Wyatt and Gus left the tent in a crouch, hurrying as fast as they could. The sky was clear and even with dusk approaching, the human could clearly see a field of white interspersed with trees. Without the wind and snow kicking up as it had the day before, Wyatt could easily see the figures that Gus had been focused on.
The white coloring of the tent made spotting it from such a distance difficult, and the white and gray furs they now wore made the two equally as hidden. Regardless, they crept low, and moved only when Gus allowed, stopping if any of the figures seemed to be looking in this direction. Wyatt held his cloak balled up in his hands, shielding the purple from view. The elf party was far enough away that Wyatt did not believe they would see the two, but elves, at least in Earth lore, had always been described as having keen eyes.
After several tense minutes, Gus finally led Wyatt behind a drift of snow that obscured them from sight. He looked at Wyatt, pointed at his own ears then making a gesture that to the human like he was mocking their long, pointed ears. Wyatt nodded, knowing they were elves without being told, and held up his hands.
“What’s the plan, Gus?” he asked the green face before him. “I counted five,” he held up five fingers, hoping the gesture was universal, “We should be able to take them.” Wyatt punched his fist into the opposite palm, signaling an attack.
The orc shook its head and tapped a finger on his head, which Wyatt took as telling the human to use his head. Deciding to take the implication as advice rather than insult, Wyatt peeked around the snow to observe their movements.
Maybe they are a scouting party. There might be more nearby.
“Follow?” Wyatt asked, placing one hand behind the other. The orc agreed with a few words and a nod and handed Wyatt his backpack. Wyatt took it and stuffed his cloak inside, then placed it onto his back. He would not have access to anything inside of the cloak until he pulled it out again, but he was fairly confident he wouldn’t need anything. At the very least, the mage could always make another rock staff.
At the thought, it occurred to Wyatt that Gus probably thought of Wyatt as weak, given his state when the orc found him. To give Gus a little idea what he could do, Wyatt got the orc’s attention, then used Earthen Creation to create another staff, showing the orc that he was a mage. Gus looked with surprise, then nodded at the human.
The two followed the party of mounted elves for some time, staying out of sight and trusting Gus’ ability to follow the tracks of the bird-horses. With the fresh snow on the ground Wyatt was certain he could have followed the elves himself, but he still allowed the orc to take the lead.
Before long, the tracks began to grow more numerous, signaling an increase of traffic in the area. Sure enough, Gus changed his direction, circling the general area the tracks led to. Wyatt could hear a noise not too far away, and as they got closer, the mage could identify the noise as voices.
Gus held up a hand, and Wyatt stopped immediately, sensing the tension in the motion. The orc held up two fingers, then pointed through a thicket of trees. With Gus’ aid, Wyatt was able to make out two elf sentries he had not been able to see before, and not for the first time the human wondered what levels his orc companion’s class and skills were.
Gus held up his bow and indicated to Wyatt that he would attack the one on the left, leaving the mage to handle the other. Wyatt nodded and readied his air magic. When it looked like Gus was ready to fire, Wyatt unleashed Wind Cutter, depriving the elf of its head. Almost as soon as his attack made contact, the other fell with an arrow in the neck.
The two moved on quickly to the next set of sentries, then the next. After a short time, four sets of two sentries lay dead and buried in the snow, leaving the camp unaware of its increasing danger, and none too soon, as the sun had begun to set.
The camp itself was much smaller than the last one Wyatt had encountered several months ago, but still contained enough enemies going about their tasks to make the duo hesitate to attack. Just as Wyatt motioned for Gus to pull back to form a plan, the orc pointed to a point on the edge of the camp. Wyatt followed the motion, setting his eyes on a cage lit by a nearby fire. In the cage was an elf. This elf, however, had dark gray, almost black skin, with hair as white as the snow that surrounded her.
Wyatt turned to the orc and shrugged. “A dark elf,” he said, “No different from a high elf. An elf is an elf,” he said, the bitterness in his voice no longer a surprise to the once docile human.
The orc glared at him in what looked to be disappointment, and for a moment Wyatt felt like he was a child again under his stare. He gave the orc a quizzical look, waiting for some kind of explanation. The orc pointed to the dark elf, saying his own word for the race. Then he pointed to the high elves, saying another word. Then he shook his head, and Wyatt took that to mean they were not the same.
“Ok, we’ll save the dark elf,” Wyatt said finally, stopping the orc’s moving hands. “We need to sneak in closer.”
“No,” responded Gus in one of the few words Wyatt could remember by heart at this point. “Gush go. No White.”
