Euy’La – Sal’Yiu – Alpha Zone #308 – City #209
From the outset, Euy’La had thought her installment as City Guardian would be a fleeting tenure of some several months at worst before she was allowed to venture into the Siphons and see some real action.
Yet only being several hundred cycles young, despite having an uncommon combat class, she found that no matter how much she petitioned for reassignment, the instant refusal from The Elected was unflinching.
In retrospect she now longed for the quieter days, where the worst threat that had to be considered was errant spore clouds from the towering fungi skirting City #209 of Alpha Zone #308.
Huffing in annoyance as her calf muscle protested her unsolicited stretching, she stifled a groan lest others nearby view it as a sign of weakness. It was the thirty fourth day of the siege of City #209 and try to ignore the mounting aches and pains assailing her enhanced body, Euy’La was all too keenly reminded of her fatigue.
After having an equipment enhanced vitality of over two hundred, she had thought her days of tiring during combat were behind her, but the malevolent Wo’Dan had taught her otherwise.
At first, runners from the terminals had informed her that reinforcements were on their way from City #208. But the City was nearly ten zones away. Thus all they beleaguered defenders could do was fend off the constantly probing attacks in anxious wait.
When the two weeks had passed and there were still no reinforcements, the specter of the gnawing dread that she dared not acknowledge, became ever increasingly manifest.
It was further three weeks after that they had put out a renewed call for aid, only to be told that no more would come. Worse news still, the City they had managed to contact further afield had confirmed the gut wrenching news that City #208's shield had fallen and when their foe had finished their heinous and debasing rituals, the ruins had then been Razed.
Yet despite the green skins abundant savagery and mindless hunger, they appeared to have the unerring knack for knowing exactly when and where to strike at her kin's weakest chinks in their armor.
Initially The Elected thought the incursion by the filthy beings was just a Siphon break. No doubt caused by the respective Elected’s Selecteds lack of oversight, by way of failing to properly clear their appointed Siphons at the recommended intervals.
That deficient misconception had also been hastily rectified.
It was a marauding band at the outset certainly. Containing barely a couple of tens of the reeking things, wreaking murderous havoc with scheduled Manamote gathering Party’s as they went. However as time dragged on, more and more failed Siphon clearances and subsequent breaks added to the swelling hordes number, with uncanny and unctuous efficiency.
Before long her race had to accept the calamitous fact that the green skins were backed by a Faction that opposed their own sponsor in waiting. The Galactic Confederacy.
With no way to contact one of the Confederacy's Emissaries, due to unknown and likely orchestrated, interplanetary communication interference. They could only hunker down and try to repel the ceaseless green tide, which belched, repugnantly onto their once all but harmonious planet.
The planet Sal’Yiu, their home world, had been elevated almost a thousand Cycles ago. And while at first the path of transition to a system enabled Phase 1 world had been tumultuous at best, by all accounts they had fared better than most.
The benefit of being a race that could live for more than two hundred cycles before the introduction of the system, afforded them the advantage of long term and cohesive societal structures and belief systems that many races in the wider universe clearly lacked.
Certainly, they were aware of others of their kind that had apparently evolved by chance on other worlds some millennia ago. Even a renowned few had breached level six hundred and held sway within several Factions.
But the ratio of her species to others was apparently one to one million, and the ones who had already achieved such a lofty status within the greater system elevated universe felt whatever hereditary similarities they might posses in kind, warranted no preferential treatment whatsoever.
Thus when all emissary based offers where considered, they could see the benefits of making a tentative agreement of protection and membership with the only reasonable faction of the five largest.
The Galactic Confederacy.
However what good was an agreement to lend aid when requested, if you were completely blocked from doing so?
Her arms still ached from excessive skill usage during the last assault and Euy’La prayed to the three moons that at least for tonight, the blasted Wo’Dan would give her beleaguered and surrounded City defenders, a moments respite:
Your City of residence is under attack! Defensive Shield integrity: 99%
Quest: Defend City #209 from attackers
Duration: 29 minutes 59 seconds
Rewards: Varies based on contribution
Euy’La cursed the stinking monsters as she willed away the all too familiar notifications and scanned the City’s skyline for where the [Signal Arrow] had been shot. Finding the red glowing signal pulsing in the air to the north east, she groaned as her pointed ears flicked in annoyance of the fact that it seemed like tonight there would be no exception.
