“Monsters oft spill forth from the Starhollow for no real discernable reason besides for the mana rich environment that forms the mountains. On the Adornari side, elven rangers and a few dwarven clans ensure that their sections of the mountains are well patrolled. On the Traxian side, their policy of leaving it all to the scattered Kothari tribes has ensured a feral, wild and untamed land brimming with danger.‘”
- Keserra Shorthorn, Novice Pathfinder, Exploration Guild - Lucurian Branch “Warnings About the Starhollow Mountains”
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“What the fuck?! I thought you said we’d be summoning a spirit! Not whatever that slutty elf demon is and its slave girl!” Someone shrieked.
“We can still control it!” A gruffer voice replied.
“I thought you had the convocation prepared properly!” Someone else yelled.
“I did! It's a demon of sorts isn't it? Like a succubus?” Another voice chimed in.
“Well clearly not!” The first, shriller voice retorted.
“What is this place?” A dark, brooding voice commanded.
“Eek!”
“Ahh!”
“It makes noise”
“What is this place!?” It demanded.
“Look! The barrier is holding!”
“Then fucking keep holding it!”
“But they-”
“Release me. At. Once.” The dark voice growled menacingly.
So loud. Elaria groaned as she finally opened her eyes. Her sluggish movements immediately dialed up to eleven when she found a voluptuous barely clad figure standing above her. The first thing she could see was a black thong that performed a remarkably poor job at concealing the purplish blue body ahead of her. A little bit disgusted and a little bit intrigued, her eyes snaked up wards to find the thong was in fact, part of the whole outfit. It did, however, surprise her to find the wearer being a pointy eared elf much like Sophie, yet her complexion was undeniably far more purple and blue.
“That one’s awake!” Someone shouted, dragging her thoughts back to the scene at hand.
“She’s naked! Those are tits! And a-”
“Focus on the barrier you fuckwit!”
All eyes had turned to her and as the second speaker had suggested, when she looked down, she found that she indeed had nothing on. Slightly perplexed and a little bit annoyed, she looked back up to find four shabbily cloaked humans wearing classy shoes that betrayed their disguises, and the strange elf all staring at her. The elf had blood red eyes and seemed both too similar yet very different from Sophie, but there was no mistaking the ears, this was an elf. The humans on the other hand were three young looking sorcerers and a single sorceress that all started to ogle her. Wait, I am naked!?
But before she could react, the elf aggressively held her in its grasp, wringing its hands around her neck. “You deny me my chance of freedom. You shall return me at once.” It, she, growled with rage.
The humans seemed mortified by everything that was happening but Elaria was growing annoyed. She was here to find her sister, not to play with strange elves and amateur magicians. With a snarl of her own she gripped onto the elf’s wrists and began draining the very life force that sustained it. Almost at once, the offending creature recoiled and tried to push away, but Elaria didn’t let up. She consumed until the creature was forced to the ground, the surprise, hate, shock, and fear now clear in those blood red eyes. With a fearful gasp, the rage that filled it before seemed to have evaporated at once as it surrendered to her. “Mistress.” It whimpered meekly.
Elaria then turned her attention to the barrier, holding her body up to it until she could find the resonating magic powering it and began draining it too. The slightly hazy air around her began shimmering in different bright colors as the stardust began violently reacting to her void energies, the sorcerers now in a panicked frenzy as they screamed at each other in terror.
“What’s she doing!?”
“The barrier!”
“I’m trying but it's not working!”
“What’s happening?”
“It’s going away!”
Elaria cared not and continued soaking in the offending stardust until she could feel the pulsating heart of the magician bindings. Reaching out mentally, she gripped the core and shattered it within her mind. It was as if reality itself had broken with a small, pitch black void tear just hanging in the air. In seconds, the magical bindings shattered, the force of which knocked the sorcerers off their feet. Curious, Elaria reached out to touch the bindings only to find it had truly broken. She nodded satisfactorily at her handiwork when she could hear the strange elf crawling up behind her before prostrating itself under her.
“Your power…” It croaked, clearly still reeling from the overwhelming force Elaria had attacked with, “... I am yours to command, my mistress.”
