fragor and Fulmen Inimica? I know you¡¯ve always disliked your names.¡±


    There¡¯s a hidden meaning to her proposition, even if the dutiful pair made taking care of her the meaning of their lives, she¡¯d prefer a more coequal relationship.


    ¡°We are unworthy but elated to be granted such honor, your Highness Sylva.¡± says Fulmen, the older brother.


    ¡°Your majesty, more than ever, I pledge myself to you.¡± booms the younger sister in a thunderous voice.


    It¡¯s not what she wanted to hear, but sharing a name, even if it¡¯s self-given, makes her feel like they are family.


    The answer is self-evident, but she asks anyway, ¡°How did they find me?¡±


    ¡°They felt your power manifest in the west a few months ago.¡±


    As expected, it was her fault; she could have ignored to criminals, or killed with simple means, but no¡­ She just had to go and make it a flashy demonstration.


    ¡°You should have killed them.¡±


    ¡°If fear and death were enough to teach them a lesson, they wouldn¡¯t be needing your lead.¡±


    Fair enough, as miasma absorption tools, demons need to be suitably stupid; who knows what kind of damage they could do if they used their intelligence to become lazy and started a farm somewhere.


    ¡°Next time they come, kill them anyway.¡±


    ¡°I disagree, they¡¯ll simply come back after being reborn.¡±


    ¡°So do I, unless we leave some to tell the tale, a warning serves no purpose.¡±


    The two elementals contesting her decision is a rare and delightful sight.


    Somewhat happy, Sylva answers them with a light smile, ¡°Do as you wish.¡±


    <><><>


    Far in the north, Colonel Iver is in trouble, Azul¡¯s crown prince escaped pursuit by running into the great forest only to get himself captured by Dryads.


    ¡°Did you confirm the information?¡±


    ¡°All the members of his escort said the same thing; a group of Fae with wood-like skin kidnapped the prince and the young attendants, all who resisted were either killed or driven out.¡±


    A tricky situation, both his options are tantamount to suicide. No, maybe all hope is not lost yet, at the time of his capture the prince was heading toward Dvergrtorg, an Elf¡¯s trade town connecting Azulstad to the Dwarf kingdom. Fae might just be what he needs to bargain with other Fae, and in the worst case, a little show of strength should get them moving on his behalf¡­


    Is what he thought at the time, but reality can be cruel.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡±, exclaims Iver.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Nothing he had heard could have prepared him for the sight of the mighty wall surrounding, the small trade town. Alive and grown from a single tree, the barrier circles around the town; as thick as two men are tall, and ten times as high.


    ¡®Can something this big be really destroyed by human hands?¡¯ and ''How did they control the growth of something so monstrous? '' are questions that will have to be answered later, if ever. For now, he has a mission to accomplish.


    He approaches the gate with the fifty elite soldiers he chose for his mission follow him.


    An elf guard addresses him with a condescending look, ¡°You¡¯re the strangest caravan I¡¯ve ever seen; the only thing you¡¯re looking to sell is a fight.¡±


    ¡®I should have taken my full unit.¡¯ thinks the officer before rejecting the idea; it would have accomplished nothing save getting barred from entering the town.


    ¡°We are seeking help, not a fight; a treacherous insurgent has fled the country and we have serious reason to believe he¡¯s fallen in the hand of Dryads.¡±


    The elf smirks in the most obnoxious ways before answering, ¡°Follow me, our elders might be able to help you. Your ¡®guards¡¯ are free to enter, but they better keep out of trouble.¡±


    The Colonel rages internally ¡®Arrogant green monkey, you too will soon fall to the might of the Randstalt-Tamil empire.¡¯ but out loud he says, ¡°You heard him, lieutenant? Keep out of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± answers the subaltern. Hagan hates the tone of the elf as much as his boss, but he also knows better than to start pointless and hopeless fights.


    Upon seeing the young-looking elders, Iver felt tricked, but green monkeys have needlessly long lives, so the smooth-faced men in front of him might just be as old as told.


    ¡°I heard a criminal of yours was taken by the Dryads, but exactly do you expect us to do about it?¡±


    ¡°I want¡­ I would like you to bargain with the Faes for the release of the foul insurgent; for the sake of peace in our country, his death must be public.¡±


    ¡°If the dryad¡¯s got him, he is as good as dead, far worse in fact. They¡¯ll only release him once they got tired of him, and at that time, he¡¯ll be nothing more than a mindless tool.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, as long as he is alive, partisans will continue to appear, we need to recover him, alive or dead.¡±


    ¡°Human, we have no direct relationship with the dryads, we are under the King¡¯s protection, and they are under the Queen¡¯s¡­ At best, we could arrange a meeting, assuming you have many beautiful young males to offer in exchange for this one.¡±


    ¡®There is no shortage of young rebels and azulian nobles, so it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to arrange¡¯ thinks the devious Randstaltian.


    ¡°It¡¯s doable, assuming their demands aren¡¯t too extremes.¡±


    ¡°Let me offer a warning, Dryads cannot be trusted, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they took away with your offering, the man you search and any young soldiers who happen to strike their fancy.¡±


    ¡®I knew it; I shouldn¡¯t have expected anything from those filthy green monkeys, but what else can I do.¡¯


    <><><>


    The exchange went better than expected, but still not good enough; the prince was apparently too handsome to lose, and all he got for his trouble were the attendants. Even if the testimony of the well-known retainers allowed him to keep his head on his shoulder for a while longer, the mission given by general Einer felt like a sentence worse than death; burn the dryad¡¯s forest.


    Not so long ago, his men and himself knew nothing of the Fae, and they would have carried the order without a second thought, but now...


    ¡°What should we do?¡± asks Lieutenant Hagan, his right-hand man.


    ¡°What can we do but dig a long trench, throw incendiary weapons and hope for the best?¡±


    ¡°It sounds like a recipe for a disaster.¡±


    ¡°Because it is¡­ The order must have reached the men by now¡­ How many deserters?¡±


    ¡°All two hundred men.¡±


    As expected, every single man who participated in the exchange, and he couldn¡¯t blame them after witnessing the attendants¡¯ state; a traitor¡¯s death feels more humane.


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯re going to end up like them?¡± asks Hagan, unable to hide his despair.


    ¡°I¡¯m too old for them, but if I were you, I''d start by scarring that handsome face of yours.¡±


    ¡°Damn right!¡±


    <><><>


    The colonel lies down in his bed with cotton stuffed in his ears; he had expected a lot of horrible things, but they all seem preferable.


    Unhindered by the cotton, the voices mock him ¡°You are weak, you are useless. Why fight? You were sent to die, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Let yourself go, your life isn¡¯t worth living.¡±


    ¡°Give it to me; it¡¯s wasted on you.¡±


    At first, the voices sounded like a distant murmur, annoying but non-threatening, then they started to probe at his weaknesses, and the more he listened to them, the stronger they became. There is only one voice left, now, his own, and whether it¡¯s night or day, he cannot escape it; sometimes he¡¯d swear his mouth speaks words that aren¡¯t his.


    Over half his men have deserted by now, but no matter how many reports he sends, they¡¯re keep getting ignored by the general. The old bastard¡¯s found a method to acquire a great number of magic weapons from the dwarfs and has no time to give to other matters.


    In retrospect, cutting all relations with the Faes was a mistake, things don¡¯t disappear just because you ignore them, and to know nothing about the enemy before engaging them is foolish. The empire still has knowledge of the Seelie court through old tales, but the one he faces, the Unseelie, they are a mystery, and fighting them feels like fighting shadows.


    Iver equips an iron armor and iron helm he bought for the occasion and pours himself a drink spiked with poison; if he has to die, let it be on his own terms. He extends his hand toward the cup and lifts it to his mouth, but an invisible force stops it in midair. On the wall, his deformed shadow¡¯s left-hand hold its right, and walks out of the wall telling him, ¡°It¡¯s not yours to kill.¡±

 Hero - part 2

    A scout enters the room to report, ¡°My lord, we found traces of demon activity in western Faeheim, between Tamil and Alfskog.¡±


    This is good news, ¡°What is the scale?¡±


    ¡°Dozens of different demons coming in and out of the forest.¡±


    The young prince delight at the news, there can be no better proof that he received the gods¡¯ approval. He gives a sly look to his advisor, and the mage answers in kind; as the hero and Randstalt-Tamil prince, he must reunite the empire, and destroy the enemies of humanity.


    <><><>


    Back in Azul, another individual is delighted, a minister turned traitor general Iver all sort of interesting information about the kingdom¡¯s current and past trade with other species. Among them was a hidden truth about the founding of the kingdom; Azulstad was once a center of trade for human and nonhuman slaves, and their clients were other humans, giant, beastmen, and even Faes.


    This trade gave the city unprecedented access to magic items, but it was never enough to resist its numerous and powerful. One day, a rumor came to the ear of the wise king, and he chose to bet everything on its veracity. He personally led the greatest campaign ever to capture the most beautiful females in the land, both humans and elves.


    An invitation was sent to the dwarf kingdom for bachelor dwarfs to attend the greatest auction of all time, and thousands of them flocked from the mountain carrying weapons and armors of great power. This was the founding of Azul kingdom and the beginning of a long-lasting trade agreement between the dwarfs and Azulians.


    The general is skeptical, but the ancient tablets brought by the minister are real; there is no denying it, the exchange really occurred twelve hundred years ago.


    ¡°Can we replicate the deed?¡± , ask the general greedily.


    ¡°You sold dozens of young aristocrats to the Dryads, and it made the country more peaceful; there¡¯s no reason for you not to do the same with their sisters.¡±


    The exchange was a failure, but it had unexpectedly positive fallout¡­ Doing it a second time could induce rebellion, though.


    ¡°Only target orphaned aristocrat, rebel sympathizers and others expandable; I don¡¯t want to risk a backlash.¡±


    The ex-minister answers with an evil smile, ¡°Your wishes are my commands, my lord.¡±


    <><><>


    Sylva is shopping in Manntorg when she feels the death of the second and third champions; at this rate, it¡¯s only a matter of time before they come after her.


    ¡°Madam?¡± asks a worried demi-elf shopkeeper, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, it¡¯s nothing you need to worry about.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ You may be a very powerful Fae, but this ring is cursed.¡±


    ¡°I know; it drives mortal to desire it, then brings them closer to death. This craftsman work is beautiful, but I can¡¯t say the same about his sense of humor.¡± explains Inimica with the tone of one unconcerned with death.


    ¡°Do¡­ Do you still want it? Despite knowing that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although I despise his hobby, I cannot fault the quality of his work.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°If you find other pieces, set them aside, I¡¯m collecting them.¡±


    ¡°Certainly madam, it¡¯s always a pleasure doing business with you.¡±


    The demi-elf words are genuine, and it¡¯s a bit surprising to Sylva who¡¯s far more used to reaction of fear and greed, ¡°What? Really?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your patronage.¡± says the girl as she takes the money with a wide smile.


    Sylva gives the girl a pass, she is a strangely joyous, but always hard-working and pleasant; her sister hiding in the back of the shop to avoid her is more akin to what she normally deals with.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come back in one moon, if you can have the resizing done by then, it¡¯d be great.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry madam, there are troubles brewing in the dwarf kingdom so the usual jeweler is unavailable, but If you¡¯re unwilling to wait, I can send it to a goblin we often work with.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem with him?¡±


    ¡°Nothing serious, he¡¯s a lunatic so his work speed can be unpredictable, but given a full moon, it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. About the dwarfs, what kind of problem are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°War, and it¡¯s either the beastmen or the empire invading¡­ With information traveling from mouth to ears, the details can get confused.¡±


    <><><>


    What were those creatures? A great white tiger and a giant scarab aren¡¯t an acceptable response, not when they¡¯re both over five men wide. Over a hundred men died in the ambush, and if there are more of those hiding in the forest, hundreds more will die.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Jensen, do you know anything about these monsters?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t, your highness, there are no records of such beings in the forest.¡±


    ¡°Are those records even reliable?¡± asks Boe, bottling up his anger.


    ¡°Not in the slightest.¡± answers the mage shamelessly, ¡°Expedition venturing into the great forest rarely come back, and those who trade with the elves, use their enchanted roads.¡±


    ¡°If you knew about the danger, why didn¡¯t you object to the expedition?!¡±


    The mage shrugs his shoulder, ¡°Losses are inevitable my prince, your chosen path is one of carnage; many died to conquer Azul, and many more will die before humanity is finally united.¡±


    ¡°Unavoidable? I think not, I could have taken measures against it!¡±


    His fianc¨¦e Meya disparage the dead, ¡°Meat shields died; boohoo! Can we move on now?¡±


    Her reason for being here has nothing to do with their relationship, it was decided before they were even born, and there is no love between the two, barely any respect. No, she is here because she¡¯s the second greatest warriors in the Kingdom after him and the best archer period.


