After that, I wrapped up my little tour with a look at the storage levels. Robots were hard at work putting away the large amount of metal the mining robots had collected, as well as all the cargo I had brought back from Ocaephis. Remembering that I had bought souvenirs for everyone before I came back, I had a robot retrieve them for me before I headed back up to the surface. I stepped into the elevator, but as it passed by the 12th floor, I heard a hair-raising screech from through the door.

“Uh, Eve? What was that?”

“[Morgaine. Her strength and ferocity have made containment difficult, and more drastic measures have been used.]”

“Oh. Ok. Just try not to hurt her.”

“[Understood. As a sample, we do not want to contaminate her.]”

“That’s not what I…nevermind.”

Once I was back on the surface, I walked up the familiar path leading towards the summit. I noticed the telltale footprints of my robots were imprinted all over the path, and almost as if my thoughts had summoned them, a patrol of three Laelaps passed by. The setting sun reflected off their shiny surfaces, and I briefly paused to pet them. Their emotionless eyes barely paid me any heed, but it felt nice to do it anyway.

When I made it to the top, the sounds of laughter and conversation from the elves’s cabin drew my attention. Looking around, I didn’t see Aurea or Mors anywhere. Shrugging, I made my way over and knocked on the door. The voices immediately quieted down, and after waiting for a few seconds, someone opened the door.

“Oh, hello Evan!” Vulre exclaimed excitedly. “Come in, come in! You’re just in time for supper!”

“Hi Vulre! I come bearing gifts!” I replied in their native tongue, holding up the bag with the souvenirs. Peeking inside, I realized Mors, Aurea, and the two elven children Myrill and Kynia were seated around the table. Aleathra was over by the fireplace, stirring a pot of stew. She turned to look over to see who it was, and I saw that she was wearing a dark green apron.

“Evan! It’s so good to see you!” she said, wiping her hands on her apron and ambling over to give me a hug. “Go sit, the food will be ready in just a minute.”

“Oh, thank you, but I’m not that hungry,” I declined politely.

Aleathra raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” she asked skeptically.

“I’m sure,” I chuckled, “but I appreciate the offer.”

“Well if you want some, just let me know.”

I sat down in one of the chairs, which just so happened to be between Mors and Aurea. I let out a sigh of relief, the stress of the day having taken a large toll. Even though my body couldn’t feel tired anymore, my mind was another matter. The children didn’t say anything, simply staring wide eyed at me.

“Did she say something about food?” Aurea leaned over and whispered.

“Yeah. Are you learning Hvenst or something?”

“Well, Mors is trying to teach me some,” she said, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. “But it’s such a weird language! The words are hard to pronounce, and the grammar makes it feel like I’m saying every sentence backwards.”

Mors chuckled after hearing her little rant. “I told you, Hvenst is the easiest language to learn. Very few can make the sounds needed to speak Akatosian and Thenian.”

“Thenians have a language?” I asked curiously.

Mors nodded. “Indeed. Actually, they have a countless number of them. For as every species of animal, there is a species of Thenian to match. Therefore, every single one has its own dialect.”

“How do they talk to other Thenians then?”

“They don’t, at least not in the common sense. They utilize a highly sophisticated script of dots and flowing lines to communicate. They also use different colored inks in their writings to convey different meanings to their words.”

“That’s incredible,” I said, amazed.

“Write that down, write that down!”

“[Recording information…]”

“Ah, but Aurea is learning well!” Aleathra said in her heavily accented Pithan, as she ladled stew into some empty bowls. “She simply needs to learn to relax her jaw and tongue more when she speaks. Hvenst must flow freely from the heart!” she chuckled, having returned to her native tongue.

“Ok, I heard something about me and a donkey. Is she calling me a donkey?” Aurea hissed quietly.

“No, Aurea,” Mors sighed wearily. “Igriyat is donkey, Igriyot is tongue.”

She frowned in confusion. “Ok, but why is she talking about my tongue???”

