Lone's group returning to the camp of the general army, creating an uproar of joy among the soldiers. Ythmagobla's corpse couldn't be seen, but their presence was proof enough of a victory.
Lipsilk was in the middle of a conversation with General Sal'ta and the other generals of the army. Most of the discussion's contents didn't interest Lone, but two sentences gave his mind a vast sense of relief.
"We, unfortunately, couldn't witness the finale of Lord Immortus' and the dark Ancient one's battle. After the first breath of foul power, the world tree's barrier tripled in thickness, preventing us from seeing outside." Sal'ta was wise enough to not ask about the king. She was an XX-ranker very close to the bottleneck of becoming an XXX-ranker. She knew that Elestia had opted to increase the barrier strength not out of need, but out a desire to hide something that may or may not happen during the fight.
Lipsilk silently thanked the Primals while Lone thanked God out of habit more so than out of his nonexistent respect for the dead man. Neither of them had noticed Elestia strengthening the barrier. They were far too distracted to focus on the world tree as a whole, it's protective bubble included. Perhaps Sophie had noticed considering her unique affinity for all things barrier related, but regardless, that was one lingering worry out of the way. His Majesty's death could safely be kept a secret for a little bit longer.
Most people were giving Lone and Lipsilk's group a wide berth. They were exhausted, drained of mana, hell, one of them was even crippled. They were wary of the human children, but everyone could feel how incredibly weak they were, and both Lone and Lipsilk seemingly had no issue with them, so even the more discriminatorily-inclined of the elves held their tounges and stayed their hands.
Two elves, however, did approach, though for reasons entirely unrelated to Hazel and her friends. A teenaged foxkin with purple-tipped tails and a tall yet lanky Lemurian followed behind these High Elves.
Breena, unlike her usual stoic self, rushed to Lone and buried herself in his chest. She did not cry, for she knew no tears, she did not speak, for she knew no words, she simply wrapped her arms around her master's waist for she knew his warmth.
Lone placed a gentle and loving hand on her back as the other found its place on her head. "I missed you too, Breena. I trust your mission went well?" Many emotions were in his voice.
He had been so close to death today. He had stared the proverbial barrel in the face and lived as a friend took the bullet for him. How worried must his adoptive sister have been when the barrier made him no longer viewable? She rarely expressed herself, but both he and Soph knew how deeply she loved the two of them.
Breena found her voice trying to choke up as she opened her mouth. She closed it after a few feeble attempts to formulate a sentence and calmed her racing heart for a moment. Finally, she discovered the words she was looking for.
"I heard from Swind about Mistress Soph... I-I could feel your fear through my connection to the- to the..." She chose not to speak the word 'Darkness' in front of so many that detested that particular Primal Essences. What she lacked in social grace, she certainly didn't lack in wisdom.
Lone understood exactly what she meant. He could feel his heart seizing up. 'If only she was so honest all of the time... Breena... You poor, poor girl. I am going to have a long, long talk with you after all of this, I swear. If you can crack your shell even a tiny bit... Boy, wouldn't that be something, huh?'
Hazel was beside herself with shock. The sheer and raw emotions that were practically bursting out of this young foxkin's mind made her feel dizzy. The fact that her brother as well, a lonely man who had no real friends and considered no one family besides herself, could see this young girl whom he couldn't have possibly known for more than two to three years as a sister worth dying for, shocked Hazel to her very core.
'Big Bro... You've changed so much...' Hazel couldn't tell if she was happy or saddened by this shift in her dear brother's personality. One thing for sure though, was that she knew her brother did not feel the same level of affection, the same level of raw, unfiltered love that he felt for this young foxkin, as he did for her, his own flesh and blood sister. Her chest stung with a multitude of emotions she had never felt before, none of them good.
Her Highness made slow movements as she edged closer to Lone and Lipsilk, her hands were held firmly to her petite chest. Al'ka stood by her side like an immovable bulwark willing to brace the storms to shield her. A peculiar aura, to say the least.
"G-Great Elder... Lone... Where is my father?" Al'ka had warned his future wife not to mention His Majesty the second he had seen the mighty and powerful man was missing from Lone's group. He was young for an elf at less that four-hundred-years, but he was a prince of a world tree and he had seen war before. He knew not to ask something like that so soon when the worst outcome was not something that should be spoken about right now. His heart defeated his brain, however, and had allowed him to bring Her Highness over here.
Lipsilk shook his head and sighed very lightly. He sent a private message to Lone via his Fairy magic. It was a spell he would have preferred not to have used at all since it conveyed the words via emotions, not thoughts, but such a level of intimacy with Lone was necessary to not expose Ele'hunda's death just yet.
Lone could feel that Lipsilk was going to explain to Her Majesty. He would make sure that word of Ele'hunda's passing wouldn't get out, of course. Lone nodded his head.
"Niece, even if not by blood, I am your uncle. Please, don't call me something so stupidly grand again. It hurts my old and withering heart," Lipsilk joked as he walked forwards, electing not to waste further magic on flying. "Come. Let's go to your tent, shall we? I'll tell you of your father's bravery... of his magnificence."
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
Her Highness exchanged a glance between herself and Al'ka who reached out his hand to caress hers and squeeze it meaningfully. He already knew what had happened. He was immeasurably wise beyond his years. The clues were all there. He briefly bowed his head subtly to Lone before he turned and left with the great elder and the young woman.
Sal'ta shot Lone an inquisitive glance. He returned it by offering a wry smile in exchange. "The short version now. I need to rest."
Such rudeness was almost unheard of when it came to Sal'ta, the strongest general of the army, a member of the council and a highly esteemed red-team member in times of peace and clarity.
