Lyon watched, annoyed, as his sword was used with expertise by Bilan. Conan, on the other hand, was holding his own against the Oakland elf. Bilan interchanged the sword between her hands at lightning speed, practically making her next strike unpredictable. Conan moved his arm upward, creating a vine wall.
“I have no time to recite an incantation.” He thought, watching with wide eyes as Bilan cut down the vine wall and struck forward in a stabbing motion. Conan reacted in time, flipping backwards and landing in the hole. He accidentally landed on the rotting corpse of an Oakland elf child and cringed. However, Bilan didn’t see it as an accident, so the woman proceeded with her relentless acts once she landed in a deep crater.
Her moves became sluggish, giving Conan a better read on her next move. The healer then crouched down, once again reciting an incantation.
"Oh, heavenly great, make the earth rumble and the sky remain still. Earth Magic; Hedgehog!”
Maisie clocked her head to the side. ‘What a silly name.” She jokingly thought. The ground shook before a trail of earthy spikes appeared, growing in size the closer they got to Bilan. The azure-eyed woman put away Lyon’s sword, tucking it into a ripped space in the atmosphere.
“She’s using spatial magic,” Bonney taught Maisie, trying to manoeuvre around the crater without stepping on one of the graves or corpses, which was difficult. “The elf is creating portals in the space around her and using them as storage for the weapons.” Bonney added. Maisie took a mental note. “That isn’t all, however.” Bonney commented. The white-haired elf looked at her crimson-haired companion, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “She’s infusing pure mana into the weapons, effectively making their impact so much more powerful."
The fight between Conan and Bilan continued, and they both seemed to be on equal ground. Bilan had brought out a large black-bladed axe that, with each strike, split the ground. Conan noticed that the woman had expended too much mana, and her defence was weakening. The hazel-eyed man took advantage of that, moving his hand forward. The vines he summoned earlier moved towards Bilan, attaching themselves to each of her limbs.
Conan then closed his fist, effectively tightening the vines around her arms and legs. Bilan tried to swing the axe to slice the vines, but her movements were restricted. Conan then moved his vines upwards, lifting Bilan to a higher altitude, before slamming her to the ground and knocking the air out of her lungs.
Bilan struggled to get up, having used her mana all night. Instead, she laid there, looking at the bright moon with large, empty eyes. The rest of the crew stood there, anticipating Bilan’s next move. However, when it never came, they let their guard down. The Oakland elf then moved her arms over her face in a circular motion. In turn, a giant hole opened above Lyon’s head, and his armour, sword, and Hide’s clothes fell out. The two naked men scurried to place their clothes on. Lyon practically teared up when he reunited with his sword, kissing the hilt affectionately.
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‘Weirdo.’ Maisie thought, cringing. The group then focused their attention back on the Oakland elf, who now sat on the tombstones. A look of despair, defeat, and hatred coated her expression. The team knew the woman wanted them gone; however, Maisie was still full of questions. They, too, were curious as to what had happened. With a deep breath and a shaky wave of confidence, Maisie walked towards Bilan, hissing at the pain still present in her body. Bilan stared at the woman with a dead look.
“What do you need?” The woman asked as she watched Maisie’s confidence falter a little. Maisie didn’t answer. Instead, she removed the hood of her cloak and revealed her pointed ears. Bilan’s expression remained the same, throwing off Maisie and the rest of the team. “A Fairwood smells like a Fairwood. Death, disease, and hatred bounce off the tribe's mana and magic.” Bilan spat. She then stood up, walking closer to Maisie. The woman was easily four inches taller than the white-haired elf. And although her mana was severely depleted, it was still miles more than Maisie.
To put it frankly, Maisie could only stand there and act like she wasn’t scared of the other elf’s next move. “Do you think my people deserve to be wiped out?” The team’s eyes widened, as did Maisie’s. “Your kindness works with anyone who benefits from their horrid goals. No matter the cost, even the lives of others mean very little to your tribes.”
“How do you know it was them? It could have been anyone else.” Maisie replied meekly. The rest of the group slapped their foreheads. Kalthona watched on, inching a little closer if Bilan became angry all over again.
“Your kind’s white and pale blue eyes are hard to miss. Neither is the all-white attire you fucks like to wear so much.” Bilan said, venom dripping from every word. “You conspired with the Gold State Empire to even an imaginary score with the other elves that shunned you, knowing fully well why we did. The Gold State was looking to one-up the Myan Empire, and your kind was looking for revenge. Only makes sense, huh?” Bilan said, sarcasm coating the last phrase. Kalthona’s face darkened slightly at the mention of the empires, a reaction Hide didn’t miss.
On the other hand, had Maisie been wrong about the kind she’d been reincarnated into? She began to look around, the sheer destruction of whatever happened here becoming a bigger picture. For the first time tonight, Maisie and the team looked at the crater beyond the tombs. The sheer size of the hollow crater could house a plethora of houses and outdoor items, and it did. However, they were burned to the ground. The evidence of life was no longer there; instead, the remnants of death remained.
“She’s not of this world.” Kalthona blurted out, not really thinking. Bilan pointed her glare at the flame user, then looked back at Maisie, watching as the genuine look of shock and horror coated the Fairwood elf’s expression.
“You mean to tell me you’re a summons?" Bilan said. Kalthona and the team, with the exception of Lyon, relaxed. Bilan knew. Thank God she knew. The next question, however, froze them in place. “What hero summoned you?” The entire group stared at the women with wide eyes.
“I knew I should have taken those classes from Isaiah seriously!" Kalthona complained, pulling on her hair.