“While I appreciate Aurea’s efforts in learning our language, I am very interested in hearing what you have been up to these past few weeks,” Vulre interrupted.

“Ugh, don’t get me started,” I groaned.

“Come on, it couldn’t have been that bad,” Aleathra commented as she served the stew. Looking at Mors’s bowl, I noticed chucks of meat and vegetables in the thick liquid.

“Ok then, I’ll start at the beginning…”

I retold the entire story of my last trip to Ocaephis, from the moment I left the mine to when I returned. While their understanding of Pithan wasn't perfect, the elves were able to follow along. They all hung to my every word, listening so intently that they barely touched the food in front of them.

“So anyway, that’s what happened,” I finally finished after a good 20 minutes had passed.

“Wow…” Vulre muttered. “That seems like quite the adventure.”

“Wait wait wait,” Aurea said, stopping me before I could reply. “You’re telling me you got impaled by the Lady Stratis, brought a dead man back to life, caught a spy, beat some gangsters within an inch of their life, deposed Lord Stratis, and managed to defeat a notorious undead mercenary while you were at it? Oh, and you met a FUCKING GOD?!?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Yeah, that’s about it. Actually, Venari did make me a baron and I asked for Maplepost as my territory, so there’s that.”

Aurea stared at me in shock. “Say what now?”

“Yep,” I nodded, grinning. “You’re looking at Baron Vonlichten now.”

“Quite impressive, my lord. It took you two visits to Ocaephis to become one of its nobles,” Mors quipped.

“Does this mean we have to kneel?” I heard Myrill whisper to Kynia in Hvenst.

“I don’t think so,” she whispered back. “A baron’s not that important.”

She yelped when her mother smacked her lightly on the head. “Don’t be rude!”

Kynia glowered before taking another sip of her soup. I struggled to contain my laughter, while Mors and Vulre were just shaking their heads in exacerbation.

“What? What’s going on?” Aurea asked confusedly.

I quickly translated what the children had said, making her laugh. Leaning over the table, she high-fived both of them and giggled. “These kids sure are smart,” she snickered.

Putting on a serious face, I scowled at her. “Know your place, peasant!” I said, doing my best to keep a straight face.

Aurea laughed at my antics. “While that’s great and all, I don’t think the people living there will be so thrilled.

“Yeah, I thought about that…”

“Do you have a plan or something?”

“Eh,” I shrugged, “My plan is to just cross that bridge when I get to it.”

Aurea rolled her eyes. “Unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” I exclaimed. Digging through my bag, I took out the gifts I had brought, handing them out as I spoke. “I got all you guys a little something. For you, Mors, I got a paste that’s supposed to help with your aches. Aurea, I wasn’t sure what to get you, so I got some of these cool little hard candies. Myrill, I think I remember your dad mentioning to me that you liked to draw, so I got you some charcoal pencils. All the paper that was available was worse than the kind I make, so I’ll just give you some of mine later. Kynia, I know that you wanted to help your mom with cooking and stuff, so I bought a ton of different spices for you to try. These medicinal seeds are for you Vulre. This is star lotus, golden basil, spark lovage, and pearl’s cress. I thought you might want to try growing these and maybe start practicing your craft again. And last but not least, for Aleathra, I found this really nice traditional elven flute. The merchant I got it from said it was made from the tusk of a fireworm from Thenia. Anyway, hopefully this’ll help with your homesickness, at least for a little bit.”

A chorus of thanks rang out as everyone took their gifts. Mors uncapped the small tin and inhaled the pungent scent of the cream, while Aurea popped a candy in her mouth. In the meantime, the children scurried off to the corner to examine their new belongings.

“You two get back here and finish your fo-” Aleathra started until Vulre stopped her with a raised hand.

“Come now, Dear,” he smiled tiredly, “let them have their fun.”

She hesitated for a moment. “Fine…I suppose they can be excused.”

“Great!” Vulre exclaimed, jumping up from his chair. “I’m going to find some good soil!”