    Aristocrat girls aren¡¯t commonly allowed to fight, and it is even less true for a future queen. Hers was a special case though; she beat her older brothers and family guards until she was allowed to take fighting lessons and then easily overpowered all her teachers. Luckily for her, but not so much for everyone else; it was at that time that he was heralded the hero, and his future queen fighting by his side was considered good publicity.


    As a warrior himself, he admires her strength and dedication, but as a leader, the only thing she earned is his scorn.


    ¡°These men have lives outside the army, unlike some, they can¡¯t spend all their days playing warrior.¡± remarks the prince snidely.


    Unperturbed, the woman answers, ¡°If you can¡¯t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.¡±


    She isn¡¯t wrong, but wars aren¡¯t won with strength; they¡¯re won with numbers.


    ¡°Men, recover food and useful equipment from the dead, we¡¯ll have to bury them on the way back.¡±


    It hurts the soldiers to leave their friends¡¯ bodies at the mercy of animals, but they understand the necessity to move as fast as possible.


    ¡°Yes, your highness!¡±


    <><><>


    Sylva sends they two elementals away to deal with the invading army; she doesn¡¯t want them anywhere near the champion as killing him could make them part of the cycle. Alone in her garden, she waits for him and his two companions to make their way to her.


    <><><>


    Boe watches the forest with fear and disgust; there isn¡¯t a single living thing, it¡¯s all mimicry, ¡°So that is Faeheim¡­ The great forest was bad enough, but this is much worse.¡±


    ¡°As a mage and scholar, I want to study, but as a living being, I want to put as much distance as possible between me and this place.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like walking through a massive cemetery, except nothing was ever alive, to begin with.¡±


    The demon king makes no effort to hide, and they find him¡­ No, find her waiting in a garden, drinking tea.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t any for you, I don¡¯t serve uninvited guests.¡±


    This demon is different, it doesn¡¯t exude the same madness, and desire to inflict harm. Well, if she¡¯s in the mood to talk, he might as well oblige her to give Meya more time to find a good sniping position.


    ¡°Your demons have all been dispatched.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t mine, but you are welcome. I¡¯d do it myself if I could, but there¡¯d be no end to the little buggers.¡±


    Her confidence is disturbing, ¡°Your reign of terror ends now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but could you fill me on when it started?¡±


    She¡¯s mocking him, but even so, the two sides of the conversation don¡¯t match.


    ¡°How can you act so nonchalant when your minions sow chaos and destruction all over the world?¡±


    ¡°Really? But these two barely ever leave home! Nevertheless, bad kids must be punished!¡±


    ¡°No need, we already took care of them; they¡¯re dead!¡±


    He hit the mark, for the first time her expression changes ever so slightly to one of worry. Boe prepares to attack¡­


    <><><>


    For the first time in her very long succession of lives, she¡¯s free to do as she wishes with the champion, but even as he stands before her, she has yet to decide how to deal with him.


    To gain herself some time and discountenance him she jests, but he throws those words at her, ¡°No need, we already took care of them; they¡¯re dead!¡± and panic overwhelm her.


    She contacts the two in a hurry.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine, your Highness.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to avoid damaging the forest, and they scattered in all directions, but we¡¯ll be done in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Come back immediately, there¡¯s a trap.¡±


    Calling them back to her is the opposite of what she should be doing, but the man¡¯s boast was too assured to ignore.


    The mage is preparing a spell, something big, in front of him, the so-called hero accumulates power for a strike, and the archer hiding in the forest is ready to snipe her as soon as she attempts to dodge. Then, it all happens in an instant, the warrior rushes at her, the mage cast his spell, and Fragor and Fulmen attack them both to protect her.


    Light flashes and¡­


    <><><>


    Lightning strike, he tries to jump back, but it¡¯s too late; he can¡¯t outrun a thunderbolt.


    Light blinds his eyes, but he feels no pain¡­ His sight comes back, in front of him stands two dragons and the monstrous woman.


    ¡®No wonder she was so self-assured with those two hiding¡­ If I¡¯m still alive, Jensen must have blocked the attack, somehow.¡¯


    Boe turns to address his mentor, but he¡¯s not there, there¡¯s not a single trace of his existence left.


    ¡°I destroyed him entirely.¡± explains the demon, ¡°Body and soul, I don¡¯t want a stain to my forest.¡±


    Her words make no sense, but it doesn¡¯t matter; if he¡¯s going to die, the least he can do is take her with him. He rushes at her again a second time but falls forward legs broken after a single step.


    Sylva wants to brag, to make him pay for all the time she died without being allowed to fight back, but there is no time and he wouldn¡¯t understand. Instead, she asks her two companions, ¡°He doesn¡¯t have long to live, take him out of the forest and leave him to die. Do not hurt him and do not watch him die; come back immediately as soon as you¡¯ve dropped him.¡±


    The pair doesn¡¯t understand the order, but they don¡¯t need to, their pleasure is to serve.


    ¡°While you¡¯re at it, catch the woman, and bring her outside the forest to kill her. You need not take precaution with that one.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, your majesty.¡±


    As she watches her two friends fly away, a thought she tries to avoid show its dirty face again; What if the two weren¡¯t really her friend? What if their role was to preserve her sanity?


    She dismisses the idea as she always does; after all, her sanity is long gone.


    <><><>


    Emperor Thordis listens to the report wearily; not so long ago, it felt like all his ancestors¡¯ aspirations were about to come true. Azul, their long-standing enemy, vanquished, Tamil, about to reunite with the empire, and his son heralded as the hero of humanity.


    All was going well until general Einer had somehow managed to anger the whole dwarf kingdom and before the fool could be made to take responsibilities with his life, it was taken by a traitorous colonel, and a few hundred men he had himself incited to rebellion with impossible tasks.


    Between the insurrection, the dwarfs, and the sudden loss of leadership, Randstalt-Tamil was driven out of Azul in less than a month, and with far more losses than it had taken to conquer it in the first place.


    The empire had always stood by the principle of ¡®strength in numbers¡¯, but the power of the mighty trio led by his son had started to erode this belief, and with his armies being driven out by forces one-tenth their numbers, the only left to him was to pray for his son¡¯s return.

 A day in Mannhtorg - A Demi-elves trade town

    A day in Mannhtorg


    A Demi-elves trade town


    My sister runs into the back-room with a frightened look, ¡°It¡¯s her, she has come again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m busy, I¡¯m doing the inventory.¡±


    ¡°Please sis, I don¡¯t want to deal with her, she¡¯s terrifying.¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s not! She¡¯s a bit weird, but that¡¯s because she¡¯s a collector, other than that she¡¯s cute and amiable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only saying that because you are insensitive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, and as proof, even the hero likes her!¡±


    ¡°That jerk like anything female! Put a skirt to a desk and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine with it!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ Maybe in the past, but now he¡¯s devoted to her¡­ I think.¡±


    ¡°Please, I¡¯ll take care of the inventory; hurry before she gets angry!¡±


    I walk back to the shop and find miss Inimica looking at our new pieces¡­ Oh, how I¡¯d love to have skin like hers.


    ¡°Hello miss Inimica, what can I do for you today?¡±


    ¡°I just retrieved some of my collection, and I would like them adjusted to my current size.¡±


    She put a variety of rings and bracelets on the counter and among them, ¡°These are men¡¯s¡­¡± she looks at me sharply and I drop the subject; to each their own.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be happy to learn that our usual jeweler is back in business. Turns out they were at war with some human empire somewhere in the north.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mind the goblin; he wasn¡¯t half-bad for a Fae.¡±


    ¡°Yes indeed, he¡¯s unexpectedly normal when he¡¯s not in a mood.¡±


    ¡°A mood?¡±


    I shudder, ¡°Believe me, you don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    From her expression, it looks like she actually does, but I don¡¯t want to talk about, nor think about it.


    ¡°Our usual Jeweler is famous, he¡¯s called Eitralf and accepts to do small works like ours, mostly for a chance to look at Fae¡¯s craft, and a bit because his old master is mother¡¯s acquaintance.¡±


    Fae craftsmen are interesting because they use materials unavailable for mere mortals, like moonlight, night¡¯s veil, and in the worst cases virgin¡¯s unicorn blood, death throes and the like.


    ¡°Eitralf? I acquired some pieces from his early days some time ago; he¡¯s as good as they say. Does he take commissions?¡±


    ¡°Not from us, we aren¡¯t high profile enough. I heard he took one from the fairy Queen, recently though.¡±


    Miss customer seems in deep thought and the silence bothers me so I say the first thing that comes to mind, ¡°The hero is in town, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be delighted to see you.¡±


    Miss Inimica attitude changes instantly, and even somebody as insensitive as me can feel her annoyance; it¡¯s like it radiates from her body.


    I feel obligated to defend him, even though he used to be a jerk and a lady killer, he¡¯s much more amiable nowadays, ¡°He¡¯s not a bad guy if you get to know him.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    She puts money on the desk and speaks decisively, ¡°As thanks for the info, I¡¯ll leave these to you; have them retouched by whoever you want. As for me, I¡¯m going to the dwarf kingdom, if he can take a commission from that¡­ Person¡­ He can take some from me.¡±


    I never thought ¡®person¡¯ was such a suggestive word; even thinking about it makes me feel dirty now.


    ¡°Good luck Miss Customer, I hear he only accept works that interest him.¡±


    Under her gaze, a frisson of fear descends my spine, I think I understand my sister¡¯s fear a little better now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re a good girl; I won¡¯t hurt you. I was just getting angry thinking about Her.¡±


    To call the Queen unpopular would be an understatement, as the head on the Unseelie, everything they do become her responsibility and I think it¡¯s unfair. Unlike the King, she¡¯s more of a representative than a ruler, she speaks for them when needed but they do as they wish.


    For miss customer to know her seems farfetched, but I can¡¯t bear not knowing, I need to ask, ¡°Do you know Her? Like, personally?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve met, more often than I¡¯d like¡­ Although, it doesn¡¯t mean much considering once was already more than I would have liked.¡±


    I pray for the two never meet again, I can¡¯t sense magic power as well as other demi-elves, but even I understand the terror of this doomsday scenario.


    To my great surprise, miss customer awkwardly pats my head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s extremely irritating because she personifies the Faes self-absorbed nature, but in many ways, she¡¯s way easier to deal with than her ex-husband.¡±


    I don¡¯t mind the patting, but what part of that sentence is supposed to be reassuring exactly? His majesty is worse? That sounds like heresy.


    As though she read my mind, she explains, ¡°He¡¯s not worse than her in the sense that he is evil; he¡¯s simply rigid in his thinking. She¡¯s easier to deal with because her chaotic nature gives her a short attention span.¡±


    The King and Queen embody order and chaos, respectively; said like this it¡¯s easy to understand why the Queen is both the worst and easiest to deal with.


    Before leaving, miss customer leaves me with a request, ¡°Don¡¯t tell the hero I was here.¡±


    <><><>


    Two pretty girls are hitting on me, and not so long ago I would have enjoyed it fully; I was a hedonist back then.


    ¡°Sorry girls, I don¡¯t have the time right now, I heard a powerful and dangerous Fae is in town.¡±


    That¡¯s what brought me to her in the first place, a black-haired white-skinned Fae was supposedly terrorizing the southern trade town and I went along with the request, only to find out that the story had been overly dramatized. The worst she had done was jump the line to get an appointment with the shamans; a bad behavior for sure but they had been well compensated.


    When I first met her, I considered a beauty, although not a head-turner. Her power, though, was something else, so much that I wondered if the guys who made the request wanted me to die. Not that it would be surprising, plenty of guys hate me, and with good reasons.


    I immediately dismissed the request and approached her; I came a long way, and she was good-looking, so why not? I couldn¡¯t say a word, her eyes said it all; she was like me¡­ No, her case was probably a lot worse than mine, but she had pulled through, and not by wasting her life away like I did, but by simply enjoying the day¡­ Although as I learned later her hobbies can only be enjoyed by the old, rich and powerful.


    ¡°She¡¯s in the oddity shop near the south gate, the one owned by two sisters.¡±


    ¡°Oddity shop?¡° I don¡¯t have memories of such a shop anywhere in town, but I know of one owned by two sisters, ¡°Do you mean the jewelers?¡±


    ¡°Do jewelers deals in cursed artifacts?¡±


    I¡¯m not sure, but assuming they sell Fae stuff, then they probably do; the shaman wouldn¡¯t have such a booming business if it wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°Thank you, girls, I¡¯m heading there.¡±


    ¡°Na, don¡¯t bother, she¡¯s scary, but she¡¯s never hurt anyone, come play with us instead.¡±


    Oh, benevolent King, this reflection of my former self gives me the creeps; no wonder fathers and husbands everywhere hate my guts.


    ¡°Sorry girls, I¡¯m on the clock.¡±


    I run towards the shop and walk in, the one behind the counter is the older sister, and she looks at me with conflicting feelings.


    Looks like I¡¯m not welcomed, better play dumb, ¡°I heard a powerful Fae was around, frightening the townsfolk.


