Elven development doesn't follow the same progression as other races. From one to five years of age, elves develop at the same rate as humans. Then their bodies' growth slows down significantly, aging one apparent year for on average every four years until they reach a physical age of ten or eleven. Theirs suffer a final growth spur where they once again age at the same rate as humans for six to eight years until they reach the final adult form after around four decades. From there an adult elf stops aging almost entirely, remaining youthful and changing only slightly for centuries. A thousand years old elf can look like a man at his early forties. It is unknown how old can an elf really live. Very old elves just disappear without a trace.
Excerpt from the Great Compendium of the Races, vol 3
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"What is wrong, Lumina?" Pearl asked when the other princess sharing the same bed twitched in pain. It was a reflex of the strike a certain Underworld mage suffered on the shoulder a few kilometers away.
"Nothing, Pearl. I'm fine."
Pearl knew it was a lie. The other girl was shaking. She turned around to look face-to-face and hugged her.
It took some time, but she calmed down.
"Will you tell me what happened?"
"Aidan was wounded on the shoulder."
"You felt it?" She nodded. "Is he going to be alright?" Another nod.
After a few minutes, Dawn talked.
"Pearl. After we cross into Yutis and everything calms down, I have a secret I want to tell you. You might hate me for it."
Pearl was an airhead at times, but she was also a princess schooled in the subtleties and intricacies of politics. The natural white lie of 'I'll never hate you' didn't reach her lips even though the urge to say so was there.
Instead, she scoffed and replied, "We shall see."
"But I might grant you a boon to make up for my slight," Dawn added.
"Yes, you do that, Lumina. I'd loathe to lose you."
Among the herbs they gathered for Dawn's tea, Deb noticed a rare one that was used for the Soul Restoration ritual and had the initiative to gather it. Spirit Grass. A pale green herb that grows in long juicy blades. They were one step closer to performing the ritual on Pearl. The rest of the materials could be obtained in Yutis.
The group left Gurf's cabin by sunrise, rather well rested except for a certain someone that abused his magic the whole night. But Aidan discovered one perk of his dual existence. Since Dawn was rested, he just needed to shift most of the thinking to her body and keep his male one droning behind not unlike the undead minions that did his dirty work.
They reached the place and Dawn pointed at the cave past the meter-wide ball of compacted ash courtesy of yesterday's gorefest.
"This is the smuggler's tunnel connecting this land to Yutis on the other side."
The group went past the bloody room where the hobs died and started to make their treck through the tunnel. Some recently-woven cobwebs were already covering the tunnel but not to the level they were when they crossed with an unconscious Aidan.
"For a tunnel miles long, it surely is well-ventilated," Gurf noted.
"The smugglers had a quite decent earth mage with them. There are several breathing holes connecting the tunnel to the surface. All the bugs that come down here cross these tunnels. They are also made in a way to avoid water from rain or melting snow to fall in here." Aidan explained. With the cavernsense spell, he could feel these breathing holes going up and twisting in an S pattern upwards with a little drain. Water that entered the hole would gather on the lower part of the S and seep out through the drain before it could reach the upper part and drip down into the tunnel.
"The way around to Yutis takes a month in a caravan through rough and dangerous terrain. This tunnel is a boon if we could exploit it to foster trade." Pearl noticed.
"Is it a proposal?" Teased Dawn.
"Yes, why not! I am the heir to the throne and you have enough influence as the second in line. Let's open a trade route. Unfortunately, the tunnel is narrow. It would be better if two wagons could move side-by-side all along."
The tunnel was not regular. It was wide enough to put two wagons side-by-side in some places, not counting the several rooms built on its side from time to time to store stuff. At its narrow, it should be a little over two meters side.
"I think a skilled Earth mage or a team of dwarf diggers could open the tunnel enough to make that possible. The stone around us is quite stable." Aidan pointed out.
"Are you volunteering, Lord Aidan?" Teased Pearl.
"Maybe later, your Highness. We have a lot of pressing business to look after before we can think of opening trade routes. But I won't take it off the table for now."
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Why, thank you. I am most pleased with your willingness to help, Lord Aidan."
"The princess is too kind."
Pearl glanced at Dawn and then back at Aidan. "Telepathy." She mumbled.
The walk across the tunnel was uneventful. There were no other exits beyond the two ends, and nothing bigger than a mouse could enter through the ventilation holes. They went through it, and two days later they found something unexpected.
"They sealed the tunnel," Sora reported after scouting ahead.
A wall of rocks and dried mud blocked the path. Instead of chasing them through, Yutis blocked their return path. It was probably a good idea. These unknown entry points were indeed a liability. If it were not for the series of ventilation holes the smugglers dug on the roof leading outside the air would be barely breathable.
"Lord Aidan, help me open this up," Dawn commanded.
For an earth mage as potent as Aidan, opening the blockage was child's play, although it did take time. What he didn't expect was the thickness of the obstruction. In hindsight, Aidan would do the same to hinder earth mages from digging through. It took them another entire day to dig it out. Gurf carried the rocks back to one of the storage rooms the smugglers left in the tunnel. It was almost filled up.