Leaping silently from white slanted roof to white slanted roof, alongside her brothers and sisters in battle, they traveled adeptly toward the indicated wall.
She was about halfway to the wall from where her Party had set out when another notification popped up far too quickly, which almost making her slip:
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 98%
Genuine alarm took hold as Euy’La corrected her footing in an instant, before picking up her pace to discover what new weapon the Wo’Dan devised that could shred a City’s defensive shield faster then their already daunting, magically empowered ballistae.
After making it just past another building the next notification pushed her alarm right on through to full blown panic:
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 97%
That was when a call from a Habitation Unit roof, parallel to Euy'La's own caused her to skid to an abrupt stop.
“THEY’RE ATTACKING FROM THE SOUTH WEST!”
Spinning wildly she found that sure as the moons hung in the sky, another [Signal Arrow] pulsed an ominous red, over the rim of the south western wall too. The cursed green skins must have gotten reinforcements!
Pushing down the paralyzing fear at what would happen to her brothers and sisters should the City’s defensive shield fail and they be overrun by the green menace. Euy’La gripped her [Communication Necklace] and shouted.
“GUARD CAPTAIN OJI’NU, TAKE PARTY’S ONE THROUGH TO NINETY ONE TO THE SOUTH WEST WALL!...PARTY’S NINETY TWO TO ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY NINE MAKE FOR THE NORTH EAST WALL WITH ME!”
Hopefully the Wo’Dan had split their forces as well or better still, they were probing their defenses once more...Yet hope as she might Euy’La doubted those likelihoods as she watched near half the conscripted defenders peel off and head in the opposite direction, before she resumed her roof hopping sprint to the north eastern wall:
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 96%
If the the fiends could bring the shield down so quickly then that was all the evidence she needed; Not only were they surrounded, but the Wo’Dan now had them outnumbered, ten to one. So she did the only thing she could do and willed her tired, aching body to go faster.
Sailing across the final gap between the HU roof and the parapet-ed City wall, Euy’La’s legs deftly absorbed the impact as she hastened for the chance to meet the unrelenting attackers with all the might her bow and skills would allow.
Vaulting into a lose firing stance she drew her bow taught and let the energy of her skill flood her abused muscles.
Gone was the burgeoning fear of the past few minutes as she sighted down to the largest of the armored and unruly green throng charging toward her precious home. All while the Ies’To moss they had seeded almost two thousand cycles ago, illuminated the night time approach of her repugnantly fanged foes.
Marshaling her nerve as arrows and spells thudded into the shimmering barrier before her, she steadied her breathing.
Tense heartbeats passed whilst she waited until her target was just about to enter the maximum range of her [Lesser Empowering Shot] before she loosed it. The twang of her [Bow of Yai’Tu]’s string accompanied the rush of escaping energy as the glowing yellow streak of her arrow flew true, finding the near three meter high brutes eye socket and brain near instantly:
You have slain Initiate Monger of War level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
A cheer went up from her allies as the unfortunate Wo’Dan got trampled by its uncaring and blood thirsty green kin. However their elation was cut short as a siege ballista’s round crashed into the shield nearby, causing it to screech in concert with a new notification:
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 95%
Weary face scrunching in anger at the near mindless beings, she confirmed she had enough mana in her pool for three more such shots and cried out as she re-sighted her bow.
“MAKE THEM PAY FOR EVERY STEP THEY TAKE WITH THEIR FETID BLOOD!”
Her allies’ battle cries of raucous agreement went up around Euy’La as she loosed another [Piercing Shot] at a wizened hooded caster that had just stepped into range, behind the charging horde:
You have slain Initiate Fire Mage level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
This time her compatriots were too preoccupied with targets of their own to celebrate her latest kill, as the robed figure’s half formed shield dissipated whilst it released its gnarled and fading staff. It’s lifeless corpse falling backward onto the bed of glowing moss, gaping bloody absence where half its green skinned head was supposed to be.
A vicious grin began to form but faltered when the latest percentage notification flashed up:
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 94%
Grinding her teeth at the now audibly drumming footfalls of the horde that desecrated and upturned clumps of the painstakingly seeded moss in their bloodthirsty advance.