    ¡°No, she did not! That¡¯s slander!¡±


    That one¡¯s pretty cute, lighthearted and innocent; I wish I had met her before I was cursed to become the hero.


    ¡°Where did she go?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say she was here today, just that miss Inimica isn¡¯t a bad per¡­¡± she bits her tongue, ¡°a bad individual.¡±


    What a weird way to say it. ¡°She¡¯s gone then?¡±


    Her sister comes out from the backroom disgusted by my very existence, ¡°Leave my sister alone, creep. Your Fae is long gone, and probably out of the forest by now.¡±


    Damn, I missed her again, although I suppose it makes sense, her reason to avoid me is probably what attracts me to her.


    <><><>


    The champion arrived a few minutes after she was gone; being a huntsman by trade, he¡¯s good at hiding his presence, and combined with the fact that she feels at ease in town, her senses have grown a bit numb.


    She doesn¡¯t have to avoid him, and she doesn¡¯t even hate him, but something about him irks her. He¡¯s like a reflection of her former self; the one who had no control over her life.

 Of Giants and Dwarfs

    Baugr the berserker, and his men happened on a section of the dwarf army lead by Agdil, his ancient and most hated enemy. This victory should have been his greatest moment of triumph, his most cherished memory, but the Dwarfs¡¯ champion¡¯s words still resound in his ears to mare his mood, ¡°You may rejoice fool, but I have accomplished my duty; the army is safe behind our walls.¡±


    The giant grunts and his men quickly put some distance, with no target his size, his sight naturally falls upon the Beastmen slaves. At the time when the dwarfs were away and their fortress week, he was leading a slaving raid in their territory, which makes it their fault if he missed the opportunity to destroy his foes once and for all.


    Baugr grabs the small Rabbitman with his mighty hands and the cowardly creature makes no effort to either run or fight back. The sight of the pathetic weakling begging for mercy enrages him even more; there is no excuse for being this useless.


    With a roar, he squeezes his hand tight and throws the wretch at his follower; the bastards are almost as bad if they can¡¯t even face him in this mood


    The colossus grabs another wretch, crush and squeeze it between his two mighty hands and puts the resulting bloody mess into his mouth. To no avail, even the taste of blood feels unsatisfying.


    He could gather the giants and attack the fortress now, while the dwarfs are still unprepared and weary of their travels, but he knows that unlike him, the others haven¡¯t gotten stronger and he cannot triumph over the fortress alone.


    Unless... He¡¯s gotten faster and more powerful, a lot; the ease with which he defeated his long-standing enemy is proof enough. ¡®That was no lie¡¯ think Baugr, ¡®what I felt, killing those demons was really the feeling of me getting stronger, and I felt the same when I killed Adgil.¡¯


    The berserker looks at his bloodied hands, there was no such feeling when he killed the Beastmen. Was it because they were too weak or some other reasons?


    He points at a giant at random, ¡°You, spar with me, and you better make it interesting or I¡¯ll rip you apart limb from limb!¡±


    The poor victim does its best, but the mighty hero is too fast and powerful for him; his progress in the past few weeks leaves him leagues beyond his kin. With a smirk on his face, the champion suddenly bashes the other warrior in the head with his war-hammer, splattering chunks of brain and bone all over. There is no feeling of getting stronger either this time; it¡¯s proof of his theory that only specific preys can strengthen him, but which?


    Demons are some kind of immortal and strangely powerful and if one thinks of an abnormally strong opponent, Fae come to mind. It¡¯s decided, he will lead his horde head south, first toward the great forest where lesser Fae reside, and if cannot get what he wants, in Faeheim proper.


    <><><>


    Sylva has Fragor drop her near the northern end of Faeheim; for some reason, she prefers traveling on the back of the sibling with the same sex as her current body. Her reason for traveling on foot for the remainder of the journey is simple; Dwarfs are secretive and wary of strangers, a powerful being riding on thunder would never get in without a fight.


    Eight days of travel mean little to her since she needs neither sleep, food, nor water¡­  Well, even if she doesn¡¯t need to, she still partakes in the three for her enjoyment. Another option would have been to buy a mount or use her power to speed the trip, but the first case would have forced her to take care of the creature, and the second would cause some wariness in the dwarfs.


    <><><>


    Baugr spits the Dryad¡¯s remains with a frustrated grunt; not only did it give no rush of power, but it even tastes like wood. Dryads, Sprites, demi-Elves, Dwarfs, Humans, Beastmen, none of them worked... The champion is proud and courageous, but even he hesitates setting foot in the immortal forest; it¡¯s not like he would lose to any run-of-the-mill goblin or elf, but the lords are in a different dimension, they walked the earth long before the first giants and have accumulated power all this long.


    He thinks for a while and decides to first lay in ambush next to the enchanted road connecting Dvergrtorg with Faeheim.


    <><><>


    Sylva senses a champion heading toward her and it is way more powerful than the human and the elf; he must have consumed numerous demons and even other champions to reach this level.


    ¡®It has accumulated countless curses. I doubt my magic could do block his attacks.¡¯


    The champion must have felt her presence too because it¡¯s approaching fast. It¡¯s a giant, a descendant of the earth elemental just like the Dvergr, but whereas the smaller one took on the creative aspects, the bigger ones only crave destruction.


    <><><>


    Baugr runs toward the tiny Fae, the creature cannot escape his speed and soon he will feast on its tender flesh. The champion is easily overcome by blood-lust, but in his long existence, he learned that small beings can be deceivingly fast, so just in case, he orders his men to encircle the prey and prevent its escape.


    <><><>


    Inimica is thrilled, last time she could not do as she wished, leading to both her need for theatrics and revenge remaining unfulfilled. Sure, the behemoth is a threat, assuming he can reach her, and she¡¯s not about to give him a chance.


    A first shock wave brings the champion to the ground, then two more shatter his tibia and knees. The mighty creature¡¯s face shows surprise, but no fear. Not yet; he hasn¡¯t been able to proceed in what just happened. The behemoth tries to get up again but fall flat on his face with a cry of frustration.


    His companions, rather than come to his help attempt to run away, only to find themselves stuck behind an invisible barrier.


    Sylva walks slowly towards her prey whistling some ancient opera; this one will pay for all the other before she¡¯s done, he¡¯ll understand what it¡¯s like to be a prisoner in your own body, to see yourself robbed of everything without yet unable to lift a finger to protect yourself.


    ¡°What a delightful encounter, just as you were waiting for me, champion, I too was also waiting for one like you.¡±


    She punctuates her sentence with a slap so powerful it knocks his face in the dirt. At least, it¡¯s made to look like this, but in truth, it¡¯s impossible to achieve this kind of result with her frame; she synchronized a spell with her slap for that purpose. It¡¯s stupid, but as the Devil, apart from dying at the hand of a hero and making sure the demon did their jobs, she only was allowed innocuous theatrics, and managing her collection.


    His legs broken, his face stuck in the dirt, the champion swings his war-hammer blindly at an incredible speed, and an instant later the mighty weapon crashes in the trees spraying woods and blood along the way.


    Another powerful slap turns the colossus¡¯ head around, and a delicate voice asks him, ¡°Pray tell, was it what you intended?¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    There, at the end of a line of broken trees, he can see his hammer lies, still in the grasp of his severed arm. Terror overwhelms the hero, he screams for help as he tries to crawl away from the monster, but another slap stops him in his tracks.


    She clicks her tongue, ¡°I can¡¯t have you moving around when you¡¯re hurt; at this rate, you¡¯re going to kill yourself, and we can¡¯t have that, can we?¡±


    ¡°Help me, bastard, come help me!¡± screams Baugr at his horde.


    The others don¡¯t even look back, they¡¯re still beating on the invisible barrier in a desperate attempt to break out before it¡¯s too late, but their hopes get dashed when the Fae leaves their leader alone to walk toward them.


    Fearing its impending doom, the nearest gargantuan creature flail at the approaching Fae with a cry of terror, only to find the massive weapons stuck in the air after hitting another invisible barrier. The others watch in disbelief as the humanoid, barely bite-sized, grabs their companion with her tiny hands and throw him at their chief with a jerking motion.


    Obviously, she cheated again, but the display achieved the desired result; the champion prostrates himself on the ground crying. Madness flashes in Inimica¡¯s eyes as she smiles; she thinks, ¡®Just a little more and he¡¯ll understand.¡¯


    The second giant falls on the leader¡¯s broken legs, and he screams in pain, that¡¯s a good start but it needs more despair. For good measure, she comments loudly, ¡°Two points for an already broken part, ten for a new one, and fifty for the head.¡± To increase the hopelessness, even more, she makes a good show of scanning the surrounding and counting the giant, ¡°Thirteen more balls to go. I better make them count or I won¡¯t break the sixty points barrier.¡±


    The others colossi, throw themselves to the ground to beg for mercy, but Sylva has no interest in mere balls; destiny and their leader are to blame for bringing them to the wrong place at the wrong moment.


    <><><>


    Two days later, Inimica presents herself at the door of Dvergrborg, the fortress-capital of the Dvergr and the place of residence of her target. The dwarf sentries are immediately circumspect of such a powerful Fae traveling without a retinue; Fae lords are overly proud beings and they wouldn¡¯t be seen dead without announcers heralding their magnificence.


    The creature addresses them simply, ¡°I¡¯m Silva Inimica and I would like to commission a work from Eitralf the jeweler.¡±


    The guards are in a bind, her kind is volatile and short-tempered, but letting her inside would at best cost them their jobs, at worst, their lives.


    ¡°We are sorry, we heard nothing of your coming, your lordship. Please, let us notify the king, so he can offer you the reception you deserve.¡±


    The delay annoys Inimica, but after all, she¡¯s done, she will not lose her temper and put at risk her chance to meet with the famous craftsman. Now is the time to bring up the champion, she healed giant and let him flee home, both out of fear of what could happen if she killed a champion, and also in hopes of using him as a bargaining chip.


    ¡°On my way here, I encountered a band of giants, but their leader escaped despite his wounds. He fled in this direction.¡±


    Hope mix with the fear in the sentries¡¯ eyes, ¡°Was there anything special about this giant?¡±


    Again, Sylva¡¯s lack of interest in other comes to haunt her, but she at least remembers him being a good half taller than the other, ¡°He was at least two heads taller and much more resilient.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in an instant, please let me call his majesty.¡±


    Leaving the champion alive was the right choice as he might be key to amicable relations.


    Not even ten minutes later, the King himself comes to meet her with a special retinue of bodyguards, all the more impressive than the other; with their equipment and number, they could probably bring down the giant with minimal losses.


    ¡°Let me welcome you to our humble home, your lordship. I heard you were looking for one of our craftsmen, and my people will be delighted to bring you to him later. If you don¡¯t mind though, I would like to hear more about those giants first.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, even if I don¡¯t really see what¡¯s so interesting about those wretches. If it¡¯s important to you though, I will oblige; days ago, a band of giant attempted to ambush me, but I had seen them coming, so instead, it was them who fell in my traps.¡±


    The dwarfs nod, the story makes sense, Faes¡¯ traps and curses are deadly, and it becomes even truer when their lives are in danger.


    ¡°The smaller ones all got caught and died, but the bigger one outran me despite his broken leg and a severed arm. All I can say is that he must be very weakened and that he was fleeing northward towards the mountains.¡±


    She healed him, although just barely enough to limp back home; in his state, he probably barely exited the forest by now.


    ¡°We are thankful, your lordship, if this giant really is the one we think, then he did us a great deal of harm. I¡¯ll organize an expedition to hunt him down, in the meantime,¡± he points at two of his bodyguards, ¡°these gentlemen will guide you in our city and bring you wherever you need.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thankful.¡± answers Inemica, and she means it; having a guide inside the confusing fortress is a real boon.


    <><><>


    I guide her lordship towards the craftsmen¡¯s quarters while Girmr takes the back. Being sandwiched between two fully armed warriors doesn¡¯t seem to bother the Fae in the slightest and not knowing whether if it¡¯s out of confidence or due to a lack of hostility makes me nervous.


    If like she said, she came on top of an encounter with Baugr¡¯s warring band, then her aplomb makes sense, although it¡¯s even more frightening.


    I make small talk, to get a feel for her character, ¡°Eitralf lost his son recently, he might not be as ready to take on some new work as he says.¡±


    ¡°I see, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± answers miss Sylva.


    We encounter a bunch of human girls in a corridor and her lordship pauses to look at them.


    ¡°I suppose they were the reason you went to war with the humans?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, even if they¡¯re not from our species, they¡¯re our sons¡¯ wives, and they were treated horribly.¡±


    An unexpected crystalline laugh comes from the Fae, ¡°I didn¡¯t think someone would be dumb enough to attempt the same thing so soon after; the records must still exist.¡±


    Her comment makes little sense to me, but I suppose it¡¯s because I don¡¯t know much about outside history. I answer with a vague, ¡°If your lordship says so.¡±


    Her lordship stops again, this time to look at a sculptor¡¯s atelier.


