Chapter 143

The Reunion

Monday

To say that the last three days had been rough for Kelvin would have been an understatement, he had been starved, sun dried, burnt, and left to grow leathery in a nearly constant surf. His only meal was from an uncooked egg that he found in a seemingly unprotected nest. Of course, when the mother of said egg came back, his life got a lot more difficult, causing him to choose to escape into the ocean surf. Once in the ocean, he apparently set off a bunch of underwater alerts and runes, as suddenly he was surrounded by not one, but two competing crews.

Only upon looking at him from a distance, and seeing his half-elf nature, the orcs who had been the first to the scene and the first to pull him out of the water, suddenly threw him back in disgust, as if he was the wrong size of fish or something. Seeing his diminished stated, the orcs that would have normally killed him, instead threw him back and tried to let nature take him at that point.

Fortunately, the ship of elves, despite fighting with the orcish rescuers were able to rescue him, eventually.

That sadly was where the good news of his tale ended. As soon as he was brought aboard the main flagship of the elves, he was immediately declared an abomination and held in confinement down below in the hull of the ship.

Blessedly there were no mice, or other vermin that one might expect to find on such a ship. Though this was mainly due to the fact that no such creatures existed in this dungeon in the first place. To his surprise the elves did have a distillery of sorts, one that was fueled by the innate mana in the ocean and used to separate the freshwater from the salt and other unnatural toxins of the ocean.

Just looking at the water told Kelvin that something deadly awaited anyone who would willingly drink or stay within the water for too long.

He was granted two cups of water, sweet blissful water.

That was all he had, well all he had that was not also infused with the salty and poisonous tastes of the ocean current.

Then two hours ago, he was told the bad news, that he was to be tried and likely executed as an abomination. Hearing that, Kelvin just let out a sigh. He had always known that his position was tenuous at best. He had always felt the disdain that other purebred elves had when looking at him. He saw how he was used as the baseline, the lowest line of failure, as others would call him. As he was pushed by his mother to be the best he could be, meaning that anyone who looked down on him would also have to look down on themselves. That was why so many elves used to resent him, as he was good at what he did, he was able to push himself beyond what others would have considered to be a fair and reasonable benchmark.

Yet, despite all his efforts, he had never been accepted, not for who he was, not for what he was. At least he had never been accepted, until he met her. The human, the trash as the other elves would call her, she was different. Not just in the fact that she understood things about dungeons, not just in the various magics that she wielded with seemingly little effort. No, she was amazing simply by the fact that she didn’t judge him. In fact, it wasn’t until he saw the way she interacted with him that he even realized that life could be better, that he didn’t have to feel shame for who and what he was.

Of course, all of that was for naught, she had abandoned him. Not that he could blame her, he had nearly died from being baked to death on an ocean world, how impossible is that? But it did happen, which only made this moment feel even worse.

Clink.

The magically infused metal chains that bound him chimed in a teeth grating way as they dragged against the wooden deck of the ship behind him. Hearing them drag almost seemed to have an automatic effect where residual magic was released by each forward movement, causing more energy to be released into the atmosphere around him, and thus more of his energy to be released as it was slowly being stolen from his body and released as ambient energy. This was the power and effect of Elven Spell Eater Chains. Chains that were so powerful that they could bring any grand magus down to their knees.

Even having them on made it feel like Kelvin had the worst cold possible, his bones ached, his pulse raced, and he felt dizzy just by moving. Most of these he thought were natural based on his level of dehydration but were also likely compounded by the effects of the chains. In the end, it didn’t matter what caused his current state, whether the dizziness was solely caused by his still case of severe dehydration, or whether it was a compounded effect of having his mana and very life energy leached from him slowly.

Collapse.

Once he was in position and chained down, his captors dropped him, letting him rest right there in the middle of the deck, as the golden sun beat down and seemingly tried to burn away the impurities from his body. As a half-breed, he was assumed to have a lot of impurities.

“You stand…” The high priestess began, as she held up a silver dagger and let its brightly polished gleam shine in the distance.

Thump, thump.

