The unforgiving forested lands of the nation of Dralgothim like grass had never known the hands of a woodsman. Thick with all kinds of underbrush only the most adventurous ventured into those parts. On the other side of the yelsoman wastes, Milty with her familiar lanhou and two others Dethlyma and her half brother Cortreal were all that remained to try and recover Lanthim frenost.
Following the child's presence as closely as possible the trail was no long taking them east but south. Two months having past since they had sent eldra back to mynrea's care due to injury had limited the group's ability to move quickly.
Cortreal being a human male meant he could not use mana to move from place to place quickly like the other two witch's could. This slowed their progress considerably with lanhou having to carry cortreal every time the group made a movement forward.
"If these trees get any thicker we will be unable to transport ourselves safely next time. What should we do milty I don't have the confidence to find an open big enough for all of us." [dethlyma]
The elf woman with her torn clothes and terrible hair had thrown her supposed superiority away. Having believed that what happened to her brother had just been a fluke after watching lanthim crush eldra's chest right in front of her. Everything she had been taught concerning elf supremacy over humans disappeared in an instant.
"I can sense a clearing twenty miles to our east. It will take us off the trail for a time but I see no other choice." [milty]
Presently the group was striding through the branches of the giant trees. With the thick branches, travel was made easier but they would not cover the ground needed to catch lanthim at the present pace.
With teleportation magic dethlyma had the longest range of thirty-five mile. When compared to lanthim's six hundred she paled in comparison, however, all that was needed was for them to keep up with the boy till he tired then try to capture him.
"Are you not worried that Lanthim will strike us all down if we try to capture him again?" [lanhou]
Lanhou who had been at the back of the group as they advance further on asked with the same emotionless face. While milty did not mind sparing a little more mana so lanhou could maintain his human form his lack of emotion bothered her.
"Eldra and teilquin were foolish to think they could beat lanthim in close quarters. Since the young master can't use projectable magic we have the advantage." [milty]
Because Lanthim was limited to using small amounts of mana relying on his regalia that had been constructed for a melee battle. Meant once a fight at close quarters began being able to effectively act against him would become almost impossible. Using magic at a distance to wear him down was the only path to victory.
As thing turn out though in eldra's case was he became over-excited by his opponents strength and just kept fighting until the very end. Something typical of male dragon behavior. It was rare among their own kind to find an opponent that could give a good fight.
"True one thing troubles me though we have been on the edge of his range for the last three days and he seems to have stopped from what I can feel if so we may have our chance soon." [delthyma]
Looking ahead through the tree milty could sense the same as delthyma had. Feeling herself something amiss the group was brought to a halt.
"Why would he just stop being too tired to keep going is one thing but just stopping out of nowhere is not something I can see lanthim doing without reason." [lanhou]
Cortreal nodded in agreement even though he would be considered dead weight by some he had been trained in close quarters fighting and as an extra body was worth having along. He also bore something extra a form of regalia that his father had come up with that allowed human males to fight effectively without using their own mana since they couldn't in the first place.
The Fengdreim Regalia was a permanent regalia unlike the kind used by witches. This kind of regalia worked by pulling natural mana from the world around a person. While doing so using a magical sequence to draw the purified mana from the host activating the regalia and there for a spell.
Even though being unto itself a form of magic. Still not being able to feel or control the mana flowing through their body's a man with such regalia will still be seen almost as any other.
"It will be days before we reach him even with teleportation magic. We must also not be too hasty to think that this is him being tired. I may not be able to sense him like the rest of you but this sound but I don't like this situation." [cortreal]
Looking at each other all seemed to think the same.
"Lanhou you will go ahead and find a position in which I can transport the rest. I know using a spell this way will be dangerous but we have no choice move as quickly as possible."
Receiving his orders lanhou left without question.
"All we can do now is wait." [cortreal]
Sitting on the branch on which he stood cortreal pulled out small travelers pipe from his pack. Prepped as he was for a lengthy stop, he began to smoke to the annoyance of his half sister.
"Do you really have to do that now?"
A smile could be seen on cortreal's face as he continued. Delthyma, on the other hand, seemed ready to break his skull open she hated seeing a man smoking a pipe meant he had little care for things or so she thought. Seeing her father take up the pipe after marrying pamreila her increasing contempt for humans seemed to nothing but increase.