    ¡°These pieces are beautifully detailed and give a lively feeling. I lost similar pieces a long time ago, and I would love to see them remade. Does this place take on commissioned works?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry your lordship, I do not know. Let me ask.¡±


    I run into the shop, and grab the sculptor, ¡°There¡¯s an awfully powerful Fae with a request for you, drop everything you have on hand and do it; you¡¯ll be compensated!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sir Gel, right? One his majesty protector? It¡¯s not like you to be so agitated.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unverified yet, but Baugr may have run away from her, and frankly, I¡¯m inclined to believe it!¡±


    ¡°The insane Berserker ran from someone? Spirit of the earth, what did I do wrong? Why did it have to be me? There are better sculptors around!¡±


    ¡°Not my problem if you want to blame someone, blame yourself; she liked your display.¡±


    ¡°She liked it? Well¡­¡± Pride overcomes the fear in the artisan¡¯s eyes, ¡°What¡¯s the model?¡±


    ¡°No clue, come with me.¡± I drag the artisan out of his shop and present him to her lordship, who brings two... Pictures? No, pictures neither move nor feel so alive... Two living images of serpentine dragon-like creatures.


    The sculptor gasps at the two representations with envy, ¡°Are these the subjects? Can I have the model?¡±


    Her lordship stares in the emptiness and drags out two thick Mithril coins from thin air. The two coins flash brightly and the images move to float over them.


    ¡°The two coins and the spell are your payment, do a good job, and there will be four more.¡±


    What a lucky bastard, two were already overpaid; Mithril is worth twenty times its weight in gold.


    More than ever, the craftsman looks like he¡¯s stuck between heaven and hell, but his answer is one of confidence, ¡°I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do piece beyond anything you¡¯ve seen.¡±


    Miss Inimica seems pleased by his response, but her answer, echoes like a warning, ¡°These two are very important to me, so for our own sake, you better deliver on your promise.¡±


    The sculptor nods gravely, and the Fae smiles and points at us, ¡°Good, I¡¯ll let these two know where to send the finished piece.¡± She nods and turns toward us, ¡°Next is the Jeweler, gentlemen.¡±


    As we head toward Eitralf¡¯s atelier, her lordship explains she¡¯ll pick up the pieces from a demi-Elf shop in Mannhtorg, and that the jeweler knows the place.


    The craftsman looks like what you would expect from someone who lost his only child, and the entry of the powerful Fae barely makes him react.


    ¡°You are Eiltralf, right? My¡­ Family used to own a few of your creations, but most of them got stolen. There is one in particular that I want to see remade, it was called Brisingamen.¡±


    ¡°My masterpiece has a long history of theft.¡± mocks the jeweler.


    ¡°I punished some of them or their descendants, but I never recovered my properties, and therefore I¡¯d like you to remake it with this as the centerpiece.¡±


    She brings out a beautiful crystal shining with the color of the sun, and the Dvergr all stare with fascination. After a few seconds, Eitralf comments, ¡°There¡¯s a powerful curse on it, are you sure it¡¯s safe for me to manipulate it?¡±


    ¡°It is, the curse is the whole point; any fool touching the necklace without the owner¡¯s authorization will feel the burn of the sun.¡±


    ¡°Brisingamen shone like a bright fire, but this one will beam like the sun; I accept the work.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t discussed the details yet, not even payment.¡±


    The Dvergr laughs heartily, ¡°You¡¯re right, this isn¡¯t like me to forget! I must have been far too eager to start with this one¡­ Let¡¯s talk business and specifics then, like which metal and stones do you want to use?¡±

 Champions redux

    Four! Four of the six deceased champions got replaced in the span of a month and not a year after they met their end. The fast replacement is reassuring since it means the siblings are excluded from the cycle but also foreboding. Champions getting replaced isn¡¯t new; there have been times when only the isolationist species were left to complete the species, and in each and every case, it took hundreds of years for new champions to come and finish the job.


    Despite the risks involved, curiosity gets the better of her and Sylva use magic to look at them in order of rebirth. The first two are a giant insect and a monstrous wolf, and they¡¯re ignoring her to travel westward.


    The sight reminds her of simpler times when only mindless insects and fishes roamed the world. The uncomplicated creatures were far more accepting of their death, so grudge and miasma accumulated at a much slower rate and those were boring eons, punctuated with rare but horrible deaths.


    <><><>


    Pain assail The Wolf in its sleep, and a new hatred overwrites everything. The hunger that guided most of its actions is gone, but so are its desire to find a mate and overthrow the alphas. When the pain rescinds, it gets up without giving the other wolf pups transfixed by fear, a single look. It has no hostility towards its former sibling, but the sense of kinship is gone as well, all that is left is the Directive; kill the two legs.


    It heads towards the setting sun; where his targets are, and along the way, it runs into a giant insect. Not so long ago, it would have fled from the creature, but now they are united in a single purpose.


    <><><>


    The next two are far weaker than the previous human hero, although it makes sense since he probably killed the champions of nature before reaching her.


    <><><>


    Me, Gustavo, the hero? How ridiculous, I¡¯m a scholar first and mage second. I can¡¯t fight and I don¡¯t exercise; it has to be an error!


    ¡°You must be kidding; did you get a good look at me? An eight-year-old could beat me in a fight.¡±


    ¡°Are you accusing the oracle of lying?¡±


    That¡¯s heresy, but¡­ ¡°Wasn¡¯t the emperor¡¯s son the hero? It has to be a political maneuver; there was never a time when two heroes appeared one after another and I would know; I¡¯m a scholar.¡±


    The knight answer with a dejected tone, ¡°I¡¯d rather not believe it either, but you¡¯re him, there is neither homonym or homophone, you fit the description, time and place.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m weak!¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Heroes get empowered¡­¡± the knight gives me a sad understanding look, ¡°Listen, if it¡¯s an error, it¡¯ll be discovered sooner than later. In the meantime, I¡¯ll be there to protect you so just do your best to survive.¡±


    <><><>


    In retrospect, the advent of intelligence was the best thing that happened to Sylva. Sure, they were cruel and violent with each other and generated miasma and curse at a much faster rate, but even if she had to die more often, she could make it interesting for her and for them. And that wasn¡¯t even the best part though, they made things that gave a purpose to her life, and made her into the person of wealth and taste she is today.


    <><><>


    At night, a Rabbitman girl sits in a corner of her cell; she is nameless, there¡¯s no need to differentiate slaves. She used to be a possession in Beastmen society, and now she¡¯s in the same situation with giants and it¡¯s not an improvement, if anything she has an even higher chance of becoming a snack.


    She¡¯s in pain, but hides it, if she¡¯s found sick, her life is forfeit so what choice is there but to endure?


    Morning comes, and the pain caused her to stay awake all night. Strangely, she doesn¡¯t feel tired; quite the contrary, she feels stronger than ever.


    Two giants direct the slaves out of their prison and as usual, the brutes enjoy hitting the captives; it weeds out the weak as any who cannot get up from the punishment becomes food. The blow projects her forward, but there is no pain¡­ Is she sick? Could it be her sickness removed her sense of pain? An end of her suffering is certainly welcomed, but it will get her killed and at this rate it¡¯s only a matter of time before she ends up as food.


    Today¡¯s work is in the kitchen, the worst place to be, the heat is unbearable, the instruments weight a ton and the food they prepare is made of people, mostly her brethren. She and three others bring a pot to the fire, and it feels light, so light that she could probably carry it on her own.


    Something inspires her to grab a knife, not one intended for her race but for giants, and it weighs nothing, or at least it appears to be the case until she tries to swing it and find herself dragged away by the blade.


    She calls to one of her few surviving friends, ¡°Come here, there¡¯s something I want to show you.¡±


    The other approaches circumspectly; being caught slacking is a highway to snack-town, but her thoughts are blown away by the surprise of she seeing her old friend carry an object that even Beastman lords would have trouble moving.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why or how it happened, but I¡¯m stronger than any lord. I want you to help me make a weapon, find a long shaft while I repurpose this enormous cleaver into an Ax for me. Giants are strong and their legs thick but I assure you, I¡¯ve cut enough people to know where the arteries are!¡±


    The question is where to go, going back home is out of the question, the situation will get better for her but not for her brethren. Same for the great forest, leaving the road for an extended time is suicide. It only leaves one solution; to find allies who hate her enemies as much as she does. There is something, she didn¡¯t pay much attention at the time, but both the giants and the lords referred to them with awe. It¡¯s risky, they have no reason to accept her and the other escapee, but she knows a lot about her enemies¡¯ territory, more than her masters suspected.


    <><><>


    Intelligence changed everything, spirits mixed with the new mortal races, and gave birth to dwarves and giants. Primitive Faes born from simple beast fear also evolved from simple shadowy fang and killer trees into more complex thoughts and fears; shadowy stalkers, doppelgangers, dryads, and finally the Elves King and Queen, the representation of order and chaos.


    Yes, even if she is loath to admit it, intelligent life made the cycle more tolerable.

 Strange behaviors

    Sylva senses a champion inside the shop but enters, anyway; she¡¯s grown so used to the elf hero that she doesn¡¯t mind it. Upon entering, she finds a woman with an air of violence and short rabbit ears; the Beastman champion.


    The rabbit woman stinks of miasma and grudges, an abnormal state for a champion since the benediction provided by the faith of their people normally hold the corruption back.


    ¡°Please sign and stamp the receipt.¡± asks the champion in a business tone.


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± answers the demi-Elf behind with her usual bright smile, "Miss Inimica, what a nice coincidence, it¡¯s the delivery you¡¯ve been waiting for.¡±


    Her business finished, the Beastman woman leaves the room without a sparing Inimica a single look.


    There was no coincidence; she timed her coming perfectly, but the package can wait, ¡°Linnea, tell me about the woman that just left.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to show interest in someone Miss, but on that instance, I understand where you come from; she is beautiful and has such a mysterious aura about her. Her name is Vindicta, an up-and-coming bodyguard and delivery man. I hear she has a perfect success rate at avoiding ambushes and is a force to be reckoned with in battle¡­ Her only fault is that she gets a bit battle-crazy when it comes to Beastmen and giants.¡±


    She¡¯s named Vengeance and kill her own people? It fits her demeanor perfectly and explains the grudges, but what with this wealth of information, she didn¡¯t expect more than a name and place of origin, ¡°How do you know so much about her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a hot topic among mercenaries, quite a few bought gifts for her in our shop? To no avail, though, she doesn¡¯t seem interested.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Well, enough about her, give me the box.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s written to avoid touching it.¡±


    ¡°Silly, you can touch the box, it the necklace that¡¯s cursed.¡±


    ¡°Another cursed item? You really like them.¡±


    As she removes the packaging, Sylva explains, ¡°This one is special as I designed the curse. It¡¯s safe for me and anyone I design.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s high-level stuff; no wonder you don¡¯t mind the curses.¡±


    The work is even finer than with Brisingamen; each individual stone is enchanted to reflect and enhance the light from the central stone. To further the illusion of a small sun surrounded by colored moons, the chains are so thin that the jewel appears the float around her neck. It¡¯s magnificent, it was entirely worth destroying multiple statues, rings, and necklaces to recover the stone and pay the craftsmanship. Sylva removes the necklace, extends her arms to better admire it, and then surprise herself by asking the elder sister, ¡°Do you want it?¡±


    Linnea answers with a squeaky sound and Inimica mouth fall shut.


    ¡®What am I saying?¡¯ thinks the dumbfounded Devil, ¡®Why did I offer my greatest treasure to a worthless demi-Elf?¡¯


    Linnea is shocked, but she still manages to squeak out an answer, ¡°I could never accept, Miss, it¡¯s far too precious to accept, far too precious for the likes of me.¡±


    The self-deprecating comment annoys Inimica, the girl is one of the few people she made the effort of remembering the name, and she even learned the name of her sister despite having no interest in the useless cowardly creature.


    Sylva doesn¡¯t reflect on how she herself considered the girl worthless just a few seconds ago; she doesn¡¯t take kindly of people disparaging her acquaintances, even if it is done by the individual in question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear this kind of talk! I won¡¯t let you insult my¡­¡±


    ¡®My what exactly? She just a seller in a shop I often frequent.¡¯ The ridiculousness of the situation catches up with Inimica, the person she is defending and the one she¡¯s lecturing are the same and her own motivation is incomprehensible.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Sorry, I lost my cool. You are right; this piece doesn¡¯t suit you. When I saw this dangerous woman earlier, I thought you were too defenseless and my judgment erred.¡±


    The new Brisingamen is a poor choice; it can draw the power of the sun but it takes power and mastery to direct it. She opens a small hole in space to access to her treasury back home and grabs at something. When she opens her hand, there are two simple rings and a torc, ¡°The two rings offer protection passive protection against physical and magical attacks, even if it¡¯s only on the level of an unenchanted full plate mithril armor. This one is an offensive artifact; it can cast a variety of lightning spell by calling on lesser elemental, so it only requires the user to make a pact.¡±


    Linnea looks at the artifacts of legends in incomprehension, only a few powerful mages and warriors have access to items of that level, but when the Devil orders her, ¡°Take them and wear them!¡± she obliges mindlessly.


