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27 years.
It seemed like such an innocuous number.
A short period of time for an Elf. There were many amongst his people who vanished during their hermitages for as much as twice that long before returning. To them it was a sabbatical, a brief measure of time one could take to amuse themselves with a new passion, hobby or travel.
Mr. Gothi was 27 years old.
‘By the Mother Tree, do I even remember how I was back then?’
It was strange to think about it.
For them, 100 years was the accepted minimum age for one to be considered an adult. And it wasn’t even widely accepted. He’d known of Elves from other villages and settlements who upheld different customs. Like the Elvish Princess of Freehold, who secluded herself for three hundred years before returning to lead their people as a young woman, wise and powerful in many magics and knowledgeable of secrets.
Hemlock wasn’t so naive as to not understand the concept of old age.
Other clans weren’t as long lived as their own.
The goblins of the Swamp Clan were short lived, ephemeral like the light of the stars which vanished come morning and started anew come sunset. The fairies of the Garden Clan were… ageless. Like the seasons they would be born, grow, wither, and die in an eternal cycle. Each life its own.
But they were still their own individuals.
Elves lived long.
Their connection to Mana was powerful, the energy which connected all living things favored them above all others, and thus they could live for as long as mana would sustain them. The Greenhold, with its ample bounty of energies could keep them alive for centuries, if not thousands of years if one found a good hermitage to retire to.
But this was different.
Mr. Gothi wasn’t a goblin, nor was he a fairy.
In many ways, the human was no different than an elf at times, though his humor and appellation preferences could leave much to be desired, and his brewing skills were nothing short of a crime against tea itself, Hemlock still could see the valor and… liveliness of his character.
Even if they’d only known each other for a short while, the past twenty hours had been more meaningful than anything Hemlock had done in the past decade.
Such was the impression the human left on him.
Thus Hemlock made a new resolution.
Obviously the traveler needed help and guidance out of the Greenhold, or at the very least away from the Woods Clan territory. His presence was… an acquired taste and he’d seen the effect he had not only on himself but on others of his clan. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine his brethren having a… overreaction to his presence.
But where to take him?
Hemlock had no allies or acquaintances of note. He was no ambassador, nor could he call upon favors from others of his clan or outside. By all rights he was all but a hermit, a loner by choice.
‘And then there is that boar.’
The Mana Beast proved to be another obstacle.
Pineskeep was far and away from the frontier’s wild lands, beyond the reach of the Freehold where such creatures thrived and battles for territory were a constant. Elves like him, who had no interest in partaking in the liberation of more territory seldom saw monsters, even amongst their guards and warriors, very few chose to travel that far to test their mettle.
Merely content to show their skills in tournaments and other competitions.
Perhaps that was why Ghoti was physically powerful.
A warrior headed through the Greenhold towards the frontier. If that was the case, then there was little Hemlock could do other than helping him join the next expedition. He would be better served amongst fellow warriors and soldiers.
He hadn’t said as much, but Hemlock was the perceptive sort.
A lone man wearing armor, carrying only a sword to his name, braving the Greenhold by their lonesome. He could be a runaway, running back home after deserting the war for the frontier. Or he could be a hopeful prospect who lost their way.
The elf doubted he’d tell him.
Their… friendship was still a new, fresh thing.
And it would be a breach of trust, not to mention personal boundaries, to ask him of his past.
Which is why he opted for watching in silence as his friend conversed with the younger elf. It was… interesting. Basil was young and his reaction to Ghoti had been… worrisome, but he no longer seemed to fear the human, but instead displayed the characteristic curiosity of youth.
“So, if you guys live only that much… how do you have kids?”
Even if the questions were… unorthodox.
“Same as you, I suppose. A mother and a father get together and well… roll around in bed for a bit. You have gotten the talk, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s just that it takes us forever to have kids. My parents tried for 3 decades!”
That seemed to surprise the human.
“That long? Usually, unless you’re infertile, couples can try and have kids every full moon or so. I know plenty of folks who had kids without even meaning to.”
At that, Hemlock gawked.
That was… disgustingly easy.
“Wow.”
Ghoti nodded.
“Indeed. So, next question?”
Seeing Basil being so inquisitive was… a relief, really. The boy was usually frustrated and bored at not being allowed to travel until he reached adulthood. This must have been a breath of fresh air.
“Feathers, scales, or fur?”
But would it hurt him to be more tactful?
“Light fur. About as much as you anyway. Tried growing a goatee once. Didn’t work.”
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Ah, facial hair. Very few were blessed with enough to use it for… aesthetic purposes. There was a reason that Governor Caladium won their biannual self-grooming contest for the past decade. Next year they were considering banning him from the competition outright in the interest of sportsmanship.
“Next question.”
“What’s under that helmet of yours.”
“A mask.”
“Okay, but what’s under the mask.”
“Herbs. They keep the air pure. It keeps out smoke, ash… all sorts of harmful substances, really.”
Basil leaned forward, elbows resting on the table.
“Can you take it off?”
“No.”
“Aww.”
Truly, Hemlock envied the follies of youth.
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The Guard’s barracks was a strange building.
Equal parts school, equal parts inn.