"My sister, we come from different mothers but I will state this, our blood is the same therefore if I am inferior then what does that make you?" [cortreal]
There was truth in what her brother was saying being half-blood while not out of the ordinary or looked down upon in elvish society. What truly mattered was whether your human parent was male or female. Delthyma having a male human parent meant that his status was no existent therefore reducing the marriageability of his daughters.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
That being of greatest importance to elves and humans the continuing progression of the family and clan. Once a child was rendered unusable in marriage their social status would disappear.
"We have no time for such talk rest for the night we will wait on Lanhou." [milty]
Four Days Later
As the milty woke to the sun beating down on her face she could sense that lanhou had reached a desirable location. Far enough that lanthim would not be able to respond quickly but not too far that they would not be able to strike.
"It is time to go pack your thing." [milty]
Milty gave quick orders to which the other two immediately responded.
"To think it would take four days just to reach him but still why would lanthim not move and allow lanhou to get that close?" [cortreal]
It was not just cortreal who was concerned by the ongoing development. Everything was going to plan too well however there was no time to think on such things.
"We will be using a wide area transportation spell I will exhaust most of my mana doing this so we will have to wait till nightfall to proceed with the capture." [milty]
Nodding to each other milty activated the spell instantly she could feel her mana draining away. In the instant, the spell activated they were at their location with milty collapsing into lanhou's arms.
As the hours passed dethlyma began to feel increasing second-rate to milty. The use of a powerful transportation spell was not something everyone was able to do. Also, almost no one used incantation-less magic and she had seen milty use it many times.
"How does one learn to use magic the way your master dues?" [delthyma]
Staring deep into the familiar's dark eyes longing to know the answer.
"It was only through observing the young master that my master found the way to incantation-less magic." [lanhou]
The answer as always given by the familiar was with an expressionless face was not one that dethlyma thought she would hear.
'That child uses magic in this way as well?"
The only emotion that could explain what she felt in that moment was astonishment. Wanting to ask more she tried to get lanhou's attention who seemed to be preoccupied with something else.
"How long was I asleep lanhou?" [milty]
"A few hours the sun set about an hour ago." [lanhou]
Checking her surrounding Milty stumbled as she tried to find her footing. Reaching with his hand to help Cortreal caught her before a bad fall.
"Thank you Cortreal I will need just a moment, has there been any change in the young master's location?" [milty]
"No master he has not moved since your arrival, however, it seems that his presence has weakened slightly." [lanhou]
'Weakened what could have happened if he is wounded seriously we may have to risk falling into a fight.'
Gaining some balance she let go of cortreal arm thinking the situation through too much would be dangerous. While acting quickly would endanger them all.
"If the boy's presence is growing weaker then we should be able to deal with him even at close range. If being unable to keep all of his regalia active, he will easily succumb." [cortreal]
While it was true that such a thing was possible the risks were enormous. One wrong move and lanthim could kill all four of them in one strike.
"Prepare to move we may as well get this done quickly Lanhou Cortreal you will have to hold him off long enough for me and Dethlyma to activate our spells."
The operation was simple distract and secure one wrong move and the entire thing goes to shit. Standing close together it was lanhou who activated the transportation spell this time. Arriving in a clearing that was shaped like a perfect circle. Milty upon arrival felt something was wrong.
'Where is the young master?"
Separating from each other in order to cover a larger area all felt the same uneasiness that filled the space they had entered. After a moment of search all met again in the center.
"He is not here but his presence is he should be right here." [dethlyma]
"I know I do not understand if he is not here then what are we feeling right now?" [milty]
With confusion spreading amongst them a voice came from nothing.
"Funny how the answer you seek always is right in front of you." [unkown]
Looking for the one who spoke the entire group scrambled to prepare for a possible engagement.
"Young master if you are here please come out we only want to help you." [milty]
"Help me that would be a problem seeing that I am not who you seek."[unkown]
Quickly exchanging glances with one another Lanhou and cortreal prepared to strike.
"What do you mean you are not who we seek you are Lanthim Frenost are you not?" [dethlyma]
It was never a good idea to anger an elf while they are not as bad as a dragon. Elves were still hard to deal with especially the females. At this point, dethlyma really did not want to be in this clearing and playing stupid games was not helping.
"I have a message from the one you call Lanthim Frenost." [unkown]
"Stay here a while and cool off." [unkown]
After the voice went silent a stone in the center of the clearing began to glow with an intense brightness. Before she could even react to what was happening milty realized what they were standing in.
'A trap we have fallen into a trap."1