There was a pause, as the raiding party that had been sent to investigate the new person came back. This was the second new person in a matter of minutes, as the warning runes alerted the elder priestess of someone apparently appearing at the far alcove, but they were so far away that sending out a rescue party was not advised. When he had heard of the arrival Kelvin’s treacherous heart beat ever so slightly faster, even under the deck, he could hear the conversations happening overhead, most words carrying and bouncing back in odd ways on the elven vessel. There in the hull of the ship, he heard many things. He heard that there were not one but two new entrants to this particular Trial. With two, Kelvin almost swore that one had to be her. Just the thought of being able to see her once more had been enough for Kelvin, as he desperately fought to remain conscious. Even now, with the blinding sun bearing down on him and his already tender skin, he still couldn’t help but keep out hope.

“Did you find her?” The elven priestess asked, suddenly taking time away from her purification ritual and looking at the leader of the raiding party. Oddly enough the group had a large metallic spear that they carried with them.

“No, but we did manage to get a great piece of metal from our foes.” The elf said, as if a giant metal spear was a consolation prize. Then looking around the ship at all the wood, Kelvin realized that that much metal might actually be a huge consolation prize, given the scarce nature of metal here.

The priestess seeing the spear had a note of avarice fill her gaze, this only confirmed his suspicion about the scarcity of metal on this level.

“Very good, what of the recruit? Did the orcs kill her?”

Her? Kelvin thought, his ears picking up the word and clinging to it almost immediately. It was of course too late, it was all too late, by now he was dead, but the fact that she had come back, or at least the possibility that she could have come back was enough for him to regain some hope. Of course, coming here was death, that much was apparent from even his own arrival.

“No, she disappeared. Though we think she was also visited by the Old Crone.”

Old Crone, what is that?

“Really, I thought she had died a while ago?”

“So did we, but we saw signs of her Astral Travel, as far as we know, no one else from the orcish horde can conduct such magics.” The raiding leader said.

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So many new things were coming to Kelvin’s mind, so many interesting aspects of life that he was only now beginning to understand. Hearing these thoughts, these concepts, he could only lament that his time would end here.

Even if she was here, she was just one woman against an army of elves. Elves that had spent hundreds of years engaging in naval combat, elves that were adept at defending against advanced orcish boarding parties. Even if she was here, how could she do anything to stop them?

Then there was a thought, a treacherous thought, that if she teamed up with the orcs, and that Old Crone of the orcs, that she might have a chance. Kelvin knew that she was exceptionally gifted in all magics, and that combined the two would easily be able to take down the horde of elven warriors that filled this vessel. Still, it would all be for naught here soon. He was dead and dying, his purification to the old gods would soon be completed and he would finally be set free of all the pain and suffering he had been through. Pain that only seemed to be exacerbated by the fact that for a moment, he had dared to dream of what it would be like to be free. To not have to worry about being judged on who he was, or more importantly what he was, but judged based solely on who he was as a living sentient creature.

Realizing that part of his pain right now was caused by the fact that he had but glimpsed a possible life where he could be free, with her. In his mind, he almost cursed her. But he stopped that thought before it could gain traction, he was dying, in pain, and oh so ready for this to be over. Yes, in the end he had been set up, the person he so desperately wanted to see one last time had not shown up, not that they had set up a time when they would meet. He just knew that she had something desperately important to take care of first, and that she also had a way to get him out of here, at least that was what she had claimed. Again, so much hope was placed on those words, and like a fool he had made the ultimate mistake, he had dared to believe, even when he knew what he was hearing was too good to be true. It got to the point where he believed she could do miracles, not because miracles were easy to accomplish, but rather because she believed in herself that much that she seemingly forced the world to change to her whims.

For a moment, he wished he could have such power, not just power. Power was one thing, but the undying conviction to be able to use the power in such a profound and meaningful way, that was what he wanted now, more than anything.

The first thing he would do, was he would stop this ritual, though even with all the power in the world, he didn’t know how such a feat would be possible. He had no mana, all of his mana and indeed most of his life force had been slowly bleeding out onto the deck of this ship. The dagger in the High Priestess’s hands was just a mercy, a way to end the suffering faster, but as it was, even if they did nothing he would slowly bleed his life essence and energy away.