A little weirded out, Elaria just shrugged.
“Mistress?” It rasped, the strange elf’s voice trembling in fear. Does she think I’m just gonna… blast her or something? What an odd assumption.
Pained groans from around the room interrupted them however, and Elaria turned her attention back to the sorcerers who had temporarily inconvenienced her when things slowly started clearing up in her head. They were in the middle of a ritual, trying to call forth something. Master said that we would be hijacking something of this sort. A summoning ritual then, but one that was poorly performed regardless. As far as I’m aware, this strange elf wasn’t what they were aiming for. She clicked her tongue for a moment before she looked down at herself again, huh, how irritating. I had even selected armour just in case the transference to this realm required combat.
“Dom…” The sorceress weakly groaned, before noticing Elaria, “Ah!” She screamed.
“Ugh… that, gah! Be-begone foul beast!” One of the others stammered out.
Elaria rolled her eyes. So dramatic.
“Hah! Perish foul spawn!” Someone yelled.
Elaria turned to find one of the sorcerer’s channeling a spell, the flames already dancing hungrily on his fingertips. She let only but a breath pass before she leapt at him, managing to firmly grasp his face in her palm before she smashed the sorcerer down on the floor.
“Valsin!”
“Val!”
The two conscious sorcerers shouted at their now fallen comrade.
A little annoyed, Elaria made sure the fallen sorcerer was still conscious before giving him a massive slap to the face and then standing over his pained form.
“Enough foolishness.” Elaria declared, her voice evidently shocking the two standing sorcerers into silence. Even the strange elf seemed more cowed than before.
“Ughh, what the hell's going on?” The fourth sorcerer murmured groggily.
“The spell failed.” The first sorcerer spoke before looking at Elaria, fear in his eyes as he searched for approval to continue.
A tepid nod.
“The… they broke the barrier.” He gulped.
“Huh?” The fourth grunted, “Eh! Hey! What do-” He raised his arms to chant a spell.
Before he could finish, Elaria kicked him square in the face, the sorcerer smacking back down to the ground with a thud. His body jolted for a moment before it grew limp, the occasional movement of his body the only indicator that Elaria hadn’t killed him. The other two winced, but this time they remained quiet, a little more worried about retaliation for stepping out of line. Satisfied that all threats have been quelled or pacified, Elaria turned to the two with a questioning look in her eye.
“I am searching for my sister. She is an elf like this one,” Elaria pointed at the scantily clad prostrating figure, “but more peachy and smaller.”
Everyone else seemed perplexed and a little more than startled. Elaria frowned at the lack of a response and tried again. “Her name is Sophie. Might either of you have heard of her?”
The sorcerer and sorceress traded nervous glances, their trembling forms offering only the meagrest of head shakes.
Elaria tilted her head before examining her body once more. “Ah! Of course, my sister is a half elf.”
Somehow, though the others looked a bit more understanding, they still seemed just as confused as before. Seeing this, Elaria sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. How vexing. “Guess that doesn’t change much.”
“S-s-sorry!” The sorceress bowed, the man following soon after. “We’re sorry we can’t help. Please, forgive us for our offenses against you!”
The two dropped to their knees and seemed almost comically apologetic. Elaria groaned at the pathetic sight but carried on nonetheless.
“Could you at least tell me where I might easily find more information?” Elaria asked.
“Huh?”
“Do you happen to know somewhere for me to gather information about my sister?”
“Uhh… ummm.”
“You could try the city.” The sorcerer chimed in.
“Right! The city!” The sorceress agreed.
“The city?” Elaria asked.
“Yes! The ummm… the city of Kastriel! It is but a week to the south if not a little more!”
Elaria nodded, consigning the information to memory. “Very well then.” She pursed her lips and looked around the room, “One more thing.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Y-yes!”
“Anything!”
“Do you have spare clothes?”
“I-uhhh… yes, of course! In the entrance hall, we have our spare bags!” The sorcerer replied.
“Dom!” The sorceress hissed.
“What?”
“Tch, nothing.”
