Rias pendragon
I explained to both Talia and the newly awakened Artoria that I had found the entrance to where Elinore was being held but there was only one way in. Going through various subjects, I assured them that Elinore hadn’t been hurt physically or had done something against her will but was placed inside a giant birdcage in a torn dress whilst on the brink of death for the last six weeks. From the people I had interrogated in some ways that should be considered inhumane, I found out more than I bargained for.
The entire thing had been orchestrated by the king of the wood elves or kyte. Using influence and money they made it possible for silver elves to join them. The current king of the wood elves was a man named Syvil, he became king presumably sometime after aethna and I torched the entire forest they called home which resulted in his father’s death. From what information I gathered, Syvil wasn’t like his father. He’s more hot-headed and fool-hearty but still has a moral compass skewed as it was.
Artoria and Talia who listened to my every word came up with their assumptions as to why Syvil would take the queen of the silver elves. I also had my own assumptions, which I didn’t think were logical but then again elves weren’t stupid, their once exceedingly long life span could end in an instant, and this made them volatile enough to do some very intelligent moves. To simplify it in terms anyone could understand, fighting intelligent elves is like playing chess with the devil. Unless you make the first move you are quite literally fucked.
In the back of my mind, I knew I couldn’t contend with the intelligence of someone like Elinore. A twelve-thousand-year-old elf, yet Syvil I knew I could deal with. Killing him was the easy part, keeping him alive long enough for Lithran to interrogate him would be the hard part. Syvil to my knowledge was a strong elf in mana control and swordsmanship yet lacked in many areas due to his fool-hearty nature. The downside though even though he is experienced in swordsmanship, he has never put it to use. Always making his knights do the heavy lifting.
Returning from the epidemic of being absorbed in my thoughts, I began to discuss with Artoria and Talia how we would go about saving Elinore. Artoria stayed quiet for the conversation as she didn’t seem objectively ready to pick up the sword and fight or at least that’s what it looked like to me. Not knowing her circumstances, I didn’t pray to resolve to ask when she was ready to answer. Maybe I’m just ignorant because I'm still no used to having my emotions on.
“What happened?”
“Ah. Nothing. Maybe I’m wrong here but why does it feel as if this was all orchestrated by Lyron or Harmon or even my brother? Something about all this feels off.” I replied, my head sunken avoiding eye contact with Talia, who placed her hand over my cold raven steel biomechanical bawled-up fist.
I didn’t know Lyron as much as my mother did. From what I did know he was once a man of great pride, helping the weak and needy then eventually he turned. Driven by such lengths of killing siblings and becoming a tyrant maybe it was that or other factors could fill in the gaps. Then there is my idiotic and spinless wanker of a brother, even from a young age I knew there was something off with him but thought he still loved but by the time I committed regicide, I figured out it was just all an act.
I know Sifta has her theories about who our brother truly is but the soul in our brother’s body isn’t the right one let alone the real one. It's familiar to me, like a brother from another life that much I can tell. Two names came to mind when thinking of brothers, two possible people but it was too soon to tell who inhabits my brother’s body. ‘I wonder where the original body's owner is?’ I thought looking towards Talia who began to walk towards the door.
A knight around five foot ten knocked thrice on the oak door of Artoria’s hut. It felt odd if not suspicious, yet I paid it no mind. Talia slowly opened the door to the knight who I recognized as one of the elven king's guard. Taking the time to look him over, I realized he knew where we were. Having that suspicion in my chest, I pulled Talia towards me. Keeping her close to my chest, I pulled out the knife sheathed on my left forearm and placed it at the knight’s exposed neck. He didn’t reel back just looked at me with open hollow eyes like he was being controlled somehow.
He didn’t speak and just pointed towards a cave in the distance. The looming darkness in the cave made an uncontrollable shiver wriggle down my back. Knowing I'd have to go alone I dropped my hands from Talia. In a very old language that I learned with Hera, I spoke words that only she would understand.
In the tongue of the astral clocktower, I spoke “Go with Artoria to Lithran and tell him we found Elinore.” after I had spoken these words they left quickly towards the citadel that covered the elven realm in a white shadow with the divine tree of Vetra behind it casting a faint golden green glow encompassing all. It was clear I hadn’t got long to deal with this alone while staring at the citadel I summoned red death to my right hand and my odachi upon my back. ‘Oh, Eden how far you are from this race, their home is lost. Take me back to Eden.’ My thoughts ran wild thinking of Eden the original home of the first elven goddess, Vetra.