They were almost to the wall now and the fighting would become more desperate from here on, but as she sighted on a gangly spear wielder she let the actions of the now, sooth her troubled thoughts as she ended another unsightly foe:
You have slain Initiate Spear Adept level 99, unable to gain further experience due to Phase 1 level limitation.
And so the chaos of the night wore on, defenders becoming more frantic as the Wo’Dan corpses piled high at the base of the City’s wall, their kin uncaring of their once living allies untimely demise.
A cornucopia of spells and skills flashed like works of Alchemist fire in the darkness. Painting eerie still images of fought and bloodthirsty combat in her minds eye, etched there like famed artworks of old.
Unfortunately for Euy’La and her allies, there were far far too many to be quelled by their fleeting targeted strikes. And before long, the defensive shield strained a translucent red in warning to the exhausted inhabitants of City #209. While yet more of the unceasing green skinned menace pressed their attack as they used their fallen kin for traction to continue their unrelenting assault:
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 9%
Euy’La stumbled over one of the many empty potion bottles that now littered the parapet’s walkway. Her hand left a silver blooded smear on the white half wall in front of her, barely managing to arrest her stagger in time.
Never in all Euy’La’s hundreds of cycles had she used her skills in such rapid succession, and for such an extended period.
With her mana all but gone as the blue bar flashed in her periphery in quiet affirmation. And with no more potions to down, she felt a glimmer of relief at not having to have a healer rejuvenate her hand once more, only so it could be shredded by her skills abuse anew.
It was then that a battle frenzied and tusk studded visage appeared. its constituent parts all too similar to that of the brute that she'd slain during the assaults onset becoming plain, as it clawed level with the top of the wall.
Panic suffused Euy’La as she reached for the short sword at her hip, hand slipping on its hilt despite her high dexterity. As she struggled to keep its blade between her and the foe battering at the shuddering translucent dome:
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 8%
Head whipping from side to side in a desperate search for a healer, to seal her damaged hands. But her hope for aid was dashed as there were none left at the wall, no doubt on account of having run out of mana and potions several minutes ago, they’d fled to a shot lived safety, further within the City’s confines.
In her vain search she witnessed many of the less combat hardened, break to do the same, however Euy’La could not find it in her strained hearts beating to blame them:
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 7%
Turning to face the bellowing beast before her, as spittle flecked off its unclean tusks to fizzle on the barrier between them. A rumbling crash sounded from far away, leading Euy’La to absently muse that maybe they had finally managed to destroy one of their accursed ballista.
However, when the realization came that that was none of her concern any longer, a clarity of thought was found amongst the dire cacophony of the battle.
A weight lifted from her when the thought bloomed that she was in complete acceptance of her impending demise this night. Amenable to leaving behind her dreams of adventuring past the confines of her world and seeing the universe proper as well as all she knew and loved, if only she could manage to take one more of their blighted and savage kind with her before she went.
Letting the tension ebb from her overtaxed frame as her life blood dripped with a near inaudible tinkle on the outside of an empty vial at her feet. Euy’La all but ignored the next strike from the enraged brute as it sent a fresh ripple through the strained translucent wall:
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 6%
It bellowed fevered jubilation while it held its large crudely made axe above its head in befouled anticipation of its coming rampage.
Closing her eyes and steadying her breath to center herself, Euy’La saved her strength in a bid to make the most of the coming final moments.
The seconds dragged by as the sounds of battle became a distant thing in her meditative state:
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 5%
Reopening them to find the Wo’Dan brute in a near identical position to where she remembered, Euy’La sighed and had her eye lids all but closed when a blur of movement and a red mist took the place of the green skinned monster.
A mote of confusion began to undermine the serenity she had but recently acquired.
Letting her sight wander outwards in questing search, more inconsistencies were found, managing to further erode her now rapidly shrinking island of calm.
Looking to the other defenders to confirm that her mind had not broken, they too appeared to be witnessing what her own eyes had.
The looks of shock and bewilderment on the scant few stalwarts who remained, managed to bring the insist-ency of the now roaring back to plague Euy’La’s fatigued mind.
As she scanned furtively out past the red shimmer of the nearly failed City shield, she had expected to see the innumerable green savages.
Her eyes instead revealed massive rents cut through the remaining strips of luminescent moss, and what little light was still cast by it shone on sporadic mounds of Wo’Dan corpses.