Elaria furrowed her brow but ignored it, turning her back to the two whimpering figures and heading towards the door. To her chagrin, the strange elf slinked along the ground behind her, crawling after her in a desperate frenzy. She tried her best to ignore the strange display and closed the door behind her, leaving the two sorcerers behind.
Whilst the elf and her traversed through the halls of the house, Elaria noted the dismal state of the building with faded paints, cracked walls, and floor boards covered in dust. It offended her senses at how unmaintained the building was in comparison to the void palace. Her nose remained upturned the whole way until they arrived in the dingy entrance hall where even the windows had been long since boarded up. Frowning, she looked around until she found the small pile of bags tucked away stealthily in the corner of the room. Rummaging through them, she found herself a dull green shirt and some rough leather pants.
She changed into the slightly oversized clothes and rolled her eyes dismissively only to find that the strange elf had changed into a long sleeved shirt and vest that almost covered the entirety of her body. Elaria raised an eyebrow and the elf immediately dropped to the floor once more.
“My great apologies mistress. I merely thought that I should hide my form should we be interacting with these… pests.” It hissed before immediately backtracking, “Ah! Not that you’re a pest mistress! Only the other ones we might interact with! I meant no disrespect! No-”
“Why do you keep calling me your mistress?” Elaria asked.
“You bested me. So soundly.” It exclaimed a little more dejectedly, its ears drooping a little,”As the laws of my people go: Only those of the warrior classes and beyond may determine the fate of the servile, and only in battle may a servile rise above. Thus with my utter defeat I surrender my life to you in servitude, mistress.”
Elaria maintained an apathetic expression but was internally confused. She had no idea what this strange elf was sprouting about and simply played along by nodding. “Right. And what was that thing about freedom earlier on?”
“N-nothing to concern yourself over mistress.”
“And what if it does?”
“I-ah-I… I apologize for assuming mistress.”
“And?”
“I… I had almost earned my freedom before I was brought here.” It looked less sad and more guilty. Suspicious.
“So you still keep calling me mistress because…?”
“Because the process was ongoing, the fight hadn't ended. But once I was here, I fought you and the attempt failed. For you had bested me, mistress. Thus earning the right to command this lowly dredge.” The elf bowed.
Elaria hummed to herself for a few seconds before the answer became clear in her mind. “Well then, I suppose you don’t need to call me mistress anymore. You’re free now. I set you free, or whatever.” She waved at the elf casually and began turning away.
An arm quickly latched onto hers and she spun around, ready to pummel the creature when she noticed the worried expression in its eyes.
“No! You can’t!”
Elaria cocked her head in annoyance, “And why not? You said your life belonged to me. So I set you free.”
“But tradition-”
“But?”
“Ummm… hmmm… ahh! Forgive me for my rudeness!” It detached itself quickly enough. Just what is it with everyone here?! Is this what Sophie deals with all the time?
“Then you are free. I say you are free. No longer err… mine or whatever. Freeee!” Elaria jokingly waved her hand around like a madwoman. “Enjoy your newfound freedom! A new life! Go home! Explore! Byeee!” Elaria bowed theatrically before quickly slipping away, the forced smile quickly turning into a scowl once she could tell the elf couldn’t see her. I dislike the inhabitants of this realm.
“But I… but wait… but how…” It muttered incoherently, rooted to the spot.
Not my problem.
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It was only when she was outside did Elaria notice a problem. She didn’t really know where she was. Her frown only deepened when she scanned the landscape and found that she was at some abandoned estate on the outskirts of a minor mountain settlement. But judging the appearance of the thatch roofed houses with their rustic wooden walls and dingy looking palisade surrounding the settlement, it was unlikely that the sorcerer gang were locals. Meaning that it was unlikely anyone here would even be remotely as helpful. She sighed, annoyed and took in the landscape. It was nice, she supposed. They were surrounded on one side by mountains stretching into the sky, though judging by how poked up into the skyline, she could assume that the settlement was already halfway up a mountain. On the other side, beyond the village perimeter, seemed to be a waterfall that led somewhere, a good enough landmark at the very least.