    ¡°Good. Do the elf hero still come regularly?¡±


    The answer comes out a bit miffed, ¡°He only comes here to talk about you. Even my sister deemed him safe to be around and stopped chasing him out.¡±


    Inimica doesn¡¯t catch the subtleties from the answer, all that matters is that a decent fighting force visits the place regularly, ¡°That¡¯s good, don¡¯t hesitate to use him as a shield; being resilient is about his only value.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s not¡­¡± Her sentence stops there; if miss Inimica has no interest in him, what need is there to raise his good points. She answers instead, ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say, but I can¡¯t accept gifts this precious.¡±


    ¡°They are not! I have many on that level, and you need them. That¡¯s final!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± what else can you answer when a powerful being threatens you to accept gifts for your own protection.


    ¡°Good girl.¡±


    <><><>


    Once again, they¡¯re too late; before them lies the ruins of a village, its field ravaged and all of its inhabitants slaughtered.


    ¡°No survivors here, and all the soldier posted are dead.¡± says knight Fidel, Gustavo right-hand man


    ¡°What about the message, did they leave one behind as ordered?¡± asks the hero.


    ¡°None, it seems the barrack and the guards were targeted first.¡± answers the knight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the implications. We only found traces of a giant wolf and some strange tracks so far, but this indicates a high level of intelligence and planning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the elves!¡± asserts a soldier.


    A murmur a yeah and yes echoes his assumption, but other voices rise to challenge him.


    ¡°It¡¯s the damn empire; their so-called hero was last seen going in the forest, he¡¯s coming after us for rejecting the merge!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be dumb, the prince is dead! We wouldn¡¯t have sir Gustavo if he wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then the bastard agitated something he shouldn¡¯t have! Remember, the empire managed to draw the ire of the dwarves and the little bastards don¡¯t ever get out of their mines!¡±


    Fully adult dwarfs are as big or bigger than humans, they¡¯re only small when compared to their enemy the giants, comments the scholar internally. As usual, it shows a poor understanding of the events and species involved, but that¡¯s to be expected when even him with all the books and treatises he¡¯s read know so little about them.


    ¡°We can eliminate the elves of the list of suspects, they¡¯re also fear the great forest, why do you think the enchanted roads are for? Anyway, did you ever see an elf venture outside of their territory?¡±


    ¡°I saw one in my father¡¯s town; she was a brave girl who defended the citizen with her life.¡± comments Fidel.


    ¡°That¡¯s unusual. What was she like?¡±


    ¡°Ivory skin, hair dark as night and shining emerald eyes.¡±


    ¡°Glowing eyes are an immortal trait, what you describe sounds more like a Fae; they are rumored to be the elves¡¯ progenitors.¡±


    ¡°I thought Fae were monsters haunting the forest, like dryads and the like.¡±


    ¡°There are many types of Fae, Goblin for example count as one. For those who haven¡¯t traveled to Mannhtorg, a good analogy would be that Elves are like trained house-cats while Faes are feral.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s you, Hero, I won¡¯t permit anyone to insult our town benefactor! She was a noble and humble soul!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s how one of my books describes them. It¡¯s got nothing to do with good or evil, elves are social creatures within our understanding, but the Faes are forces of nature. Even so, every individual is different and you cannot hope to categorize them.¡±


    ¡°Then, could be the more feral Faes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, I never read about animal-shaped Fae, but what we know for sure fits a single piece of paper, and we¡¯d need a library to list what we ignore. Sill, since there are tree-shaped ones, it wouldn¡¯t be much of a stretch.¡±


    ¡°I was right; it¡¯s the previous hero¡¯s fault!¡±


    Gustavo sighs tiredly, he wouldn¡¯t have expected his most arduous task to be reining rumors in. Time to end this pointless bickering. He screams at his men, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who¡¯s to blame! We need to catch the culprits before they do more damage!¡±. He put down his map and point two villages, ¡°From the previous attack direction we can deduce the next target to be one of these, we must ask the local garrison to take care of one while we go to the other. Suggestions?¡±


    A young soldier walks forward, ¡°I¡¯m the lightest and the fastest rider if I leave my equipment behind, I should be able to bring the garrison in less than a day.¡±


    That¡¯s a wild ride, but with such haste, everyone knows the chances of arriving in time are slim.


    ¡°Thank you, soldier, I¡¯m counting on you.¡±


    The man immediately strips his armor and baggage and launches his horse towards the nearest fort.


    ¡®Becoming the hero wasn¡¯t my decision but helplessly watching my people die isn¡¯t my idea of the work. Please god, if you exist, let us make it in time.¡±

 Champions redux - part two

    The hunter is unsure, this two-legs¡¯ colony is unlike any other; the number of fighters is unusually high and something inside gives a dangerous feeling. The beast communicates its impression of a trap to his hunt-mate and the insect partner obediently retreats into the forest.


    Even if it¡¯s now governed by an urge to kill, the giant insect¡¯s patterns are still more or less the same as in its previous life; fight, hide or flee, and that¡¯s the reason the wolf with its ability to strategize, communicate and cooperate was selected.


    The hunter gives a last look at the target of his fear; up to now, it has prioritized mobility to destroy the two-legs gatherers, but this presence is too much of a threat. It must gather a bigger hunt party and deal with the menace, and once it¡¯s done, it¡¯ll have the option to go after bigger colonies.


    <><><>


    Gustavo feels something come and go. Apparently, the attacker also sensed him and decided to avoid the fight¡­ For now. He calls to Fidel to ask, ¡°Did you feel that?¡±


    ¡°No, sir, nothing out of the ordinary.¡±


    ¡°I think we felt each other¡¯s presence, and our mysterious attackers retreated.¡±


    ¡°If they sense our traps, catching them will be a pain.¡±


    The hero asks with a raised brow, ¡°You aren¡¯t doubting me?¡±


    ¡°If it was anyone else, I would, but it¡¯s long been established that heroes can sense demons.¡±


    ¡°I can assure you those weren¡¯t demons, there was no feeling of malice, just¡­ Enmity?¡±


    The knight who is enamored with legends of great warriors cannot help but draw a parallel, ¡°Like destined foes?¡±


    Gustavo thinks for a bit and answers with an unusual certainty, ¡°Yes, it describes the feeling perfectly.¡±


    <><><>


    I should be glad she stopped avoiding me, but now she acts like I¡¯m part of the background. Apathy is far worse than rejection; I really don¡¯t stand a chance. I walk towards cute Linnea (and annoying Rayna)¡¯s shop when I run into a Rabbit-kin, this one is unlike any others, and rather than meekness, she exudes the same feeling of dread as the dragon lord.


    The woman also stops to look at me with apprehension, then approaches me directly to state, ¡°I have no enmity toward you and your species. I¡¯m with the Dvergr. I work as a caravan guard.¡±


    Talk about being direct, ¡°I¡¯m Lars, the so-called Elf hero, and I hold no enmity toward you either; it surprised me to see your kind here.¡±


    She shrugs her shoulders, ¡°People usually are¡­ From your title, I suppose you deal with Giant and Beastmen raider regularly. If you ever need to go into their territories, I¡¯m an excellent guide and no slouch in combat.¡±


    ¡°What are your fees?¡±


    ¡°Normal escort, plus danger fee, plus the right to keep every Rabbitmen slaves.¡±


    ¡°My kind doesn¡¯t practice slavery.¡±


    ¡°But you kill them.¡±


    Ah, so that¡¯s her angle, ¡°If I ever stumble upon Rabbitmen, where should I direct them?¡±


    ¡°My people live north of Dvergrtorg, along the enchanted road, thanks for asking.¡±


    ¡°You must be facing a lot of prejudice.¡±


    ¡°Not personally, but my people do. They deserve it though; they are weak and quick to surrender to their fate.¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling it¡¯s going to change.¡±


    She smirks, ¡°At first, I felt you were a threat, but I suppose I must have recognized your strength.¡±


    ¡°Same here. Sorry for being judgmental, but I don¡¯t have a good opinion of Beastmen in general.¡±


    ¡°No offense taken; they¡¯re trash. As for my kin, their lack of self-esteem makes it hard to judge them positively.¡±


    Crude and direct, what a girl! ¡°I¡¯ll warn others to send rabbit-kin to your settlement, but don¡¯t expect too much, few people can afford to feed or escort them.¡±


    ¡°I never expect anything from anyone, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to ask.¡±


    She means it. I thought I had it bad when I became the hero but after meeting Sylva and her; I feel like a complete asshole for thinking a short life of limited freedom was bad.


    ¡°You¡¯re strong, not only as a fighter but also in character. If you need help, feel free to ask, my station limits my freedom, but it gives me some authority.¡±


    ¡°Aside from the Dvergr king, you¡¯re the first to offer help without the underlying goal of getting in my pants.¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for Sylva and Linnea, I¡¯d be the same. Damn, even with them in mind, I still think it¡¯d be nice.


    ¡°I¡¯m making no promise.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°About your pants.¡±


    She laughs, genuinely and heartily, so much that she looks like a different person. When she finally stops, she addresses me with tears in her eyes, ¡°You¡¯re killing me, you are far too honest. I think I wouldn¡¯t mind much if you were the one.¡±


    ¡°I have someone¡­ Well, in fact, it¡¯s more like two someones, but it is hopeless with one of them and I¡¯ve known it from the very instant I laid eyes on her. I¡¯m still attracted though, and in a way she¡¯s kind of like you¡­ What the hell am I saying!¡±


    ¡°Please stop! I don¡¯t want to laugh like an idiot again. I¡¯m Vindicta, you can contact me through the mercenary guild or through that jewelry over there; it deals regularly with the dwarves, so any letter you send through them should reach me.¡±


    ¡°Linnea¡¯s shop?¡±


    She brings out a paper from her side bag and answers, ¡°Linnea and Rayna. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You can contact me through the Elders, the guards and the mercenary guild, at least one of them should know my position.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that. Good luck with your hunt, so-called Elf hero.¡±


    Lars''s cheeks flush. ¡®Damn woman, she didn¡¯t have to say it like this.¡¯ Out loud, he answers, ¡°Same to you.¡±


    <><><>


    With its strange new power, the wolf persuaded a flock of Rocs to follow, but it didn¡¯t expect the giant birds¡¯ voracious appetite to be such a big problem; They only travel by day, and half the time is spent on hunting and digesting. Once they exit the mountain and reach the two-legs¡¯ country, feeding will become easier and serve the greater goal, but for now, they¡¯re just a pain.


    <><><>


    Gustavo recharge the spells he inscribed and the ground and walls; inscriptions have many benefits, but the drawbacks usually outweigh them. It allows non-mage to use powerful spells, but can only work once, take a lot of space to write and unless they are maintained by the original caster at least twice a day they¡¯ll fade away.


    ¡°I regret coming up with the idea. If they avoid confrontation again, I¡¯ll have spent two weeks wasting my energy on useless traps.¡±


    ¡°If they attack, it¡¯ll give us a massive advantage.¡±


    ¡°The army needs more mages! Why don¡¯t they recruit more?¡±


    ¡°Because they are like you, sir hero, they¡¯d rather study ancient texts.¡±


    It takes so much learning and reading to become a proper mage, that most of them forget what set them on that path in the first place to devote themselves to the search for knowledge.


    ¡°I¡­¡± the sound of a bell drowns the rest of his sentence; they¡¯re coming.


    Gustavo and Fidel run to the watchtower, ¡°What are we facing?¡±


    ¡°Giant birds, at least two dozen, sir. I can see a giant quadruped and an oblong-shaped monster moving at the same speed.¡±


    ¡°We are ill-equipped to fight against giant birds, but I have an idea.¡± says the knight, ¡°Soldiers, phalanx formation, one spear up and one spear down, get behind the traps and protect the archers.¡±


    ¡°Our arrows aren¡¯t going to hurt something this big, you know.¡±


    ¡°They will if they¡¯re coated with poison!¡±


    That¡¯s a nice idea, too bad the one we use for hunting is slow acting, the hero sighs, he wasted his most of his stamina on the traps and now that. ¡°Hurry and bring me the reserve of poison; I¡¯m going to curse it.¡±


    Given time, curses can be applied by anyone, but with proper knowledge and power, in the span of a few minutes, even the mildest spice can turn into a deadly poison.


    ¡°Looks frightful.¡± comments one of the archers looking at the gooey substance that used to be a paralyzing poison.