The human turned back to the camp, surveying the area. It was true his stealth skill was barely adequate in the current conditions and leaving the relative cover of the trees they had found would render the measly level four skill completely useless, even with his white and gray furs. Surrendering the point to the orc, Wyatt nodded.
Gus waited, pointing to the sky to indicate his intention of making the journey when night fell in full. It did not take long before the last remnants of sunlight receded over the horizon, and the orc slid through the shadows.
Wyatt watched as the orc archer crept forward, taking a circuitous path towards the caged dark elf. At some point – closer to him than the destination, Wyatt realized somewhat bitterly – Gus disappeared from sight. The mage kept his eyes on the camp, scanning for any sign of trouble, and waited.
Soon, the familiar gray and white shape of orcish leathers caught Wyatt’s attention, and he turned to see Gus had made it to the cage and was using his hands to convey to the dark elf his intention. She nodded her understanding, then indicated a tent nearby, presumably the location of the key for her locks.
Gus disappeared into the tent for only a moment before reappearing and opening the cage. The elf stepped out, and the archer unlocked the shackles around her hands and neck, then turned to lead her back to where Wyatt was hiding.
Wyatt waved his hand to get Gus’ attention, pointed behind him as he did. When the orc turned around, he saw what Wyatt was pointing at.
The dark elf was not following, and she was not hiding.
A blade of fire was held in her hand as she screamed a savage war cry that announced her fury to the entire camp. As the elf soldiers looked around to find the source of the noise, the dark elf charged.
Wyatt, deciding the time for stealth was now over, crossed the distance to the camp as quickly as he could, joining the two figures as arrow and flaming blade sowed chaos in the orderly camp. He watched as the dark elf and orc, both with agility much higher than his own, worked in unison to fight their mutual enemy.
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Just as Wyatt made it to the camp, he saw a group of armored elves had rallied together for a unified attack on the dark elf. Thinking fast, the mage used his earth magic to launch himself into the air, beginning the one second casting time for his Stone Grasp ability. He landed in the center of the group in unison with the cast, sending a pulse of earth magic all around him.
The sudden stone shackles holding the high elves in place immediately stopped their advance, causing several to fall on their face as their momentum was arrested. Wyatt attacked with his staff immediately, joined by Gus’ axe and the dark elf’s sword. The group fell quickly, and the impromptu strategy earned Wyatt an approving nod from the dark elf after only a short hesitation as she determined he was not a high elf.
They turned their attention back to the other inhabitants of the camp, who came at the group in ones and twos as they slowly identified the threat. The fire that spread to the tents from the dark elf’s blade had made it harder for them to mount a counter attack – a result the dark elf no doubt intended – and Wyatt’s heart pumped in exhilaration as he attacked his hated enemy with an unlikely group of allies.
Wyatt used Haste on himself to close the gap between his agility and theirs, fighting primarily with his staff to reserve his mana to use Subtle Manipulation whenever the opportunity arose, controlling the battle as best he could.
Gus was able to use his bow with incredible skill, sending arrow after arrow at any enemy that came into his vision, oftentimes keeping the elven force behind cover. Whenever an enemy came too close, he wielded his bow defensively, deflecting a strike then following with his axe in a manner that spoke of long years at war.
It was the dark elf, however, that truly shone in this melee. Her blade, edge glowing red hot, spun around her almost of its own accord, the arcs of fire tracing entrancing circles as anything that came within reach fell in seconds. She had some kind of shield spell, as well, and used it in perfect tandem with her attacks, blocking and striking with a skill unmatched by anything Wyatt had ever seen. Where before Wyatt was sure this camp was beyond their ability to take on alone, now he was sure his help was not needed.
Still, the human’s hatred of elves far surpassed his allies’, and he fought with a skill bred from necessity and anger. He used his staff for defense and weaponized his enchantment magic like the god Mendac had thousands of years before. He turned elven blade on elven flesh, sowing mistrust and confusion in the enemy ranks.
Within the human was a constant battle to restrain the hatred he felt for this enemy. Wyatt knew he was outmatched in this fight, and his only chance to contribute was by staying as level-headed as he could. This proved difficult, as every swing of his staff was laced with a fire that for too long burned unfed.
Soon, the camp’s small numbers proved insufficient to deal with this sudden threat, and the enemy spirit quickly crumbled. It was Gus’ time to shine as he sent arrows into the backs of retreating soldiers,
When the battle was over, the dark elf surveyed the aftermath. She was breathing heavily, the first sign that she was a mere mortal. She turned to the orc, speaking to him in his own tongue. Wyatt could only make out a word here or there, but it was obvious she was expressing her gratitude to the archer.