She examined herself once more, unsure if her current form required sustenance and nutrition, or if she could simply count those as luxurious to try in the way that she always had in the void. Wouldn’t hurt to be prepared. With a grumble, she began her quiet trek down to the settlement.
There was a chill in the air, or at least her skin felt cold. It was an irritating sensation that she now realized just meant she should’ve looted more clothing than a shirt. The sky, at least, was quite pretty. A setting sun’s orange hues shining just barely past the mountains that guard this barely tamed land between the rocky juts.
It took what felt like a decent shift in the sun’s location in the sky before she reached the outskirts of the settlement. The sad looking palisades were almost inviting her to try and knock them down, though she held herself back. The sentries however, seemed more bright eyed and aware than the sad state of their settlement. Three strange men wrapped in furs and cloaks gestured wildly at each other, then at her, then back at each other, before they settled for staring warily at her as she approached.
When she got within speaking distance, they began grunting and uttering strange sounds that sounded much like gibberish to her ears. Seeing their words have no effect, they took up defensive stances, their shabby spears pointed directly at how. The platform guard atop the wall shouted some gibberish into the village and Elaria could hear a few more sets of feet at the ready. How pleasant.
She held her arms up in peace, hoping they would get the message. How peculiar, they seem very much like humans, yet they act and look so feral. “Traveler. Me. Traveler.” She yelled back. Her voice must’ve surprised them as all gibberish stopped flowing and they studied her intently. This is gonna be a long day. “Me. A. Traveler. Walking.” She enunciated insultingly slowly.
There was a moment of pause before the tower warrior pointed at her with his spear. “We speak foul tongue yours well enough.” He growled.
Elaria rolled her eyes. “Just passing through then. Maybe some food is all.” Might even get some actual directions if they aren’t just all savages.
“Who you? No one pass by. Look man says no other foul people have come in days.” His voice boomed.
Guess the four sorcerers at least kept their head down. Fuck, how did they even get here? I should’ve asked when I had the chance. I didn’t look for transportation either, Void damn it all.
“Just a traveler.” She responded.
“Lies! Witch! Wild witch!” The man roared, shaking his spear at her. "Strange dress and strange people. No one pass but you there! WItch!"
Diplomacy, it turned out, wasn’t an option with barbarians. Elaria soon found herself being harried by the two gate sentries whilst the wall guard launched his spear at her. It landed with a thud beside her and as the two assailants drew close, she held her palm up and drew. Their life force was weak, hard to find, but she found their cores soon enough and what little star energy they had were drained into the void within her. They screamed, cried, and writhed in agony as their bodies shrank down to nothing, their emaciated forms writhing in sheer agony from the sudden vicious assault. Shit, I went overboard.
The man on the wall was clearly alarmed, and his cries of “Witch! Witch! Witch!” now echoed throughout the mountains. As the settlement now sprang to life, panicked and gruff cries emanated from it, the indication of something far greater coming to fruition as Elaria now slowly backed away. Others now joined the wall man and this time they sported proper bows and arrows, the new development hastening her retreat.
She grinded her teeth in frustration. Taking a long way around would be a pain, and though she wouldn’t mind blasting her way through the settlement. She could just feel the spiritual connection of the place to the Gods of this realm and didn’t desire their attention quite just yet.
“Witch! Witch!” The cries echoed from behind.
A small hunting party chased after her. Half a dozen odd fur clad warriors and their hunting hounds raced hotly on her heels. She cursed under her breath, getting into a protracted battle would mean another significant delay and so she kept running. But no matter how far she went, the hunting party was close behind.
She dashed down a few rocky trails almost skidding to a half more than a few times in the unfamiliar terrain. Her newly acquired pants were already somewhat shredded, her knee even gaining a new cut in the process. It was a new experience for her, pain. Elaria grunted from the effort, hopping down another small ledge even as the barks grew closer. She didn't know how long she had run, but all she could see were more rocks, trees and ledges. But, she did feel the air around her gradually lessening its burden. The wards of the settlement were gone, though traces of magicks far older still remained. Tch, can’t use the full might of the void lest the Gods are alerted. But maybe I can still let it out.