    The tired hero estimates his condition and reports, ¡°Sorry guys, between the spells and the poison, I¡¯m good for another half hour, even less if I force it.¡±


    As the field commander, Fidel makes a tactical decision, ¡°Sir, stay on the defensive and analyze our enemies, we¡¯ll make do with the traps and inscription.¡±


    ¡°I can do that but¡­ Do we pitch left from the traps?¡±


    ¡°We do sir, but we lack weapons to throw it at the targets.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the weapon; kinetic spells are among the least tiring.¡±


    ¡°Will we set them on fire?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a hard one, a giant bird on fire panicking on the ground sound even more dangerous than a flying one.¡±


    ¡°Duly noted, we¡¯ll see if we can trap them first.¡±


    Both know there aren¡¯t enough traps, and that fire propagates, but they can only deal with problems as they come. The rocs are the first to arrive, and as hoped, the forest of spear acts as a deterrent against their attacks; whatever spell the enemy used to enslave them didn¡¯t entirely deprive them of their will.


    From the middle of the formation, Gustavo throw barrel after barrel steal many creatures¡¯ ability to fly, and the soldiers promptly draw them towards the physical traps.


    ¡°The impaled birds are making a bridge,¡± announces Fidel, ¡°fall back to the second position!¡±


    It might seem early to abandon their fortification, but the small walls provide little protection against flying monsters and the bait position is unsustainable. Gustavo use an altered tinder spell to light the pitch from afar, hopefully the grounded birds will be stopped by the wall.


    ¡°Incoming.¡± screams the soldier on the watchtower, and an instant later they wooden wall they just left breaks to reveal a giant armored scarab and a wolf just as big standing behind.


    The hero orders, ¡°They¡¯re our targets, lure them to the magic traps.¡±


    The scarab has no need to be lured anywhere; it runs in a straight line at the nearest soldier, breaking the shaft and shattering the points along its way. Thirty brave men die in an instant, and the unscathed creature turns to face a second group of soldiers.


    ¡°Die bastard.¡± screams Gustavo as he activates an inscription from afar.


    An enormous explosion rises from under the creatures, throwing a myriad of stone and metal shrapnel at the creature. The scarab is sent flying and falls on its back, legs trembling in pain. Soldiers rush to strike the scarred belly, but it pushes itself back up with its wings, crushing five braves in the process.


    This time, it doesn¡¯t come unscathed, broken spear stick from its underbelly, hurting the monster and hindering its movements. Gustavo throw the rest of the pitch; he¡¯d rather use it against the birds but stopping this thing from charging again take priority. The barrel small barrels spread their content all over the insect eyes, and a few seconds later, Gustavo ignites it with a spell.


    The blinded creature trashes around and soldiers pierce it with their lance from all around. Not for long though, the giant wolf comes to the rescue and sweeps them aside with its paws. The sight of the soldier lying broken on the floor enrages the hero, he throws a bolt of lightning, but the wolf dodges right before he finishes casting the spell.


    Fidel informs the hero in a panic, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s avoiding the inscriptions and your spells.¡±


    ¡°Soldiers, do your best to push it toward the inscriptions while I take care of the insect.¡±


    Protected by the courageous soldiers fending the aerial attacks, Gustavo cast his spells; it takes a prodigious amount of time and endurance to cast, but it should flatten the scarab once for all.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let them down.¡¯ thinks the hero who feared the very sight of conflict just a few months ago. Two minutes seems like an eternity in battle, but finally, a boulder four times the monster size falls on the insect to flatten it as promised.


    The spell was overkill and tremors throw soldiers out of balance; a fact their massive enemies immediately picks upon.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± screams the hero as he throws his fastest spell, a weak ball of light at the wolf. The animal dodges the harmless spell with as much haste as the deadly one, and from then on, Gustavo mix deadly, weak and harmless spell to keep the beast occupied while the poison take effect.


    <><><>


    The two champions of nature lay dead, and the birds, liberated from their run away as fast as their wings can carry them.


    Sylva wonders about the strangeness of this cycle. A dog leading poultry in a fight against an abnormally weak champion is already strange enough, but the conversation hints that the two creatures have been raiding human settlements for months instead of going after the demons or herself.

 Champions redux - Part three.

    The giant tiger is dead, but the monstrous dragonfly continues with its hit-and-run tactics. Gustavo puts a wind barrier in its way, but the insect somehow evades by dive-scything a soldier in half before flying in the opposite direction.


    Over the last year, the regularity of the attacks forced the kingdom to abandon the countryside and upgrade its towns¡¯ defense, but measures against flying and scaling aren¡¯t enough, nothing is ever enough.


    ¡°They¡¯ve already burned all our fields, but it¡¯s still not enough.¡± wails a militia-man ¡°They won¡¯t quit until we¡¯re all dead!¡±


    One of the necessary upgrades had been to circle fields with walls and put nets and spikes to prevent attacks from above. It had worked well for a time, but not today; birds of prey under the monster control dropped flaming twigs by the hundred on the crops, some of them even throw their burning body at the crops. Extinguishing the fire isn¡¯t even an option, rocs and the dragonfly stand guard, ready to kill anyone who falters or leaves the relative safety of the walls.


    The giant insect dodges another of the hero spell. The explosion kills three rocs and put out part of the fire, but no one rejoices, this is a scenario played many times before, and sure enough, the fire ignites again.


    The hero is disheartened; the city and its people are doomed, even if they survive the battle, starvation awaits. For a while, he entertains the idea of changing the other city nets with nonflammable material, but it¡¯s pointless, the enemy has no qualms sacrificing the creatures under its control to achieve its goal.¡¯


    On the wall, a soldier asks Fidel for order; they can¡¯t hit their target, ¡°Commander, what can we do?¡±


    Fidel doesn¡¯t know, the enemy is too fast and quickly adapts to his plans. Worse, the men exhausted and what little heart they had, went in smoke alongside their crops.


    ¡°Let me confer with the hero.¡±


    Fidel runs to his leader and friend, with each battle, the awkward mage improved, growing not only in strength but also in leadership.


    ¡°Sir, we can¡¯t hit the bloody thing, it too fast and keeps out of reach unless it sees an easy target.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯ve been trying to kill it for hours!¡± rages the hero. He isn¡¯t the only one who¡¯s grown, the enemy also learned from its failures. ¡°It read my spells beforehand and dodge them with unimaginable speed and agility.¡±


    ¡°Even our shrapnel barrages are easily avoided.¡±


    Gustavo is growing weary but there are things only him can do, ¡°I don¡¯t have to deal with the tiger anymore, so let¡¯s coordinate our attacks. Recall the resting mages, we¡¯re trapping the bastard.¡±


    There are nine mages in the city, none of them belong to the army, but like it or not, he conscripted them into the city defense. Their power is meager compared to the hero, but if he takes care half, they should be capable of holding the rest of the wind barrier. On paper, the plan sounds, but the enemy is absurdly fast and ever moving.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    It takes many tries and many deaths, but one soldier lures the monster against the wall, and the summoned tempest smashes it on the stone. The immense creature is strangely light and unable to fight against the fury of the wind. At this angle, few ballistae can target the monster, but it doesn¡¯t matter; as long as it stays in the same place for a while, the fight is all but finished.


    Rocs ignores their survival instinct to come to the insect rescue, but it¡¯s wasted effort, conjured lightning falls over and over on the area, and not even a charred carcass remains.


    <><><>


    Lars and Vindicta finish the last Unliving. Once rare, those things now come in droves to attack the nearby settlements.


    ¡°I used to only know them by name, and now, not one day pass without one of those showing its ugly face.¡± comments Lars


    The rabbit-kin heart is heavy, she hates her previous captors, but the onslaught of abominations coming from Beastman and Giant territory doesn¡¯t bode well for her people.


    ¡°There is no end to them¡­ I fear for my kin, they don¡¯t have any place to run.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could do more but our villages are small, even if we distribute them, there isn¡¯t enough food for them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done a lot, accepting three hundred former enemies is a kindness I won¡¯t ever be able to repay.¡±


    The elf-hero wishes he could help his friend more, but his influence is limited. In fact, he was surprised the elders listened to his request at all.


    Lars doesn¡¯t know about it, but his offer delighted the elders. The woman is almost on equal footing with him, and her tracking skills are unparalleled; securing a capable fighter like her is worth lodging and feeding a few hundred harmless and hard-working rabbit-kin.


    Their mission accomplished, the pair head back to Dvergrtorg; the great forest has always been fraught with danger, but the current Alfskog isn¡¯t something they could survive without each other¡¯s help.


    <><><>


    Emperor Thordis of Randstalt-Tamil hear the council opinions or has he would put it; their bullshit. Noble used his recent mistakes and the disappearance of his son to sap his authority, hence the council but in retrospect, civil war might have been a better decision.


    ¡°Gentlemen, invading elf territory isn¡¯t practical. The forest is a death trap and two settlements we know of have their accesses in enemy territory!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t get it. We¡¯re out of choice! Our crops are failing and if we don¡¯t learn how to domesticate the forest soon, the empire will be no more!¡±


    Thordis¡¯ heart aches, this once bright and decent man, wants to send legions of people to their doom for illusive gains.


    ¡°The entrance to the enchanted road lies in enemy territory, in case you didn¡¯t hear!¡±


    ¡°I reached an accord with the Tamil kingdom for a joint attack on Mannhtorg. We will learn why the monsters don¡¯t attack the elves and their techniques to exploit the forest.¡±


    The answers are ¡®We don¡¯t know, we¡¯ve never seen such monsters.¡¯, and ¡®We only take what we need!¡¯, but the greedy people around the table refuses to acknowledge the truth. Crop failures, unknown monsters besieging humanity, waves of the unliving; many in the empire believe it¡¯s the end of the world and the kingdom of Tamil¡¯s case is even more desperate.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope the legends are wrong.¡± says Thordis. He refers to the warning at the center of all fairy tales; stay away from the Fae.


    ¡°You have really fallen, emperor, why can¡¯t you see their knowledge is our only hope for survival!¡±


    <><><>


    Fragor and Fulmen land in their master¡¯s domain, they¡¯ve just finished a tour of Alfskog, Faeheim, and the land around.


    ¡°It¡¯s dying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she thinks it¡¯s her fault.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll soon attempt to end the cycle by offering her life. I don¡¯t believe it¡¯ll solve the problem, do you?¡±


    ¡°I do not; she¡¯s free because the world is broken beyond repair, not the opposite.¡±


    ¡°I concur, she suspects her freedom to be some form a recompense for her suffering, but this world doesn¡¯t care about individuals.¡±


    ¡°Our voices won¡¯t reach her though.¡±


    ¡°Whether or not our master resents it, sacrifice is at the core of her nature. We must find others to convince her before it¡¯s too late, for I believe this life is her last.¡±

 Omen of ruin

    It shouldn¡¯t be possible, yet her forest is dying. The reason behind it is clear, but it¡¯s not one she wants to acknowledge.


    ¡®I have to see for myself.¡¯


    Miasma in the forest, miasma in empty plains, the Unliving spreading far and wide; there is only one conclusion to draw.


    ¡®The end is near, nature itself is dying, and even the plant life knows it.¡¯


    What could be the reason? Nothing changed in the environment¡­ Apart from her!


    ¡®It is my fault.¡¯


    Even if she enjoys her newfound freedom, she¡¯s always feared the consequences.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be because of me; the degeneration is this fast because something is leeching the life.¡¯


    Is it because the champions died?


    ¡®Unlikely again, failures happened many times in the past, and the Dragons and Undine have always lived out of the circle without consequences.¡¯


    Going against her fate could be the cause; she refused to lead the demons, and without someone to guide them, they died early without absorbing much of the miasma and grudges.


    ¡®Before that, the Beast and Insect champions went off-script before that to target humans.¡¯


    Humans are at fault then.


    ¡®Unsure, even if nature seems bent on destroying them, its creation of champions takes a far bigger toll on life and diversity than their farming ever did.¡¯


    Removing the human might stop nature¡¯s madness.


    ¡®Unlikely again, Beastmen are a likely target, same for Giants and Dvergr. It¡¯s probable that none of the species that lives outside the bounds of nature will be pardoned.¡¯


    Demi-Elves, live within the confines of nature, and only take what they need.


    ¡®But they trade with other species and use magic to bend it to their will.¡¯


    Can the destruction be stopped? Miasma accumulates faster than normal, this time her death would not take away all the sins of the world.


    ¡®It necessary to bring back the demons.¡¯


    Won¡¯t they will be killed and consumed by the clueless champions again?


    ¡®One is needed to kill her, but the others must die by his hands.¡¯


    She has a plan; first reduces the mortal population, the have the elf hero kill the others, and finally her to bring back the demons. After that, even if he continues to kill the demon recklessly, the siblings can take care of him.


    ¡®I will be hated.¡¯


    It was never a problem before; she was a symbol of fear, the leader of demons, the enemy of the world.


    ¡®Interaction was a mistake: it clouded my judgement.¡¯


    She has a plan with a decent chance of success, but she can¡¯t bring herself to execute it because she¡¯ll be hated by her few acquaintances; people who are bound to die soon if she doesn¡¯t do anything.