Closing his eyes, he turned his head away from the sun and waited for the inevitable.

SHHHRIEEK!

BOOM!

There was a massive explosion that happened overhead, and for a moment Kelvin looked up and saw an eruption of so many different magics going off that Kelvin could not identify all of them.

“What is that?” The Priestess demanded, as she ran towards the railing of the ship, and peered over. Before she could say anything, the elven raid leader spoke.

“That’s the girl we saw, the recruit that went missing.”

“What is she doing?” Another elf could be heard.

Hearing the words, a smile formed on Kelvin’s parched and chapped lips as he could imagine what that crazy girl would do.

“It is time for you to remember who the true enemy is.” The voice of the person cried out, her voice being magically amplified to carry over vast distances.

Just hearing her voice caused Kelvin’s stomach to rise up, as the hope he had been holding back. The hope that he had cursed at, the hope that had nearly gotten him killed by following some random stranger, came to life with a vengeance, for he knew that voice. Just hearing her voice caused tears to come to his dry face, as he knew he could die happy now. His faith in her hadn’t been in vain, she had come, just as she promised.

Even if this was just a failed attempt, just the fact that she had come, that she had tried to keep her word to a stranger like him, that meant everything.

“The orcs are moving to intercept.” A lookout called out from overhead.

“Move to intercept as well. We cannot allow someone that powerful to fall into the enemy hands.” The High Priestess demanded. Within seconds of the command, the masts of the ship visibly moved and a Wind mage began generating currents of air to push the giant ship forward.

Realizing this, Kelvin let out a long sigh, as there was no way she could fend off two armies at once.

“How is she just standing there on the water?”

“She must be a powerful Water mage.”

“We should take precautions.”

“Even a Water mage is just one person. There is nothing she can do against two armies focusing on her.”

“What makes you think she isn’t working with the orcs?”

“The fact that she is not on their ship.”

Despite not being able to see anything from his chained position, Kelvin knew the situation couldn’t be that good. Hearing the different sailors converse with themselves as they began to prepare themselves for armed conflict, also didn’t help Kelvin’s sense of peace. With everything going on a sense of tension built up in his gut. The hope he had felt just a moment ago, slowly gave way to all consuming dread. Then she spoke once more.

It was about a minute of travel, before her booming voice called out once more.

“Go home.” Her words were calm, melodic, and measured, but there was a power to them that could not be missed.

WHOOSH!

Then with that one word, came a wave of energy that first outward from the position where she clearly stood somehow on the water. In his mind Kelvin figured she had somehow found a sandbar and was able to stand on that while this entire event went on. It was clear that she had a plan, but nothing could have prepared Kelvin for what happened next.

One second, the deck of the massive flagship was filled with sailors and soldiers alike, all ready to disembark at a moment’s notice. The next second, everyone was gone.

Gentle breeze.

A soft breeze blew, causing some of the stinging burn on his skin to dissipate, if only for a moment.

Thump.

The sound of a large body climbing over the lip of the ship could be heard as that same body also stood so tall that they nearly blocked out the sun. At least the shadow created from such a person was wide enough to cast a shadow over Kelvin’s face and burning skin.

“Are you okay?” A soft voice asked, while simultaneously cleansing waves of energy cast through his scorched body. Instantly he began feeling better as the clear signs of a Life magic wielding master were in use on him.

Click.

Kelvin couldn’t even answer before he felt the mana draining shackles that had been on him get removed. It was odd, as Kelvin himself could have sworn that the cuffs were tamper proof, even for someone who was exceptionally powerful with mana. Looking at the cuffs, then up to her, his heart began to beat faster as he could feel Life energy flowing into him, slowly filling his body with strength. Strength that he didn’t even realize he was missing until he just lay on the ground in a near dormant state, while he waited for his mind to become a little less clouded.

Closing his eyes, Kelvin rested, if only for a moment.

Whoom.

Kelvin opened his eyes with a startle, as he first felt and then saw an old orc female just standing there on the deck. While her body was old and twisted due to age, the raw power that resided just under her skin was undeniable.