Seconds ticked by as her sight traced the tableau of carnage and she had to suppress rising bile as on closer inspection most, if not all were only shattered and torn parts of their former selves.
A haze drifted on the eerily still battlefield as the defenders looked on in silent disbelief for the source of the carnage. Then a shaky voice emanated from the yellow crystal of the [Communication Necklace] around her pale skinned neck.
“G-guard Captain Oji’Nu h-here…The…The south west wall…it’s…they’re all…I-i don’t know how, but all the Wo’Dan have peri-“
But the voice was cut off as a loud booming yell, with an accent she had never heard before, echoed through the night.
“G’DAY ALL YOU RIDICULOUSLY GOOD LOOKING ELF PEOPLE IN THERE!...WHAT FINE MOSS YOU HAVE!”
Her relief faltered, eyes darting around the almost pitch black field beyond, for the unknown threats source as it continued.
“ANYWAY...I SAW YOU HAD A BIT OF AN ORC PROBLEM AND I WAS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SO I THOUGHT; WHY THE FUCK NOT HELP OUT A BIT?”
Then she caught the motion, slightly to her left some thousand or so paces out, of a bipedal figures shadowy outline.
Euy’La’s hearts hammered in her chest as beat by beat the being strode confidently across the now becalmed and upturned battlefield.
As it passed a patch of still surviving moss it revealed a red eyed and grey skinned being with long white hair, fielding black plate armor.
The thing continued its advance unconcernedly as it held both its bloodied appendages up in what looked to be a mockery of surrender.
From the corner of her eye Euy’La glimpsed movement and turned in shock to find a defender readying a fireball.
In a bid to avert the anger of this new being and its as yet unrevealed allies were, she gripped the yellow crystal at her neck and screamed.
“DO NOT FIRE ON THAT…THAT THING!!!”
Swiveling back to see if the beings ire had been razed, she breathed a sigh of relief when she confirmed that although it had advanced slightly, it was smiling.
Taking to fix its gaze upon her as it walked across the shattered corpses of their irksome foe, while adding.
“YOU SEEM LIKE A SENSIBLE BUNCH AND I SHOULD CONFESS THAT MY HELP IS NOT ENTIRELY OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF MY HEART…SO IF YOU’LL HEAR ME OUT, I’D LIKE TO MAKE A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL OFFER...”
Ignoring the scattered conversation that sprang up along the wall at the announcement Euy’La was unable to shake the memory of all their ends still so fresh in her mind.
Throwing her already lacking caution to the wind, she vaulted over the wall, disregarding the spike of pain from her still injured hand as it protested vehemently at her fresh mistreatment.
Landing on a free patch of moss just shy of the piled ramp of green bodies which rested against the wall. With all the grace her fatigue would afford, she crossed the distance in a somewhat hurried gait all while refusing to acknowledge the cries of alarm from her still sheltering allies.
The figure halted as she approached, continuing to eye her movements in a way she found...uncomfortable.
Noting that it sent no signals to its as yet unrevealed allies, she pushed aside her burgeoning doubts at having been so reckless.
Reaching within ten or so paces of it and marshaling all the composure and dignity she could manage, Euy’La engaged in what she hated above all else.
Euy’La engaged in diplomacy.
“The Sal’Eir thank you and your allies for the aid stranger. Were it not for your intervention many would have perished this night...In light of this sad state of affairs, please share what ones such as we could hope to offer you and your formidable allies?”
Its face lost its smile for a moment as confusion made a brief appearance before reverting to a smile as it lowered its hands to clasp them behind its back, before supplying.
“Glad to be of assistance love!...However in the spirit of full disclosure I think its best to correct a misconception you seem to have about my purpose here. Just in case you get the wrong idea, I’m not affiliated with any Factions or their pesky Emissaries...I can however assure you that as demonstrated by my actions here, my offer is genuine.”
Euy’La was the first to admit her mind was overwrought and thus she took several precious moments to replay what the being had said. Over and over again a she sifted through its oddly accented pronouncement, before finally deciding that she had not misinterpreted. That indeed it was a fact that the being was calmly claiming to have single handedly slaughtered what they had spent close to two hours failing to even half deal with.
So when she answered whilst managing to keep her voice even and level, she couldn’t help but be fearful of the result.
“I cannot speak for all the Sal’Eir on Sal’Yiu, but I can at the very least take your words to The Elected.”