Elaria waited until she reached a small little stream that cut across the valley. She scanned the terrain around her and found her back now facing the settlement and the mountain ahead of her being the one with the waterfall. Good, on the right track. She hopped across the stream and braced herself, eyeing the water to see it was only about two feet deep at most. Still enough to get the job done. Her breath stilled, her eyes narrowed as she attuned herself to the environment around her.
From within there was emptiness, nothing but the murky depths of the void. But from without, she could feel the gently concentrated balls of energy rushing towards her, the rapid approach leaving her little room for doubt. When the first hound emerged from the treeline where she had come from, her muscles tensed. When the second bounded towards her, she loosened her stance. When the last hound stepped past, she channeled her strength and launched it outwards, flaring her inner aura in a controlled burst that hopefully avoided the notice of the local Gods.
The clear mountain waters rose and formed almost a hazy halo around her, but from within its reflective surface lay a monster of the void beyond, its incomprehensible form aching to be set free. To a human or some other like minded creature, it might’ve appeared that all she performed was nothing more than a horrifying parlor trick. But to animals that still possess their instincts or those extremely in tune with the mana in nature, she stood in a field that was now anathema to every primal instinct within them. The absence of mana was surely felt by more than the hounds, but it was enough to give all of them pause. When the darkness within the water stretched forth its hungry maw, the water whipping out like tentacles intent on seizing their next morsels, the hounds immediately turned tail and fled, every instinct within their bodies telling them to flee.
Frustrated shouts of gibberish alerted her to her success at turning away the hounds, the creatures' wills and instincts having been shattered. She now steadied herself for the humans, having counted about half a dozen hunters that had been chasing her. Her hands clenched themselves in anticipation, the thought of killing making her uneasy. Sophie would be disappointed.
As the first hunter stepped into her line of sight, she wasted no time. She called forth a minuscule fragment of the void from within her and pushed it out. The sheer nothingness sent shockwaves as it made contact with the hazy halo and dissipated upon full contact with real mana. Yet the damage was done, the energy released by the shockwave was more than necessary to send the halo forward. The small tapestry of water narrowing down to two lines about as thick as a needle and long as a spear. They launched themselves forward with such speed and force that even Elaria had no time to react when the two projectiles tore through their intended target. Flesh, bone, cartilage and anything hit by the lance of water was completely destroyed. The hunter was too shocked at first, lifted back and slammed into the tree behind him by the force of the impact. It was after a second that he realized his left leg and right arm now had a gaping hole through them, the pain following soon after if his agonized screams were any indication.
The second hunter was marginally luckier. With what little of the water she had left, she threw the void lance at him and watched as the man tumbled forward in surprise; his kneecap having been drilled through by the jet of water. The third and fourth hunter wasted no time and rushed past their injured comrades, charging at her position with their spear and axe. Elaria wasn’t a fighter by any means, but she was no slouch either. She grabbed a handful of rocks from the stream and scattered them at the hunters. It predictably did little to deter their advance but the split second they spent analyzing the projectiles, ignoring them, and continuing their advance was all she needed.
Once more she pushed her will onto them and drew out their mana. But unlike before she could feel the resistance they put up, they were aware of the intrusion and fighting back. Even though she could tug hard, they still fought tooth and nail to remain standing. Caught too focused on the struggle, she had only barely pushed the axe wielder to the point of surrender when the spearman broke free and lunged at her. She pivoted her left foot to spin out of the spear’s way but his fist clocked her in the side of her head, sending her vision spinning as she reeled from the attack. She staggered back from the blow and tried to retain her balance when the man suddenly jolted and slowly collapsed in agony. Elaria scrambled backwards only to find an arrow sticking out of the man’s back. Surprised, she traced where the arrow could come from back past the stream, upon seeing its origin, she felt her whole being groan in despair.
There, standing triumphant and all too smug was the strange elf holding what looked to be a recently scavenged bow looking back at her. Not it again. But before Elaria could grumble anymore, the elf hopped over and bowed before bounding past her.
“Mistress! This way!” It shouted.
Dismayed, annoyed, and baffled, Elaria rolled her eyes and hearing the other two hunters approaching, she followed. Great.