At least Aidan got to feel the size of his improved mana pool. Any lesser mage would've run out of mana after the first few meters, but ever since Aidan regained his magic the state of his fused soul enhanced his mana pool to the ceiling of A-rank. He had more mana available in a single body than both Lumina and his back in the day of the accident. Alternating casts between him and Dawn allowed one body to recover mana while the other spent it. He was unable to cast in tandem anyway.
While he worked images and concepts flowed into his mind. He only felt a mild migraine during this episode. 'And this, you moron, is how you use what you have at hand. You could've doubled your firepower against those goblins. And set the dragon loose in the sky above to work like your eyes.' Lumina reminded him of his goblin assault fiasco and on how to improve.
They finished removing the blockade and another problem hit them.
"And here is where the trapdoor leading to the inn should be," Sora explained.
There was a solid iron grate covering the top. And instead of a wooden inn, they could see a stone roof above, illuminated by indirect sunlight.
"They built a guard post over the tunnel entrance. How cautious. After blocking the tunnel with that much stone and gravel, one could think it was safe to just write it off." Pearl mused.
"Any ideas? Anyone?" Dawn asked the party.
"I got one. Since it is Yutis on the other side, we should dress up. Nothing makes a better impression than nice, clean clothes." The Princess of Gohar suggested.
Pearl was dying to get off those peasant clothes, that was the truth.
"Princess Pearl is right, Lumina. Put on your best clothes." Sora chimed in.
Three hours later they were done. A new record if you consider Pearl was in the mix. Deb and Lola donned maid uniforms, Cythrel was in her, as the heroes classified, gothic lolita dress. Gurf had no spare clothing. Dawn and Pearl in their best dresses, at least among what was available. But if there is one thing Pearl knows how to do is to accessorize. She lent Dawn some spare jewelry. Her kingdom wasn't known as the land of jewels for nothing. The maids even applied some paint to Dawn's face. Unfortunately, Aidan and Sora had no 'nice clothes' to wear because the hobgoblins destroyed their academy uniforms.
They enacted Pearl's silly plan. Dawn approached the grate and shouted. "Guards! Guards!" After repeating it a couple of times, someone answered.
"Who goes there!" A man shouted from outside their field of view.
"How dare you question who I am. Just listening to my voice should be enough to recognize me. I demand you open up the way immediately!" Dawn shouted in a haughty tone.
"A woman? What is a woman doing down there?" The guard approached the edge of the tunnel cautiously. It could very well be an ambush.
"Call me 'a woman' once more and it is the gallows for you. I demand you open up on my authority."
The guard was a simpleton but he wasn't suicidal. And the tone of the one speaking below screamed aristocracy, maybe a royal.
"I'm calling my superior. Wait here, milady." When in doubt, escalate.
They waited for twenty minutes until another man approached. He was also cautious of being shot by whoever was down there.
"Who is down there?" He asked. His voice was a deep bass.
"How dare you question my identity. I am Princess Lumina of Yutis. Open this up immediately."
"Lady, the princess is safe in her castle. You gotta do better than..."
"Impudent fool. Are you willing to risk your neck on the chance I am not who I claim to be? I know very well that attempting to impersonate a royal is a death sentence. But you have until the count of five to open it up and prepare an escort or I will have you will hang before the end of the day. May I know the name of whom I speak to?"
A torch approached the grate.
"Step forward, milady. I had the grace of seeing the princess once in the capital, if you are who you claim to I will recognize you."
Dawn took a couple of steps forward, her face pure indignation. "Now open up or my face is the last sight you'll see in this life."
The guard sergeant was bluffing. He never saw the princess but he knew she was retrieved and returned to the palace a month or so ago. But he saw nobles, and he knew gold and gemstones when he saw them. The dress, the face paint, the expensive jewelry and the youth of the lady in that tunnel made him question his choices. Either it was a very elaborate scam or the real thing. And either way, he was screwed. He decided to err on the side of caution.
"Sorry lass, but my orders are to keep this closed shut. No one comes out."
"It is your death." Dawn turned behind to talk. "Milord, I demand a staircase to ascend to the surface. I had enough of damp filthy tunnels for a lifetime."
'It is the kind of unreasonable thing a princess would do', thought the sergeant.
To his surprise, someone chanted a spell from outside his field of view and the stone began to shift and move. It flexed and jerked backward like it was made of bread dough. And one by one steps were being formed in the stone, creating a spiral staircase almost wide enough for two unarmored people walk side by side. After the stone ceased shifting two people, one man and one beastkin came up.
'It is not the kind of escort a princess could have', thought the sergeant. The sergeant was also a simpleton but he feared to bother his lieutenant, that is why he also didn't escalate.
The two people stood at attention at the sides of the staircase and the self-proclaimed princess came up. She glided up the stairs, the incarnation of grace. The sergeant was sweating. And when she was about to gain the last step, the man shouted.
"All kneel before her Highness Princess Lumina of Yutis."
Sergeant decided to not take risks. He groveled down on the ground the same way he heard people do in the other world. Dog-something he recalled.
"Have mercy, your Highness." He begged. In his fear, he didn't even realize he spoke without permission, another offense.
And then the man cried again.
"All hail the esteemed Crown Princess Pearl of House Juvela from Gohar."
Sergeant's greatest achievement that day was to avoid soiling himself.