It’s armor scraped against itself while its shoulders rose and then fell before it rejoined.
“That sounds more than reasonable...Ok so my offer is this; I take care of your little Orc problem and you elves let me use an Interplanetary Communication Array.”
Blinking in mild confusion at the word the translation passive did not seem to be able to interpret, her hearts sank a moment later when she managed to process the rest of his request before she replied.
“Unfortunately our only Citadel is considered a sacred place of prestige and access to it is heavily restricted to The Elected and their Selected.”
Noticing its growing frown she added.
“B-but even if we could acquire you special dispensation or send the message in your stead, the Interplanetary Communication Array within it is currently experiencing interference from an unknown source!”
The silence hung heavy for a moment and the being was clearly unimpressed with her information. So in a vain attempt to draw attention away from its initial offer, she instead focused on the unknown elements of his speech, to hopefully conscript him in their fight against the Wo’Dan as she furthered.
“There is also something I would like to clarify if i may...What are these ‘Elfs’ and ‘Orcs’ you keep referring to?”
The figure looked to Euy’La quizzically for a moment then smacking its forehead with a clanking gauntlet it rejoined.
“My mistake darlin, I forget sometimes about the whole translation mumbo jumbo and pop culture references not working...”
Then he pointed a plated finger to the nearby lower half a decapitated Wo’Dan and continued enthusiastically.
“Where I come from that…Well what’s left of it anyway…Is an Orc!”
Following which, he directed the same armored digit toward herself and added.
“And your race is known as 'Elves' plural or an 'Elf', singular.”
Unsure of what to make of its labeling of her entire species of something other then what they were actually called, let alone its frequent uses of terminology for those more…intimately acquainted...
Euy’La erred on the side of diplomatic caution once more by responding.
“I-I see, thank you for your clarification…”
The awkward silence grew once more as the being’s slate colored features worked as if playing out some internal struggle. Worry bloomed once more as the powerful being in front of her was clearly displaying signs of intelligence deficiency, thus she desperately tried to bridge the gulf once more.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce myself…I am known as ‘Euy’La’ and my race is known as ‘Sal’Eir’…”
The man merely nodded appreciatively as the silence stretched anew. And as sweat began to bead on her brow she coughed awkwardly and added.
“Would you do me the honor of learning the name of our savior’s kind and your individual designation?”
Blinking before it shook its head, the being laughed and replied sheepishly.
“S-sorry love...I’m just not used to such polite communication is all!...I go by the name ‘Benjamin’ and my species is ‘Human’…well at least it used to be…”
Bowing as was proper at such time, she was halfway to returning to an upright position when she spotted a set of Sal’Eir style robes, traveling hurriedly toward them from the City’s all but obscured white walls.
Normally she would have welcomed the assistance in taking care of such sensitive matters, however the only possessor of such robes in the locale was Lok’Pei, and assistance he would surely not be.
Spinning in place and suppressing a groan as her body almost refused to comply with the maneuver, Euy’La scowled at the rapidly trotting newcomer, in completely over the top ceremonial robes.
Confirming her fears of his intent in inserting himself into the proceedings, the grey haired Initiate Law Keeper demanded in a nasally voice.
“Euy’La! I hope you are not attempting to parlay on behalf of this City with an undoubtedly unregistered and unknown extra-planetary elevant!”
Obviously uninterested in her half formed response he turned his unwanted attention onto the Benjamin and continued.
“And you! Unless you have the requisite documentation to be in this zone please vacate it immediately!”
Behind her the Benjamin muttered just loud enough for her to make out.
“Aaaaaand we’re back to dealing with bog standard fuckwits again…”
Clearly unable to not make the situation worse, Lok’Pei trotted ever closer as he added magnanimously.
“However in light of your aid this night, we will only confiscate the manamotes from the corpses of the Wo’Dan as recompense and not levy a fine against you individually but be wa-“
Then the Initiate Law Keeper’s words cut out as he skidded to a halt and almost impaled himself on a half buried spear, before he pointed past her with a shaking limb whilst his mouth worked uselessly.
She waited a couple of heartbeats for him to manage any sort of coherence, yet having still found none, she turned to face whatever this strange 'Benjamin' had done to scare the spineless official so.
But when she found the being also looking confusedly at the quivering Lok’Pei, she began to wonder what had led to such a drastic reaction in the first place.