    <><><>


    Count Osman looks proudly at his troops, he was the one who contacted the empire and proposed the invasion. Yes, even if his territory hasn¡¯t suffered much yet, it¡¯s only a matter of time. One thing bothers him though, the contingent from the empire seems to be entirely composed of supply troops.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the logistic excessive? It¡¯s a two days trip by horse.¡±


    His vis-¨¤-vis is unimpressed, both by the army and the leadership: the empire fielded ten times as many men to conquer the kingdom of Azul, and he was in charge of supply.


    ¡°We¡¯re targeting a fort in the middle of a forest, sir; this counts as the bare minimum.¡±


    ¡°A wooden palisade is nothing to worry about; we¡¯ll be done with the primitives in a single day!¡± boasts the count.


    This so-called joint venture doesn¡¯t have the support of the king. It¡¯s motivated only by the count¡¯s desire to promote himself, and his personal army is mostly new recruits. Since sending a true army in kingdom territory without the king¡¯s agreement could be seen as an act of aggression, it was decided the colonel and four thousand of his supply troops would bring food and siege weapons to the count.


    Colonel Rafe stifles a sigh, every second he passes in the company of the noble reduce his trust in the mission, but orders are orders.


    The answer is obvious but he asks, ¡°Have you ever led a siege, general?¡±


    ¡°I have a military education and come from a long lineage of generals; I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡®As I thought, I fear none of us will come back alive from this mission.¡¯ Out loud though, the officer accommodates the stupid noble, ¡°I¡¯m delighted to learn you are so well versed in battle. Please, leave the logistic to me, it is my specialty.¡±


    ¡°Well, as long as you understand who is in charge, there won¡¯t be a problem.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡®That I¡¯m sure; there¡¯ll be a lot more than one.¡¯


    ¡®I know joint command never works, but I wish command tried harder to push their view.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, sir. I¡¯m only here to support you.¡±


    <><><>


    Stefan is one of the many men who conscripted to avoid starvation; the army is the only place where you can still have regular meals. As a former farmhand though, he understands the foolishness of the venture better than anyone; the forest is sick and even if it isn¡¯t as bad as in the kingdom, it¡¯s impossible to support the kingdom with it.


    Around him, many have reached the same conclusion, but no one dares to speak up. When night comes without anyone brushing on the subject, Stefan decides to inform his sergeant.


    ¡°Sir, I would like to speak with you.¡±


    The superior barely looks at him before answering menacingly, ¡°Desertion is a crime punishable by death; you better not forget that.¡±


    ¡°This is about the forest, sir. is sick. The higher-ups should be informed.¡±


    ¡°Go back to your camp, and I better see you there tomorrow morning, or I¡¯ll personally hunt you down.¡±


    After he leaves, another sergeant approaches his colleague, ¡°What was that all about?¡±


    ¡°Another coward, the little shits are only good at eating our ration, and spitting stupid excuses.¡±


    <><><>


    Vindicta grabs Lars and signals him to stop making noise. After a small nod, the Elf stop moving and breathing entirely while the Rabbit-kin concentrates on the source of the noise.


    Her ears move around for a while, as if trying to catch the source better, then she speaks gravely, ¡°People and beasts, by the thousands.¡±


    ¡°How far?¡±


    ¡°At least hours, there¡¯s too much echo to get a good read.¡±


    As warriors they are both reputed to be worth over a hundred men but facing monsters, bandits and Beastmen is nothing like fighting a coordinated army. With perfect synchronicity, they pair hide its superfluous equipment under a nearby tree and run toward Mannhtorg as fast as they can.


    <><><>


    A scream of outrage breaks the unnatural silence. It was let out by count Osman grabbing a nearby sentinel sleeping on the job.


    ¡°Where is the road, what did you bastards do?¡±


    A slap awakens the confused sentry. He doesn¡¯t remember falling asleep, and even if he did, where did the road go?


    The screams awaken the whole camp, and getting up they realize the irrationality of the situation. The count, though is still driven by rage and continues to hit the man and throw menaces, ¡°Bastard, I¡¯ll have you hanged for your crime! Do you realize what you¡¯ve done? Because of you, we lost the road¡­¡±


    The accusations are senseless, but no one dares to interrupt the raging noble. No one, beside colonel Rafe, ¡°My lord, even if the sentry fell asleep, we didn¡¯t move camp, and isn¡¯t it abnormal for the whole camp to fall asleep?¡±


    Yes, they did not move camp, and he himself awakened sitting on a pair of crates he used as his desk and chair.


    Sanity regains the noble, ¡°We must rejoin the road immediately!¡±


    Did the road disappear, or were they transported by an invisible force in their sleep? There is no way to know, but the former seems more likely, ¡°I¡¯m afraid our presence was discovered; it is called an enchanted road and they must have dispelled.¡±


    He had expected the ¡®enchanted road¡¯ to be a road with spells rather than an enchantment taking the shape of a road. A grave mistake but a natural one to make.


    Twenty thousand men and beast put to sleep and the entire road disappearing under them; the enormity of what transpired is too much for Osman to bear, he asks ¡°What¡­ What can we do?¡±


    The colonel is also disturbed by the insane situation, but his training and experience allow him to appear calm on the surface, ¡°If the road vanished then we know where we are, we can either go south and abandon the mission, or continue north-east toward our target.¡±


    ¡°Flee? Impossible; my reputation depends on it.¡±


    ¡°Without a road, we must abandon the carriages, which mean we will lose most of our supplies and our siege engines.¡±


    Osman¡¯s confidence is gone, losing their supplies and necessary equipment without fighting a single battle served as a rude awakening. The Elven city is nearer than the forest¡¯s exit though, and a way to restore the road should exist there, ¡°We have to continue¡­¡± he shouts his orders ¡°We¡¯re moving forward, hurry and prepare to leave.¡±


    The colonel is of the same mind, but not for the same reason; without a road retracing their route will take at least twice as long. Assuming they haven¡¯t moved, Mannhtorg should be less than two days away at their current speed, which makes it the fastest way to confirm their current position.


    Despite their fear, the army breaks camp with the speed and coordination born from countless repetition, and in less than half-an-hour they¡¯re on their way.


    Without the road to guide and protect them, the forest is free to show its cruel and unnatural side; paths that should be open, suddenly get blocked by trees, voices and visions lure men away. One by one, the soldiers see their number gets chipped away, so when a volley of arrows falls among, they feel almost relieved to finally face a tangible enemy.


    Hidden being his large shield, a soldier attempts to relieve the heavy atmosphere, ¡°I thought Elves were good with bows, but they managed to miss twenty thousand targets.¡±


    ¡°Keep your shield up,¡± orders an officer, ¡°it was a warning shot!¡±


    Veterans feel cold sweat, there was not a single sound to alert them from the attack, one second everything was normal, and the next there were arrows stuck in the ground.


    ¡°Cavalry, get ready to charge on the next volley.¡± Order the count.


    Just as he finishes his sentence, an arrow penetrates the ground between his feet, a message attached to its shaft. Red-faced, Osman read the message, before screaming in fury, ¡°Damn green monkeys, how dare they threaten me! Men, prepare for battle, let those cowards know that neither our resolve nor our armor chip easily!¡±


    <><><>


    ¡°They¡¯re preparing for battle.¡± explains Vindicta listening to the distant voices.


    ¡°They¡¯d hardly turn back after coming this far.¡± answers Lars.


    ¡°Who the hell is a coward? Even if we include the civilians, there are ten of them for each one of us!¡± rants the Rabbit-kin


    ¡°Partner, you¡¯ll soon see that even our civilians can fight.¡±


    ¡°And it won¡¯t come as a surprise that my people still can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t moved and still want to fight¡­ They seem eager to die, don¡¯t they?¡±


    Behind them stand hundreds of villagers, and there are many more hidden in the forest surrounding the army. The Demi-Elf nation is fairly new and with their number they cannot keep a standing army. Only a few elders remember the time when they lived alongside humans with their Fae parents. Those were harsh times; devoid of their parents¡¯ power, they couldn¡¯t count on their protection either for the Faes only cared about their mate, not their offspring. Slavery was common, and it lasted until the King assembled them and gave them a territory of their own in the great forest.


    All remember their promise to protect and nurture the forest though, and they would rather die than break their Oath to their God and savior.


    Vindicta covers her ears and the three hundred elves standing behind him shoot a second volley. An instant later, explosions reverberate through the forest; the arrows stuck in the ground exploded at the same time as the one still in the air, taking the enemy by surprise from below and over. After the fifth volley, Lars whistle to signal their plan as worked as expected; the pack horses have dispersed in the forest and now is the time to hunt to fools trying to recover them.


    <><><>


    They¡¯re defeated; their beasts of burden are gone and with them, their supply. Of the men sent to recover them, not a single has come back, same for the cavalry and anyone who charged at the invisible enemy at the count¡¯s order.


    As for Osman, an arrow pierced through his helmet and skull. ¡°He was right;¡± comment the imperial officer, ¡°his armor didn¡¯t chip, it failed.¡± Considering their number, it seems unlikely the elves will incur the risks of taking prisoners but for the sake of getting the men out of the forest he walks in the forest arms in the air shouting, ¡°We surrender!¡±

 Prelude to an end

    "Lars, can I speak with for a minute?¡±


    The hero is part of the commission to deal with the aftermath of the battle, but he has no input and doesn¡¯t care about the human invaders but, Linnea wanting to speak to him alone intrigues him since it¡¯s probably about their mutual acquaintance.


    He tells the others, ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± and leaves the room without waiting for their answers; as far as he is concerned, it¡¯s the Elders¡¯ job to deal with the fallouts. Happy he¡¯s gotten out early, he follows the girl to her shop,


    They both enter the shop and Linnea introduce her to two persons, ¡°These nice people want to speak with us both, it seems to be important.¡±


    Persons? The description is as wrong as it can possibly be; everything about them feels fake, crude copies of the external shape lacking any of the intricacies. His instincts scream they¡¯re dangerous, but they don¡¯t appear to be hostile at the moment. There isn¡¯t much he can do, so he tells them, ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    A zone of silence and a barrier instantly cover the shop, but without them doing anything resembling magic¡­ There is something familiar about it though and the word escapes his mouth against his will, ¡°Elementals!¡± Powerful ones at that! It explains a lot, unlike lesser spirits alongside other species and sometimes mate with them, and lesser elemental who barely have a will of their own; they¡¯re god-like entities with full control over an aspect of the world.


    ¡°Well spotted, mortal.¡± booms the female in a thunderous voice, ¡°I am Fragor Inimica, and this is my brother, Fulmen.¡±


    Mildly annoyed, the brother chides her, ¡°No need to scream sister, you¡¯re hurting our hosts¡¯ ears.¡±


    It¡¯s no exaggeration, Lennea¡¯s body is bent forward, and she¡¯s covering her ears while the hero even with his enhanced body has difficulty standing straight.


    She speaks again, loudly again, but at least it on the level where it¡¯s merely annoying, ¡°No, I¡¯m not! They¡¯re too weak!¡±


    ¡°Let me do the speaking, sister, or I fear we won¡¯t get anywhere. We are the lightning and thunder elementals, and we serve under her highness Inimica. As you can guess, I am lightning, and my sister is thunder.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not loud, her highness never complained.¡± whispers a miffed Fragor; a whisper for her, but anyone else would consider it a shout.


    ¡°Champion, the signs of the end are everywhere. You have deciphered them, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    The Unliving, the dying forest, the disappearance of all demons. He knew it wasn¡¯t the usual war against the devil, but he rejected the idea because wanted to be wrong, ¡°Is it really the end of time?¡±


    ¡°It is, for us and for you; there¡¯s nothing anyone can do about it, the elemental lords will soon awaken completely and battle for supremacy over the world.¡±


    ¡°Why do you gain by informing us?¡±


    ¡°Our master thinks she can stop it, but she¡¯s wrong, it¡¯s a pointless struggle; in the best-case scenario, she¡¯ll delay it by a few decades. We¡¯d rather she lives the last cycle unfettered by her role; she¡¯s already given too much for this world.¡±


    Linnea asks meekly, ¡°Is there no way you are wrong? The world isn¡¯t ending, is it?¡±


    ¡°We elemental derives our powers from the lords, we are ultimately part of them, so no, there is no way we¡¯re mistaken.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Sylva¡¯s plan?¡±


    ¡°We do not know what it entails exactly, but as always it will end with her sacrifice.¡±


    ¡®No wonder I felt she overcame an even greater despair than mine¡­ What does he mean by as always?¡¯


    The young shopkeeper asks first, ¡°Who exactly is Miss Inimica?¡±


    ¡°You know her as the Devil, the leader of demons; the enemy of the world.¡±


    It explains the name Inimica, but she¡¯s anything but evil; he¡¯s seen enough vileness to know what it¡¯s really like and Vindicta would be the first to agree with him because, in her mind, mortals are far worse than demons.


    ¡®Miss Sylva is weird and pushy, but she is not evil!¡± chides the overoptimistic Linnea, ¡°How can you, her own family, call her the devil!¡±


    ¡°You are mistaken, we never said she¡¯s evil; there is no such thing and if there were, then it would be life itself.¡±


    ¡°W¡­ What?¡± they lost him there, how can life be evil?