Those who wished to join the Guards and learn how to fight were welcome to live in the barracks for the duration of their training, and often that could mean years, so the building had to be expanded to house not only the active guards, but those who were learning to take on the profession.
There were also volunteer barracks, though those were… smaller and lower in quality than those of the official guards and their trainees.
Often, youths or locals would take on temporary placements as guards, and that helped them watch other a larger swath of territory while maintaining order across the village. Perhaps one of the few good ideas that her immediate superior had in regards to the daily workings of Pineskeep.
Today, as it so happened, was their turn shift. As such, many elves filled the wide hall. Food and drink placed across the long tables as the guards returning from their shifts filed in, and the ones leaving finished their own meals. Jasmine herself had volunteered at the watch more than once before undergoing full training.
Granted, she was something of an overachiever in that regard.
Walking along the path leading to the counter on the back of the hall, she steeled herself, reminiscing on what information she had.
The Guard’s Captain wasn’t one to suffer idle conversation.
Or so she remembered.
“Good afternoon, if you’re here to volunteer…” The attendant at the counter, a younger dark haired elf, started.
“I’m here to see the Captain.”
Blinking at the interruption, the attendant nodded.
“The captain is on break right now… but if you’re willing to wait I can make an appointment for-”
Jasmine sighed.
She should have known. Aspen was a stickler for protocol. And under any other circumstances she would have happily obliged.
“She’s in the backroom, yes?”
The attendant started.
“Ms. Jasmine, she asked not to-”
“Be bothered, yes.” Jasmine didn’t wait for confirmation, instead moving around the corner towards a large set of oaken doors leading to the back. The Guards didn’t think to stop her, now when they knew her by reputation alone, and whatever they tried to do… the Captain would do much worse.
“I must ask you to reconsider. This is a gross breach of protocol.” She really liked this attendant. Proper and understanding of how things should be done.
“You can let her in, Lindsey.”
A sharp voice called from the other side of the door, making the entire barracks flinch.
Good.
She still had the run of the place.
“U-Understood, Captain.” The attendant hurried back to the counter, letting Jasmine through the doors and into the Captain’s office. A place that Jasmine herself was quite familiar with, having occupied the post of assistant for a decade before moving onto her next pursuit. Finding very little had actually changed.
Piles of reports neatly stacked across a large table.
A quiver full of arrows laying on top of a nearby chair.
The smell of cinnamon and apple porridge.
“Good afternoon, Aspen.”
“Captain, Jasmine.”
She saluted her half heartedly. Old habits and whatnot.
“My apologies for the intrusion, I know you must be busy.”
“You and I both know that’s a lie.”
Snorting, the Captain crossed her legs. Sitting atop the large plush armchair that was decidedly too big, the older Elf could have passed for Jasmine’s age, though the rare light green hair and matching eyes set her aside. As did the longer than usual ears which curved ever so slightly.
“Paperwork is important.” She lightly chided her former superior.
“It’s repetitive. The last thing I want at my age are repetitive days. Might as well go out to become a hermit. Which is why I let this little slight against protocol go this time. This is still a serious post, Jasmine.”
The assistant nodded, accepting the scolding.
“I received news from one of the outposts.”
The admission earned her a quirk of an eyebrow.
“Explain.”
“One of our villagers was in a… walk around. He reported having seen a Mana Beast near the river.” Or rather, reported running away from said beast and losing it near the river, but details like these weren’t worth bringing to light.
“And you’re certain of this?”
As if new life had been breathed into her, the older elf seemed to snap back into attention, eyes fully focused as opposed to the dull uninterest of before. Jasmine struggled not to wince as her senses were overwhelmed by the sudden presence of the woman before her, whose mana seemed to fill the room in an instant.
“The report has yet to be verified, which is why I thought it prudent to bring this to your attention.”
The captain hummed in thought, finger tips tapping her desk.
“And the Governor?”
“He wants to make a game out of it. Invite a bunch of hunters and set them after the beast.” Might he have chosen a different course of action if not for her tampering? Perhaps. But the man was prone to overreactions and the assistant would bring it up as soon as the Guards were notified.
“He has the right of it.”
Jasmine stopped.
“I… beg your pardon?”
“When you fight a beast, you bring in hunters. Especially if its a mana beast, our village hardly has any, being small and largely peaceful. The man might have… a taste for spectacle, but the idea is solid.”
Jasmine… very much doubted that was the reason he chose to do it.
“You can’t handle it?”
The captain sighed.
“Problems like these get worse as time goes, Jasmine. By the time we have tracked it down, the creature will have become too strong for any single person to fight safely… not unless you plan on sending a plea to the capital and they send one of their ‘Heroes’ to help us.”
The distaste on Aspen’s voice was clear as day.
Not completely unreasonable either.
“There is more you aren’t saying.”
Jasmine’s face was a mask of cool and professionalism.
“What makes you think that?”
“You’ve always been like this, Jasmine. You always tangle the least important part of the message first, then say the rest once you have the listener hooked. Clever, but unnecessary. Just tell me what I need to know.”
The assistant let out a sigh of defeat.
She really couldn’t win with her former boss.
“Now then. Tell me everything.” The older elf leaned forward, emerald eyes glinting with interest.