D’Vorak’s POV
First day of Elendria’s evolution
I followed D’Vaen out of the tavern, having given Sean some quip about how I liked how Brian planned things. Truth was, I was sick of this assignment and was starting to get frustrated with everything that was going on. Before I could go down that rabbit hole, D’Vaen led me through a series of side streets and into a secluded park inside the city. He carefully sat down on a bench, not trusting the wood to immediately take his weight, before casting a privacy circle.
“You feelin’ it too, brother?” He asked as I sat down next to him.
“Feelin’ what?”
“Frustrated with these idiots we’ve been saddled with.”
D’Vaen never was one to mince words. I sighed and answered, “Yeah. They just aren’t stable. They’ll do good for a bit, then do something stupid. I’m sure we haven’t seen the end of this poisoning episode, and Sean is strong enough now that even with our evolutions we are probably gonna get killed.”
“Stupid? Damn ignorant is what it is. Even with Lokir’s orders, I’m half tempted to say fuck it and wish the crazy fuckers best of luck. It’s not like we really do anything, and we’ll be useless wandering around in the elf kingdom.”
“I hear ya.” I nodded, leaning back and looking at the sky. “It just sucks. Why do all summoned heroes have some sort of mental issues?”
“Heh. Probably because they got ripped from their happy little lives and thrown into a shitty situation?” D’Vaen chuckled. “I mean, just look at Sean. He was a happy family man, and gets immediately enslaved. No explanation, no training, hell he can’t even get a word about how his family is doing. It would take some sort of psychopath not to be affected by all that.”
“Truth.” I nodded, trying to think of a way to get out of this situation with our lives.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sean’s POV
Fifth day of Elendria’s evolution
I was awake, but just didn’t have the drive to get out of bed at the moment. Part of me was worried about the elf girl who had wormed her way into my heart, while part of me wanted to say fuck it all and leave everyone behind as I headed out on my own to kill Apophis. Could I really trust her anymore? All she had to do was talk to me about things, and I thought we had made that clear after the hitting episode. Instead she went ahead and drugged me. Today was likely to be the last day I could do it too. I could leave, and never know if she finished her evolution or not. With my wings, I could easily outfly the demon brothers, and Brian wouldn’t follow me. Hell, he would probably throw a celebration that the loose cannon is finally leaving his town.
But every time I thought about leaving, I felt a pang of pain shoot through my heart. Just the thought of leaving her was devastating, but could we make it work? She kept saying that elves came in two varieties, and she was one of the vine types that would cling to her tree, but I only had her word on that. And would a vine in a supposedly symbiotic relationship drug their partner? Maybe it was time to ask someone else.
The tiny bell chimed a cheery greeting as I entered Lothian’s shop. The surprised elf walked into his workshop from the back, raising an eyebrow as he saw me standing there. “Hey Sean. I didn’t think I would see you so soon. Did Elendria not like your gift?”
“I’m not sure, and I need someone’s opinion. Someone who I can trust, but is still a good bit removed from the situation. Do you mind?” I asked, and he must have seen something in my eyes.
“One second.” He nodded, slipping around me to close up the shop. “Just so that we aren’t interrupted. This seems like it would be a conversation best had over a strong cup of tea. Follow me to the back.”
I nodded, following the brisk elf with a bit of trepidation. I couldn’t help but notice my hands shaking, as the implications of this conversation were settling in. In a desperate bid to distract myself, I examined the room we had just entered.
It was absolutely beautiful. There was a small workbench set off to one side, with an area for polishing and cutting gems and an area for mounting them onto molded metal. He even had a small crucible with a clay box for making molds. But there is where utility ended, and beauty began. The walls were covered in an intricate forest mosaic, and as you walked through the carvings yielded different pictures depending on your position. A twig would morph into a squirrel tail; a leaf would suddenly turn into a small bird. Bees nested in flowers, revealed by the dewdrops weight folding down the petals. There was a cabinet door with a hole in it, and from the right angle you could see the owl’s head peeking out from behind the teapot that Lothian was grabbing.
It wasn’t just the walls, either. The stove concealed gnomes and carbuncles, and other benevolent creatures of the earth. As the stove heated, salamanders appeared from the coils. Lothian probably didn’t have to try very hard to sense my mood, and simply went about making everything in a cheery sort of silence. Eventually the tea was ready, and he sat down at a table and waved me to take a seat.