When she turned to face Wyatt, her figure silhouetted by the light of the burning camp, he was finally able to get a closer look at her. She wore full leather armor that looked to have been dyed a dark purple. The armor on her shoulders and wrists – pauldrons and bracers, Wyatt corrected himself – was made of overlapping metal scales, adding to the already intimidating appearance of the woman. She was as tall as he was, with bright green eyes that seemed to shine of their own accord.
She cocked her head as she examined him, looking from his ears to his eyes. When she was sure he wasn’t an elf, or at the very least not a threat, she said a word in a different language from before.
“You too,” Wyatt responded, leaning on his staff as he tried to catch his breath.
The dark elf went to the body of one of the elves and retrieved her sword from its torso. The design was different from the weapons the soldiers wielded, and Wyatt quickly realized that it must have originally belonged to the dark elf before she had been captured. He was unsure where she had gotten the beautiful weapon after she was freed, but he was grateful she was able to find it. The sword was curved, resembling in some ways an ornate scimitar to Wyatt’s untrained eyes. At the base of the blade Wyatt could make out a series of runes, and he tried to memorize them before the blade was sheathed.
Before she left, the dark elf waved her hands in the air in a manner that seemed familiar to Wyatt. A second later a soothing feeling spread through the mage, and he realized she had cast healing on him. The injuries he had sustained in the fight began to mend, and his health returned to full. She did the same for Gus, then turned and walked away. She grabbed one of the horse creatures from outside the camp before riding off, leaving the smoldering battlefield.
Gus and Wyatt watched her leave. When they turned to each other, Gus let out an exaggerated sigh and rolled his eyes at the woman. Wyatt couldn’t help but notice the orc was smiling despite the motion, and he just shrugged in response.
Gus’ eyes shifted to something unseen in front of his face, and Wyatt realized the orc was looking at the battle notification. Wyatt did the same.
Combat Report
Your party has slain:
High Elf Encampment
Rewards:
Experience earned
Your class has leveled up: Mage – Level 17
You have gained Attribute Points
Your skills have leveled up:
Enchantment Magic – Level 14
Earth Magic – Level 13
Staff Mastery – Level 12
Air Magic – Level 11
Stealth – Level 5
Wyatt quickly put two points into his willpower and intelligence and one into endurance, before closing his menus. He was sure he would have gained two levels after the harrowing fight with an entire high elf camp, but he assumed the dark elf had handled the majority of the enemy, which resulted in him earning less experience. Maybe her level had been much higher than his, which made the experience gained by the entire party less than it should have been.
Wyatt looked at the carnage around him. Even though most of them fell to the orc and dark elf, more than a few died to Wyatt’s own magic. Up until now Wyatt had only killed animals and monsters, doing so with the cold detachment of necessity in order to grow stronger and stay alive. This was the first time he had taken the life of a sapient thing. This time, he had not felt detachment as he took their lives. He felt excitement, thrill, and worse of all, he felt joy.
Every life he took on this battlefield was vengeance for another human that had fallen to elven machinations. Every strike of his staff and cast of his spells was made with hatred and burning intent, and he had reveled in it, losing himself to the flow of battle.
What is happening to me?
Wyatt snapped out of his contemplations to see Gus collecting his arrows from the corpses. The human decided to occupy his mind with action, making good use of his time by looting what he could from the bodies.
The majority of the soldiers had heavy armor, which wouldn’t be of any use to the mage, as well as a multitude of weapons, some of which were added to his cloak’s inventory. Wyatt had also found a small number of coins, each emblazoned with the same castle and dragon symbol of the Elven Empire on one side, with the face of an elf on the other. They came in three types: bronze, silver, and gold, and He put them all in a pouch he found, deciding to store them in case he ever found himself in need.
Perhaps the most important thing Wyatt found was a large crate. Inside was a variety of food: bread, meat, and strange fruits or vegetables he had never seen before. When he was sure Gus wasn’t looking his way, Wyatt threw his cloak over the entire box, imagining where the crate would go when he sent it to his personal dimension.
Gus returned shortly after and motioned for him to follow. He pointed at the horses nearby, and Wyatt moved to them. He had never ridden a horse before, much less an armored fantasy horse, and he knew this was going to be a painful experience.
Sure enough, Wyatt had difficulty mounting the creature, and even more difficulty staying on. Gus laughed at the human from atop his own horse, before Wyatt finally sat in the saddle, ready to go.
Not knowing if there would be other encampments in the area, Gust turned his mount toward his camp, Wyatt close behind.