    ¡°Life is strife, life is competition, and those who fail get consumed by the winner. Demi-Elves, whenever you eat a fruit or a seed, you casually destroy lives.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be right, not all fruits can grow, space is limited.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, life prospers on the failure and death of others, but even the failures leave their mark upon the world in the form of grudges, which becomes miasma then curse upon this world.¡±


    It¡¯s appalling, demi-elves have rituals to cleanse the miasma and grudge, but he didn¡¯t expect it was spread so widely.


    ¡°Whatever you think, it¡¯s much worse, intelligent life-forms gather miasma hundreds of times faster than any others. Ger highness leads the demons so she can gather all the sins unto herself and with her death, expel them from the world.¡±


    ¡°What about the heroes? What is our role in all of that?¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°You are the executioners. The demons gather the miasma, and the champions feed upon them so they can become strong enough to kill her highness.¡±


    He didn¡¯t kill many demons, but he felt something at the time. There¡¯s something else he always suspected, ¡°And then the heroes die?¡±


    ¡°The cursed power they absorb from the demons isn¡¯t meant for a mortal; the weaker the species, the faster it kills them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair!¡± shouts Linnea, ¡°To die hated by all, for the sake of all.¡±


    There are still a few things he cannot make sense of, like, ¡°She¡¯s strong, right? I don¡¯t feel I could win against her even if I powered ten times over. Were the others like her?¡±


    ¡°What others? There¡¯s been only one devil since the beginning of time.¡±


    What a horrifying revelation, as one who felt robbed of his future when he became the hero, he can barely begin to imagine how it feels.


    ¡°How many times did she die?¡±


    ¡°Not as often as you¡¯d imagine, it became worse with the advent of more advanced life form, but her fate is worse than you¡¯d think; it robs her of most of her will so she can¡¯t fight against it.¡±


    Then there is the last thing that bothered him ever since he became the hero, ¡°The records say the hero always know where the devil is, but it never happened for me, and I don¡¯t feel anything from her.¡±


    ¡°The cycle is no more, there is no devil, yet she still tries to perpetuate the cycle she hates so much so she can protect us, protect you.¡±


    What is the point of anything? He had expected his life to be cut from thousands to hundreds, and now they tell him he only has a few decades left¡­ What was the point of fighting back against the human invaders? It all seems meaningless in the face of their imminent demise.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it; even if it¡¯s only for a short time, she has to live as she pleases!¡±


    Linnea has a hand on her torc, it¡¯s strange to think it was gifted by the actual devil so she can protect herself, but in the light of what she learned about the end of the world, it takes a whole new level of importance.


    That¡¯s what the sibling wanted to hear; now they only need the champion to complete their plan.


    ¡°Will she really listen to us, though? I understand Mister Lars, but why me? I am a nobody, a random merchant she sometimes speaks with.¡±


    ¡°You underestimate your importance. In your opinion, how many genuine peaceful chats with mortal did her Highness hold over the course of her whole life?¡±


    She thinks millions, then remembers the roles Sylva played and the fetters imposed by her fate, ¡°thousands?¡±


    ¡°Since she became free, you are one of the few who acted with her without fear, prejudice or interest. She may be just another acquaintance to you, but from her point of view you are the closest thing to a friend she¡¯s ever had.¡±


    The words make the girl blushes, but Lars feels slightly ashamed; he affirmed he was devoted to her, replaced her with Linnea, and fell hard for Vindicta a few months later.


    ¡°What about you? You¡¯re her family, right?¡± Asks the young elf.


    ¡°We are her servants¡­ Although we¡¯re probably more cared for than we¡¯d like to admit.¡±


    ¡°She takes everything upon herself and never let us get into danger.¡±


    ¡°Our time is limited; she must move on without us.¡±


    Seeing how protective she¡¯s gotten with a mere acquaintance; it makes sense that she¡¯d be worse than a mother tiger for her two oldest friends.


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± says Lars, but internally he adds, ¡®I just hope they¡¯re not wrong about the champion/Devil thing.¡¯


    <><><>


    The two dragon-like elementals land next to a mansion and Linnea jump down their back with a gleeful yelp. The flight and the creatures were both traumatizing for Vindicta, so she cannot understand why the young demi-Elf girl acts so joyously.


    Lars told her the person they¡¯re about to meet will decide the fate of the great forest and its people. It seemed a bit far-fetched at first but in view of the two powerful elementals and the too-perfect-to-true residence and garden; it doesn¡¯t seem exaggerated anymore.


    Their host is a woman, and no mere mortal by the look of it, but she lacks the aura of madness and danger the Faes who often come in town often exude. The black-haired woman watches them in turn, first Linnea with a faint smile, then Lars and me. Her smile suddenly turns into a scowl, and¡­


    ¡®I take it back, she¡¯s worse than the other Faes, her anger isn¡¯t directed at me and yet I feel like I¡¯m going to die.¡± The only one who seems unaffected is once again Linnea.¡¯


    The woman question Lars angrily, ¡°Why are you with her?¡±


    I breathe with difficulty; her sight was only directed at me for a second but I felt like I was about to be devoured whole. Even during my time with the giant, I didn¡¯t feel as frightened when they selected their next meal.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± says Linnea nonchalantly, ¡°they belong with each other.¡±


    The pressure drops as though it was a dream.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± her sight is now directed at the two elementals who drop their heads like shameful dogs, ¡°Why did you bring that here?¡±


    ¡°We wish you¡¯d listen to them, and to us.¡±


    Her eyes flare as she answers, ¡°I won¡¯t change my decision, this is something only I can do.¡±


    Linnea speaks first, ¡°You should live in Mannhtorg; staying here by yourself is no good.¡±


    The monster from earlier is nowhere to see, it''s been replaced by a timid and bashful girl, ¡°There is something I need to do. It¡¯s for your sake, their sake.¡± she waves at the two elementals, ¡°and for the world, as we know it.¡±


    The two creatures answer, ¡°No matter what, we cannot be saved, your highness, let go of us.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t get it. Why am I here?¡¯ They appear to know each other, but I don¡¯t; I don¡¯t have the slightest clue as to what is going on.


    Lars grabs my hand in a tight embrace and asks me, ¡°Do you feel anything special when you look at that woman?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he says nothing and wait for my answer, it seems meaningful so I express it the best I can, ¡°I do not. Sure, she was terrifying when she got angry, and I feared for our lives. She appears to be ridiculously powerful, and that¡¯s about all I can say about her.¡±


    He looks at me in the eyes with a smile, and asks, ¡°Nothing else?¡±


    ¡®That smile is cheating!¡¯ I stammer, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ No, nothing! What is it all about?¡±


    ¡°Her name is Sylva Inimica; she¡¯s the devil and you are the Beastman¡¯s hero.¡±


    I¡¯m a hero like him? Wasn¡¯t Sylva, is the name of the girl he was gunning for before me and Linnea? Wait a minute, ¡°The devil? Her? But she¡¯s acting all meek and bothered!¡±


    The devil, bringer of chaos, lord of demons, the enemy of the world; none of those titles fit her current image.


    ¡°Do you see, your highness? The champions cannot feel your presence; the cycle is broken, you are not the Devil anymore, just Sylva Inimica.¡±


    ¡°You are free, Mistress. I beg of you, use the remaining time for yourself!¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t get it, could someone please enlighten me!¡¯ I pinch Lars, ¡°You better explain yourself and fast!¡±


    While the other four speaks together, he tells me about the cycle, the champions, the devil, its role, and the end of the world.


    If it was me, I would have lashed at the world and destroyed everything¡­ In fact, until I met Lars, my goal in life was to kill as many Giants and Beastmen as possible and freeing my kin was more to steal from them than to rescue my people. Apart from a few close friends, the weak rabbit-kin didn¡¯t matter to me; I owed them nothing and they were useless to my revenge.


    <><><>


    A wave of feeling assails Sylva is unlike anything she felt before, much stronger than what she gets from the over-optimistic Linnea. Respect, sympathy, sadness from a complete stranger, someone she planned to murder. Yes, she wanted to kill that woman, the other champions and herself, but she can¡¯t anymore.


    ¡°Understand, Sylva, we don¡¯t want to see you die again, not when you¡¯re finally free.¡±


    It the first time, they called her by her first name without a title or honorific.


    ¡°Our end is inevitable. Please, let us do something for you in our last moment!¡±


    How can she say no? Foolishly, she¡¯s never once considered how hard it was for them to watch helplessly as she died over and over again, ¡°Fragor, Fulgor, my friends; let us die together this time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sylva.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, you¡¯re wrong Miss. It¡¯s not about dying together, but about living together!¡±

 The time of my life

    In retrospect, it was both the best and the worst time of my life; for the first time, I wasn¡¯t someone to fear, but a reliable member of a community.


    We were all in agreement that food would be our downfall, but the Giants and Beastmen had plenty¡­ Well, When I say plenty, I mean this was enough to last our small village decades, for a country though, it was next to nothing. Then again, it was only because I figured some tricks to store our provision in the great void around the world that there wasn¡¯t any problem preservation.


    All seemed well, we were happy¡­ I was happy; it was hard on the others, but with me, the twins and the two champions, it was the safest and best-stocked place in the world. Yes, apart from the occasional Fae and dragon, the place was an island of security in an insane world.


    And then Fulgor and Fragor vanished; absorbed into the elemental lord. The cenotaph I made for them soon became a tomb, and in a matter of days, I was alone, watching over tombs. Nothing mattered anymore; I lived in the tomb, waiting for my time to join the others.


    It broke. It sounds stupid to get enraged over something so trivial; they had already stolen my family, burned to the ground my world and killed my friends and my people.  How strange, that after taking all that I cherished from me, I¡¯d be sent over the edge by that.


    The first to go was the lord of fire. It took me years of study and constant harassment to find out their weaknesses and a way to exploit it but I did it, I brought it in the great void where it had no power, destroyed it and absorbed its power for myself.


    Next were the lord of water and air; using my torc and the power of the fire lord, I burned them until there were neither liquid nor gas left on the planet.


    Even with the power of the other three, the Earth lord was still beyond me; its power was the world itself, too massive to burn, and already floating into the void. It¡¯s a battle I never won; time did, it lasted for so long that its heart cooled down and solidified.


    I had my vengeance, but also a new goal; restore life to the world I killed, and bring back the two who had become part of me. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Let me tell you, it¡¯s easier to destroy than restore. I cannot tell you how long it took, but I did it by borrowing heat from the sun, water from the sky and by stealing or recovering the air from the void and surrounding worlds.


    Finally, after eons, the world was alive again, oceans, volcanos, sky and above all, thunder and lightning; all I needed to bring them back. I extracted their essences, gave them shapes, bestowed them their old names, but the one who saluted me as their creator, were different from the friend I lost.


    There were similarities, obviously, but they only served to highlight the differences even more. It was harsh but not unexpected, and I had eons to prepare myself; even if I couldn¡¯t bring back my friends, I could create a new world for them, one of immortals only, one without death and tragedies.


    Foolish, I know, but after what I went through, can you condemn me for trying? Well, as you already know it didn¡¯t work, but I knew very little about mortals so I had to bring some help¡­


    Sylva smiles and cuts the story short, ¡°Your parents are back, hurry and go welcome them.¡±


    A serpent of lightning smaller than her arm complains, "Granma, you can¡¯t stop your story in the middle like that!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s mom and dad¡¯s story, and they never tell us anything!¡± says a long-eared child.


    ¡°Tell me, children, how would you like if your parents didn¡¯t come to see you after work?¡±


    A concerto of ¡°Sorry.¡± answers her question.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one you should say sorry to. Go see your parents, and if they agree, I¡¯ll tell you the rest of the story.¡±


    The little lightning elementals rocket in the sky to join their parent while the little humanoids run to join toward the two elf-life figures.


    ¡°Mom, Dad, Grandma was telling all about the world before our time; can we listen to the rest of the story? Please?¡±


    The woman goes pale, ¡°Granma?! O Goddess of creation, I¡¯m sorry for my progeny¡¯s disrespectful words.¡±


    ¡°Tell me Linnea, who¡¯s being disrespectful? Your children you call me Grandma as I ask them to, or my daughter who keeps on calling me weird names?¡±


    The male speaks, ¡°That¡¯s how she is, mother.¡±


    Sylva stares at him silently, as though looking for a fault then ask, ¡°Is Lars treating you well, Linea? No sign of rabbit girls?¡±


    The two answers at the same time, ¡°I¡¯m not the same person as my predecessor, Linnea is the only woman for me.¡± ¡°He¡¯s good to me, O¡­ Mother! What¡¯s a rabbit?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the only woman around, Lars; your words aren¡¯t as meaningful as you think they are. As for rabbits, it¡¯s good if he doesn''t know, this way he won¡¯t get weird ideas.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± ¡°Mother!¡±


    The end