Even then, he simply sipped his tea and basked in the afterglow. I followed his example, and couldn’t help but close my eyes as a comforting warmth spread from my tongue to my body. It tasted like fresh apples with just a hint of citrus, but slowly a cinnamon type of heat would emerge. Not enough to cause issues, just enough to perk you up. I followed his lead, and simply savored the tea. Once he poured the second cup, he started the conversation.
“So. What brings you to my house this early in the morning?”
I sat for a moment, trying to frame my thoughts. Where to start? In the end, I decided to start with the elves themselves rather than my problems. “As you know, I’m not from this world. That is giving me problems, as where I’m from there are only humans. I had heard something about elves, but am having a hard time wrapping my head around it.”
He nodded along, giving me a gentle smile. “I see. And you wish to ask me about elves in general, and perhaps afterward a certain elf in particular? I find it rather commendable that you are both willing to admit to your ignorance on a certain subject, and to seek out a means to remedy that. If nothing else, that sort of attitude can take you rather far.”
“Thanks.” I said, brushing off his praise. While trying to understand Elendria was the right thing to do, it didn’t seem like it was that shattering of an idea to me. “Anyway. I have heard that there are two basic types of elves, at least in personality. Those that act as trees, trying to rise to become the tallest in the forest, and many more vines that act as support for the trees.”
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“That. Well.” He started, leaning his chin into his hand. “I suppose that is one way to look at things, though it is a bit oversimplified. Am I to assume that you are the tree and she is the vine?” I nodded, but he remained silent for quite a while. Eventually he continued, “I can see it, but here’s the problem I have seen. There are many types of trees, and even more varieties of vines in a forest. Some vines can be beneficial. They are better at transferring nutrients than the tree, and so form a symbiosis. The vine transfers water and nutrients back and forth, and the tree provides support to reach the sun. Some vines only return the bare minimum to the tree, knowing that to do any less would kill the tree and eventually themselves. And some vines return nothing to the tree, simply leeching away nutrients and strength. You’ll have to look deep to decide what type of vine an elf is.”
I sighed, staring into the dregs of my second cup of tea, wishing there was an answer I could divine from it. “Thanks Lothian. That seems like a better explanation than what I was originally given. It’s even comforting to realize that elves and humans really aren’t that different. I’m sure there are trees that are highly selective of vines, and those that don’t allow any at all, right?”
“Indeed. Plants can be as varied as animals. Unfortunately, it is just as difficult to tell them apart. So, care to explain what set this conversation off?”
“Yeah, I suppose I’ll have to. We’ve had our problems, but it is coming down to a broken trust issue. I thought we had reached an understanding about asking things of each other, but. Ah, I don’t know. Before she went to evolve, she dosed me with red poppy extract and left a note. Said she couldn’t stand not telling me the odds of her survival and couldn’t see me as she went off to what could likely be her doom.”
“Her doom?” He asked, confused. “I thought she was just evolving? Even if it is the second evolution, it isn’t that much different than the first.”
“No, she wasn’t doing the normal evolution. She wanted to go back and take a different branch, ice magic wasn’t her forte. She wanted something to do with her abilities as a soul seer.” I explained, idly swirling the tea in the bottom of my cup. “I guess only one in three live through it.”
“Aaaaah,” he said, leaning back into his chair. “Give me a moment to think this through.” While he sat there, I continued trying to find hidden secrets within the decorations of Lothian’s house. I was still amazed how a flower could become a hummingbird, or an area of what I thought were barren branches turned out to be a swarm of newts.
“Are you ready Sean?”
“I suppose.” I said, turning back. “Though your decorations are a wondrous distraction. I think I could spend a week here and still not discover all the hidden secrets.”
“Thank you! I did most of the wooden decorations myself, and I try and add a few here and there when the mood strikes me. But back to our serious topic, I have some good and bad news for you. The good news, is that I do believe Elendria is one of the vine types, and a supportive one at that. Mostly because her focus was on not causing you pain, and leaving you open to being hurt. That she was willing to undergo such a dangerous evolution path just to be strong enough to stand by your side shows both her devotion to you, and how highly she sees you. In her mind, you might as well be Yggdrasil itself.”