Yes, she was the general of the green keepers, the weakest of the lot, however, that did not reflect her sheer power. But she, herself, was all too aware of Lone's rough personality from her experience with him during his and Sophie's trail.
The peanut gallery was aghast, but they couldn't raise their voices. Their pride wouldn't allow them to. how could they, residents of the world tree, dare to disrespect the man who had not only cured their sacred and holy home, but also the man who had undoubtedly aided Ele'hunda and Lipsilk and, no doubt, had been instrumental in the Ancient beast of Darkness' defeat? None dared.
"Lord Immortus... May I inquire as to the King's whereabouts?" There was nervousness in the woman's voice.
Lone weighed his options. In one hand lay the choice of a white lie, on the other, lay the choice of a black lie that would boost morale, but inevitable result in a major backlash once the truth came to fruition. 'Ah, what the fuck. We're not staying here anyway. So long as Lipsilk is my ally, then they will eventually realise that I did it for their own good anyway. No point doing it with a half-arsed attitude. Full ham or no ham, Lone.' He psyched himself up.
He cleared his throat audibly. The entire camp was met with a deafening silence. 'Time to use what you learned back in Milindo. Persuasion, Acting, I'm counting on you two as well. Yes, I'm not forgetting you as well, charm.' Lone found his mini-pep talk to be incredibly useful for his nerves. He'd never lied on a scale this large before. 'Here goes nothing.'
"King Ele'hunda, as you all know, was, is, and always shall be the single most powerful person to ever live on this tree, no one can contest to that." Lone paused for a moment as he watched the Wood Elves, High Elves and Fairies all nod and murmur whispered agreements. "Without his help against Ythmagobla, then I can guarantee you, I would not be standing here right now. That man, that miracle, that hero, that king, he... he is more of a man than I will ever be."
Lone's simple words seemed to strike a chord with everyone gathered, even the familiars of the spirit summoners, and Hazel's group, who were, for lack of a better use of words, traumatised by death to the point that they subconsciously as a collective tried to gloss over it.
"He was initially pitted against a general of Ythmagobla, a vile man who called himself Van. I dare not speak his titles, for they mean nothing! Ele'hunda alone bested this man's, this creature's, this vampire's army, alone. He suffered nothing more than a few light scratches. He was tired, of course, but he still came to my rescue when the detestable general tried his best to assassinate me." Gasps ran throughout the gathered crowd. Some of the younger people felt their blood boiling over with excitement.
Lone wore an expression of nostalgia as if he was recounting an old war tale from his yesteryears. "One punch. All it took to defeat this general of Ythmagabla, was a single punch. The creature of the night begged for its life and even offered to turn traitor. What did the mighty king of the eastern world tree say in response?"
Light laughter filled the air in anticipation of the answer. Lone closed his eyes as he repeated Ele'hunda's words. "'Warm up the Realm of the Primals for Ythmagobla, He'll be with you soon!'" Lone boomed. "Not only an unparalleled warrior but a seer into the future as well, it would appear. His Majesty kept his secret well-hidden."
Many of the council elders smiled warmly at Lone's humorous words. Sal'ta had only asked for the King's location, but the incredible foxkin was invigorating everyone's spirits with the tales of what had happened with the superpowers of this war.
"Ele'hunda made short work of the general after that. He almost immediately made haste to the aide of his colleague, his friend, his brother, his family, Great Elder Lipsilk." At this point, everyone was hanging on Lone's every word, eager for the next portion of this fantastical tale that sounded like a myth more than the actual happenings of the past hour.
"The two brothers not tied by blood fought tooth and nail. It was a hard fought victory not won without loss. The great elder was drained of all of his mana while the king lost an arm." Many gasps of horror filled the air. Lone was glad that he had gotten Soph to tell him everything that had happened with Bella - the succubus general - on the way here. It was making his truthful lie far easier to spin.
"Of course, I vowed to heal His Majesty of all of his wounds. You may already be aware of my... infamy. I could heal a world tree! Of course, an arm and a few scars of its king would be of no issue to me other than a few mana points!" Innumerable sighs of relief washed over the crowd.
"The rest is history. Ele'hunda and I fought with our lives on the line against the Ancient beast, Ythmagobla. Without His Majesty's help, I can assure you all, I would be dead." A sad look flashed through Lone's eyes theatrically. "One of my companions faced against another of the four generals. Using diverse and ingenious tactics, she won in their fight, but the creature was able to flee! Of course, Ele'hunda will not be making himself known in these circumstances. This is clearly a statement from him: I am not needed to defeat the foolish humans of the Taslo Empire! My words of course, not his."
A genuine look of grief flashed across Lone's face for less than a fraction of a second before he wore a warm smile and ended with, "His Majesty left us all before we could even offer so much as a simple farewell."
Murmurs spread through the crowd as many tears rolled down faces and claps began to thunder through the skies. The sentiment in Lone's words was clear. His Majesty had gone to chase the fleeing general and was entrusting all of us to protect the homeland, to protect the world tree!
Hazel was struck still. She couldn't move under sheer shock and a little dash of terror. 'Big Bro didn't tell a single lie... Not a single one... How... This... What happened to my loser of a big brother who had less EQ than a piranha in a bikini?!'
Hazel couldn't help but worry about what her darling older sibling must have gone through for him to become such a deceitful liar that he could weave the truth and bend it to his will in a way that made him seem like a saint.
Of course, she'd heard from George and Emma about what he'd done in Ranton - Milindo's holy capital - but to change this much? 'Was... Was coming to find Big Bro a mistake? Does he not need me?' Many thoughts and emotions clouded the young eighteen-year-old girl's mind. Had her last two years of searching been for nothing? This single thought fogged up her mind endlessly.