“Gah! VULRE!” Alreathra barely had time to say before her husband dashed out the door, holding the seeds like they were his most prized possessions. “I wasn’t talking about you!” she shouted. She leaned back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose. “My apologies,” she said to me. “You’d think I’d know my husband better after being married for so long. He just gets so…so…”

“Worked up?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I chuckled. “I’m just glad he enjoyed my gift so much.”

“I must admit, this is quite a beautiful flute,” Aleathra praised, holding it up in the light. Unlike the flutes I was familiar with, this one was extremely long, almost the length from my shoulder to my wrist. And while normal flutes had 16 holes, this one had 22. “I actually used to play this instrument quite a lot, but I’ve never seen one of such high quality.”

“Wait, really? You can play it?” I asked, surprised.

“Indeed. Would you like to hear a song?”

“Oh, oh, I heard the word song! I wanna hear it!” Aurea raised her hand excitedly.

Aleathra smiled lightly. “Very well. Kynia!” she called out, “come here!”

“But Mom, why me?” her daughter complained, her fingers covered in different colored spices. From the stains that were also around her mouth It looked like she had been tasting each and every one.

“Because you have a pretty voice. Now, do you remember the words to ‘Liberated Dreamscape’?”

“Yeah…”

“Good. Ready, 1, 2, and 3,” Alreathra said before placing her mouth on the end of the flute and blowing gently. Her eight spider-like fingers drifted over the delicate instrument, letting out a series of harmonious notes. At the same time, Kynia began to sing.

“In the quiet of twilight's reign, when stars adorn the sky again,

we retreat to chambers dimly lit, where dreams and shadows flit

The mysteries of slumber's domain, in the castle's keep, where minds unchain,

In dreams, we wander realms untold, within the walls of our stronghold.

Beneath the tapestries of night, we find respite from day's harsh light,

Our spirits soar on a whispered breeze, through lands of legend, forests, and seas.

The mysteries of slumber's domain, in the castle's keep, where minds unchain,

In dreams, we wander realms untold, within the walls of our stronghold.

In the flickering candle's glow, we confront the truths we dare not show,

In dreams, the past and future entwine, as we journey through the corridors of time.

So let us hold tight the night's embrace, and let our dreams weave their grace,

For in the realm of dreams untamed, we find solace in our soul’s sight, unrestrained…”

Her voice slowly drifted off as the song finally came to an end. I sat there, stunned, for several moments.

“Wow…” I eventually managed to eke out. “That was...”

“Good job, my dear,” Aleathra said, brushing her hand over Kynia’s cheek. “You did very well.”

“Cool. I’m going to go snort some of that powdered dragonfire pepper now.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the girl’s sarcastic reply. Next to me, Aurea was clapping enthusiastically. “I had no idea what she was singing about, what I do know is Aleathra can really play the shit outta that flute!”

“That’s very kind of you. However, elven instruments have a wider range of notes, so our music may have more depth to them. What we might consider a subpar musician, humans might consider an expert.”

“Even so, I have not heard such a beautiful performance of the Liberated Dreamscape in many years,” Mors commented. “And I couldn’t help but notice that you played the flute in the Iltaran style.”

Aleathra’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “How do you know of the different styles of elven music?”

“Call it an old man’s experience,” he chuckled, waving it off.

The rest of the night was filled with laughter and fun. Vulre returned after a while, panting and with his hands covered in dirt. He was immensely disappointed when he heard that he had missed his wife’s stellar performance. Her only response was, “Well maybe next time don’t run off like a child.”

Our little party dispersed when it was time for the children to go to bed. Mors left first, citing his old body needing rest, and Aurea following soon after. Before I left, Aleathra made me promise I would come by and visit more, to which I readily agreed. When the door finally closed, I sighed and started making my way back to the bunker. Looking up, I noted that the sparkling night sky was as breathtaking as ever, the sprawling expanse of stars stretching from horizon to horizon.

“Alright,” I said to myself, clapping my hands and rubbing them together. “We have a lot of shit to get done, so let’s get to it.”

“[Understood. Initiating fabricator startup….]”