Eden which was the original home of the elven goddess Vetra is lost but a part of it remained as this continent, and the reason for how this happened is still unknown. Though the elves are far removed from the other races it was still a part of this realm of onrath. I don’t know the specifics, but through research I did know there are five technically six continents and six archipelagos. The six continents’ are- pyre for the elves, onrath for the humans, Aslan for some of the eastern races, and Koran for the more secretive races. The fifth continent being seidr is a largely unknown place. The one known thing is its home to the light bringer and the queen of shamans adonis.
The sixth continent however no one knows anything other than I. A desolate place wrought on by war and the failure of the leaders. Numena, a divine realm. A place I could call home once more, shame I made it leak into onrath creating Chernobyl. ‘What will do with Camelot then?’ luna asked me while walking slowly beside me towards the cave. I didn’t answer immediately as I had wondered as such thinking of my homes. If there was a way to join the two I would but it would be better to absolve Camelot altogether.
‘Camelot is a wasteland at least Chernobyl is. I want to gather my old knights and rebuild but I’d rather do that on another plane so to speak.’ I responded to Luna finally. Reaching the cave, I felt a large surge of mana. Brushing it off I entered feeling for the magic that resided at the entrance. The magic was elven that much was clear. Wood elven. Not caring much, I carried on through the cave toward the clanking of weapons and shouts, not bothering to changed my appearance to that of my silver elf form. I continued to walk when I happened upon two wood elves who smiled looking me up and down. Cocking my head slightly the threatening gaze I pulled out scared them into backing off.
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Quickly they opened a large stone door towards a room filled with male and female wood elves just living life. ‘Looks like you missed a few when burning down their forest.’
‘A fucking few?’ I snarled unintentionally at Luna who seemed unintimated by my reaction. They all stopped what they were doing not seeing me but the sword in my hand. As it seemed among them a fair amount stepped back probably remembering the crackling of fire, the screams of burning children, and the crunch of flesh cracking on the ground as they all ran for the hills. Continuing to walk, I paid no mind and waltzed right towards a large staircase that descended to a rather large house built inside the walls of this cave system.
Taking in a deep breath I conjured up my crown keeping my appearance the same just removing the coat I had on. My sleeveless open-back black linen shirt and my torn leather trousers were seen on full display down to the knee where they were tucked into my just below knee-high ashen black leather boots. As I stepped further and further towards the house down the ever so appalling constructed steps, the runes on my back glowed brightly a slight tingle of heat radiating my core and lower spine. Unlike the lines from my eyes and on the rest of my body, they didn’t seem to glow.
I kept all this in mind as I walked ever closer watched by wood elves and silver elves alike. My anger grew for the silver elves the more I saw of them. Reaching the bottom few steps I decided to take in another breath as three wood elves stepped towards me brandishing large weapons. Each wielding a different large weapon, one had a spear, another had a glaive, and the third who seemed nervous if not scared held a large halberd too big for such a short-heighted auburn-haired wood elf.
“So, you going to let me pass or we gonna fight?” I asked the three elves who stood to attention now waiting for an instruction which came shortly after my words.
“let her pass or she won’t see the caged beast of a woman.” The former king of the silver elves laughed in a semi-high-pitched tone of arrogance.
‘Oh, I’m going to waste no time slaughtering that pig.’ I said aloud to Luna who agreed with me. I heard a little bit of vital information about the former king of the silver elves like the fact he was arrogant. Prideful. Evil and he enjoys violating women. Not a good look if you ask me then again, I served three princes who are all womanizers and rapists. I should have known better than to serve them. Keeping these thoughts around I entered the house of this ‘king’ taking in as much as I could.
Once I entered the house, I was escorted by three elves, one wood elf- one silver elf, and one dark elf. They escorted me towards a large room that overlooked the entire cave system, there wasn’t much to go off from the walls and flooring, but I could tell it was maintained well enough to live in. Beautiful carpets and tapestries lined the walls in a semi-appreciative pattern. As I had expected, the room I was led to had three figures no four figures inside. Being shoved inside I came to face three figures and Elinore who was bruised, battered, and scarred, whilst having torn clothing that luckily didn’t show any unmentionables.
On the flip side, three individuals were also in this room all giving off the aura of pretentious arseholes. The wood elf king Syvil, the queen of the dark elves Kyte. Elinore’s father Angrow. Elinore looked at me with her half-open swollen eyes covered in blood from her forehead. Her father loomed over her with a bloodied fist, my instincts took over for a split second. Not being calm enough to quench it I rift-stepped right towards him. The force of me, angrily rift-stepping shook the room after I had grabbed Angrow by the throat along with slamming him into a wall with my metallic hand. This showed I was no longer in a good mood if I was at all beforehand.