“What?” Was all Kelvin could manage, as he desperately tried to get away.

“Relax child. My work here is done. In fact, I believe all of our work here is now complete, isn’t that right?” The old crone said, in perfect Elven, as if she had been born an elf to begin with. Then the last question, the question about their time being done here was of course directed at Alexa, his savior.

Alexa nodded.

“Yes, it is time we all learn about the ability to heal a planet. Here, the algae has evolved to eat the rot that is provided by demonic entities, and break it down into more manageable states for the world to use. There is still an exceptionally high level of mana in the area, but it is well within acceptable parameters for most planets to deal with.” Alexa said.

Then once she was done speaking, three giant crystals all appeared to be floating in the air.

Clatter.

Kelvin watched his float for a second, too surprised to even move. Then he reached out to grab the crystal.

“That was it, no combat, no master battle to the death. Just knowledge that a planet that was corrupted could be healed.” At that Kelvin reached out to the crystal and cycling a bit of his personal mana into the stone, felt a wave of pain course through him, as parts of his body and his soul were forcefully merged and welded together as he felt mana pathways get burned alive in his body.

“GAH!” He hissed out in pain.

Finally, once the pain subsided, he realized that Alexa had been using her amazing Healing magic on his body the entire time, the whole time using it to help ease along his transition.

Whoom.

With that, a portal appeared in front of them. Seeing the portal, Kelvin immediately felt a surge of hope rise up in him, only to realize that there was still one last trial to go before this could all be over. Seeing his rise and sudden slouch, the old Crone just cracked a smile on her lips and said. “Relax child, your journey is over. I believe you will find your new allies awaiting you on the other side of that portal.”

“What?” Kelvin managed to say so eloquently.

Alexa, his savior, nodded in agreement. “My brother, has already made it so you will be released at our safehouse. Just look for Gina, she will make sure you are taken care of.”

“Your brother’s name is Gina?”

Alexa just stared at him for a moment, but then shook her head. “No, Gina is my, well she is my…”

“Soulmate.” The old crone cut in.

Alexa and Kelvin both stared at the old crone for a second. After a brief pause, the old crone continued. “What? What good is it being able to see the lines of destiny and not being able to nudge them along in the right direction when it is called for.”

There was another pause for silence as Alexa stared at the crone for a moment, but then nodded her agreement. Then turning to Kelvin, she asked, “will you be okay?”

She of course was talking about his ability to make it through the portal that was right there in front of him. And he was fine, well his body was, though he did feel that part of his heart ripped out right there. Though honestly, he couldn’t have expected too much, as no one would be attracted to a half breed like him.

“Enough of that now. Go on, get on with you. Oh, and tell Kylie I said ‘hi.’” The old crone said, all but forcing Kelvin up to his feet, her dainty frame belying just how much raw strength lay within her withered body.

Up to his feet, Kelvin still felt wobbly, but managed to go forward on his own power. Just as he was about to enter, he heard the last words follow him.

“Once he is through, we will need to move quickly if we are to finish the final stage. Are you ready?”

“Yes. Wait, Kelvin.” Alexa said, a desperate need to her voice.

Hearing her request, Kelvin quickly turned around, knowing he would turn back the very heavens to help this person. “Yes?”

“Can you tell Luke, my brother, to let this woman come with us?”

“No, I will be doing no such thing. As much as I’d like to stay with your little revolution, an old bat like me would do far more good elsewhere. Which is why I will need to go to my own people.” The old crone said.

With that, Alexa seemed to visibly deflate, but then just nodded in understanding. “Right.”

There was an awkward pause as Kelvin just stood there, then he felt a wave of awkward emotions flood him as the blue-eyed goddess locked eyes with him. For a moment he wondered why she would stare at him in such a way, until he realized. “Right, that is my cue to leave.”

With that Kelvin spun about and entered the portal, putting his entire life and future into the hands of a complete stranger, and her brother, and her soul mate. That didn’t hurt to admit, not one bit, he thought to himself as he felt his body dissolve for a second, only to once again reappear the next inside yet another dungeon. Great.