Happy news over, he sighed and stared into his empty teacup. “Unfortunate that our tea can only go so far. The bad news is likely something you have already realized, and that is that Elendria is not normal for an elf. Or for anyone, to be fair. From what I hear, she was young when she was enslaved and it was also through a massive betrayal. This, and the things she was forced to do while a slave has likely warped her opinions on things. Remember, many human slave owners delight in putting slaves in unwinnable positions. This is only going to breed a severe instinct to avoid angering the master at all cost, but if you must anger them, then angering them when they can’t reach you is best. Elendria sees you as her master, Sean.” I started to protest, but he waved me down, “I know, I know. You and I both know that isn’t the case, but she has lived her life too long under enslavement to really break that thinking so quickly. So a part of her will always defer to you, and will always be expecting punishment from you. So she did what her training told her to do. Delay master’s anger to the point where he can’t get to me to vent it. Sure, there is a chance that you will become so enraged her delayed punishment will be worse, but there’s also the chance that you will forget your anger and her punishment will be minimal, if at all. That’s a risk she will always be willing to take.”
I stared at him, completely gobsmacked by the revelation. It all made sense, and it was all there waiting for me to put it together. How she was always the last to slide into bed, after making sure I was comfortable and had everything. If she woke before me, she never did anything to chance waking me up. Intimate moments were almost never initiated by her, and when people asked questions of the group she always looked to me first.
“I.” I started, stopped, and started again, “Damn. How did I not see that? We’ve been doing this for so long, and it was all there.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Sometimes seeing the entire picture requires a new perspective. Sometimes you are too close to see certain things, and sometimes you don’t have all the information. Can I assume that you are no longer angry at our impulsive little elf?”
“Not completely. I’m still a bit upset, but I’ll work through it before confronting her. As it is, I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done to help me understand her. If you ever need anything-“ I started, only to be interrupted by him raising a hand.
“It is never an inconvenience to help someone. All I ask is that should you find yourself in a similar situation, that you pass on what you know as I have.”
“That is a promise I can make.” I said, standing and shaking his hand. “By the way, is there any chance I could get that tea recipe? It really is amazing.”
“Sorry, but that is one thing I am not allowed to pass on. Should you make it to the elven capital, you should be able to find it. It’s called Comfort’s Embrace. Oh, and before I forget! Head next door to pick up your armor! Robert finished it last night.” I nodded at the elf and let myself out, making sure to grab my new armor from Robert. I didn’t examine it much, as I was in a bit of a hurry to get back to the tower. It was already getting close to ten in the morning, and I didn’t want to make Elendria wait. I refused to think of any other possibility. She told me that she should be done on the fifth day, and she was going to emerge today.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was nearing sundown, and my nerves were frayed. I had been camped out for hours, and still no sign of Elendria. Just as I was about to give up hope, I felt a powerful presence descend on everyone in the area. I was easily able to resist it, though several people who had yet to evolve struggled to stay on their feet. I looked to the tower, and caught my breath.
Elendria was standing there, but she was different. Slightly taller, nearing six feet two inches, her skin had transformed to a deep purple, similar to a plum. There seemed to be rents in her skin, exposing blue streaks with no pattern. Her hair matched her skin, though there were occasional grouped strands of dark blue that seemed to enhance the purple. The tips were all deep blue, but it was her eyes that were the most striking. The irises were the pale white of cirrus clouds, struck through with the lightest of blues. Those eyes seemed to stare straight into your soul, and they knew all your sins balanced against your virtues.
“Hey. Are you-“ She managed to get out before I was across the distance between us and wrapping her up in my arms.
“We need to talk about some things, but that can wait. I just can’t explain how happy I am that you are safe.” I said, not letting go of her. I felt her slowly start to fidget, so I gradually let go and looked her over. “You look even more spectacular than before. Can you tell me what your evolution is?”
“Sure. Arbiter of Mahapadma. Not really sure what the last place is, but it seems to be a rather nasty hell of some religion. But that’s not important, are you sure you aren’t mad at me?”
I grabbed her hands and gave her a gentle smile. “I can’t say I’m entirely happy, but someone gave me a lot of help today, and it really opened my eyes. What do you say to us going to get a celebratory dinner, and we can have the rough conversations tonight? Right now I’m just too happy that you are alive.”
“I suppose we can do that. Oh, and thank you for my necklace. It turned out to be rather important for me.” Smiling, we headed off to celebrate. At least for now, procrastination was a good thing.