‘You're being impulsive calm down.’ Luna spoke in my head guarding Elinore with her life. Dropping the former silver elf king I faced the other two who looked more than terrified as they both looked at the charred ground where the pattern of darkened stone lurked. No one spoke when Angrow readjusted his collar trying to stand up on his old frail body which remarkably had enough strength to abuse his child. Staring at them in turn I gripped red death tighter in my human hand, lifting it towards Syvil with the glint of a candlelight reflecting in its own white mirror-sheen surface.
“I suggest you put that down girl if you want her alive mhm?” Kyte spoke with an unfamiliar arrogance I wasn’t used to from a firewatcher.
“Do as she says, child.”
“OI senile old man and wild bitch how about no? I mean I just put you up a wall and am holding the very sword his sub-race fears not to mention you are not really in the best place to order me around wild bitch of a thousand men.” I replied to both Angrow and Kyte who became flustered when I pointed towards Syvil. From that point, no one spoke not one peep from Kyte who knew that I spoke outwards about her escapades with her sleeping with as many men as possible. Angrow sure as hell didn’t speak after I called him senile. Syvil on the other hand decided to become more arrogant whilst flaunting his magic like it’s some grand achievement to master an element.
“Well, I doubt she could win against me in a fight I have mastered my own mana in what two thousand years? You are weak. I can tell. You don’t have power, you have… nothing. I’m a demi-god in comparison to you.” Trying his best to aggravate me I just simply responded in kind.
“Two thousand years to master mana elements? I’m seventeen and have mastered fire. I'm not weak I just simply hiding my true strength from pricks like you. And.. Demi-god? You wish!” I laughed looking at Syvil who was grinning ear to ear, his green eyes shining like yuletide lights. ‘demi-god what a joke.’ I said to Luna remembering all the demi-gods I had respected and killed when I was both Marin and Artura. He was nowhere close to the power of a demi-god, sons and daughters of lesser gods could destroy realms on a whim. Syvil could only dream of such power.
The three leaders looked me over and then at each other. ‘This is going to be a ball ache, isn’t it?’ I asked myself. I watched them ready up magic, but they seemed to halt at a voice suddenly screaming out then more screams resounded through the houses and streets of the cave system.
“What is going on?” Syvil asked in a vile mood kicking his chair away towards Elinore narrowly missing her head. My emotions flared for a split second seeing her get in harm’s way. They frantically searched even Elinore looked around, but she refused to move more like she could. Syvil couldn’t hold it any longer and attacked me.
“Fuck’s sake.” I sighed. I didn't want to admit but since dying at the hands of that shadowy dream knight god whatever they were I have been scared to die as of late. This made me value life a lot more now even if I can’t fully die. ‘I could still die. Painfully. Not permanently. Luna said mocking my own voice. The wind spell Syvil threw just about to reach me and then was cut in two by the violent edge of the constructed mana blade. An explosive wind clashed with the walls slitting the rocks behind me. The metallic twang of steel knelled in my head as a greatsword swung through the air, someone I knew just saved my fucking life.
I took a deep breath seeing artoria hold her infamous abyssal greatsword still leaking the abyssal energy of the deep root. Her blonde locks swayed in the wind as they moved from the spell finally dissipating. Angrow started to breathe heavily taking a few steps away from the balcony probably seeing a familiar face, wanting to know out of curiosity I looked from the balcony seeing Talia with a foot on an elven knight. Angrow stared at her in shock just seeing her causally comb her left hand through her midnight blue asymmetrical Lob haircut.
‘That’s fucking hot.’ My heart raced to see Talia comb her hand through her midnight blue and violet hair watching and noticing the braids on the shorter side move through her fingers like weaving a wicker basket. Syvil ran towards the door trying to reach for the handle ultimately being pushed back by a figure kicking it open. The very same figure held a thin sword in his pale elven grip. His face was full of rage and anger not bothering to stare at any of the three whilst he barred the entrance through his elven magic. Veins and branches hard as rock covered it fully blocking any of us leaving that way.
Kyte seeing the man jumped back now terrified and Angrow didn’t move halted in suspense of horror. The killing intent from Lithran forced all of us to be careful even myself and Artoria would not come out of this alive if we stood in his way. Keeping my mind away from the rage he was exerting I watched as he knelt before his wife. Sorrow began to fill his eyes; tears began to form cupping her whole body towards his chest. I waited for Elinore to say something, but she seemed unconscious, slipping in and out of her mind.
“I’ll kill every single one of you. Syvil. Angrow. Kyte. You won’t leave this place alive. If you do I hope you're counting your days.” Lithran cupped Elinore closer his anger boiling over even more, I have to stop him before he does something he’d regret.