Sadly, Euy’La did not have to wait long.
Several thousand paces behind the Benjamin, amongst the moss speckled trunks of the fungi forest that permeated Alpha Zone #308, the faint shadows of tens of thousands of Wo’Dan marched out silently from within the massive mushroom stalks.
Icy fear took hold as her mind stalled as it tried and failed to calculate the distance to the city and the advancing army of savages. Fear turned to helplessness as she realized that in her currently debilitated state, she would never make it in time.
Apparently the Benjamin noticed her reaction and turned to find the cause, but to her budding confusion, let out a chuckle before adding almost gleefully.
“I was wondering when these guys were gonna catch up!”
Pausing for a moment as it looked back to her and subsequently Lok’Pei, in a contemplative manner before turning back to her and adding.
“You might want to make sure frier fuck is properly secured, cause I highly doubt he has enough vitality for when things start to get a little…choppy…”
The jelly like substance that had become of her legs refused to follow his advice as she turned to look at the Initiate Law Keeper whom had gotten his gaudy robe’s hem tangled in a protruding green appendage in his futile attempt to flee.
Willing her unresponsive legs to work, they jerkily brought her to the struggling official.
Fumbling with her sword, Euy’La barely managed to connect [Slashing Strike] to cut the magically enhanced material free.
As Lok’Pei ran from her, heedless of her own welfare. She was left to fill with apathy at her almost comical end, brought about from trying to engage in diplomacy of all things. This in turn led to a giggle escaping unbidden from her lips.
Refusing to be struck down in the back whilst fleeing, she turned to face her end for the second time this night and caught but a glimpse of something where the Benjamin had been followed by a booming clap of sky light.
Knocked backward by an invisible pressure wave her giggling cut off with a yelp of surprised pain as something sharp pieced her leg. Looking down in horror she saw the end of a crude Wo’Dan blades tip, poking out of her calf, as her silver blood pumped out either side.
Skewered and collapsed, Euy’La could do little else but look in hapless resignation at the now much closer horde who released their patented cries of war.
The Benjamin had no doubt fled to alert his allies t-
The train of thought was arrested as one of the three pale moons disappeared from view, as if obscured by a large blackness made of the night. Her hearts stopped. Was this the being prophesied to steal one of the moons?
First the Wo’Dan now this...Thing!?!
Goddesses it was too soon!
Then the heavens themselves were torn asunder by an ear rending screech as something bucked the ground convulsively, whilst the impaling sword in her thigh cut its gash ever wider.
Just as the missing moon was returned and her hearts resumed their pumping of her blood another crack of sky light resounded. Then Euy’La was buffeted as The Benjamin was above her and a wave of rock and dirt superseded the very air itself as it shielded her.
Whilst the maelstrom of chaos raged around them, The Benjamin never so much as blinked despite thuds and pings of impacting objects sounded in concert with a just as alarming string of notifications:
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 4%
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 3%
City #209’s Defensive Shield integrity: 2%
Euy’La’s eyes went wide, in spite of the almost all consuming wash of noise, pain and darkness as the City’s shields rapidly dwindled until blessedly they ceased their plummet at 2 percent.
Looking in trepidation to the half dust obscured figure that now stood in front of her, she idly noted that the storm about them had all but ceased.
Her heart’s beats denoted the passing of anxious seconds as more and more of the being was unobscured.
To her befuddlement the figure’s grey features sported a grimace as it scratched the back of its white hair whilst offering.
“I…er…sorry about the shield…”
Wiping the cloying dust that caked the edge of her eyes, she demanded weakly.
“W-what is…what did…what in the moons did you do?”
The Benjamins face re-schooled itself whilst it replied.
“Never you mind that darlin...I’ve also been wondering; Are all Elve…er…I mean Sal’Eir this clumsy?”
Blinking at the incongruous insult, it took a moment for her anger to kick in as she blustered.
“Y-you try fighting a horde of…”
Euy’la’s cheeks flushed as her rebuke faltered under his flat expression before wincing in pain as her thigh began to throb from the fresh addition of a poultice of dirt and grime caked blood around the still protruding blade tip.
Next thing Euy’La knew, she was being hoisted free of the implement with a ripping sensation. Likely in its bid to steal her away this foul night to become its concubine. She struck her unhealed fists against black plate armor of the offender who sought to claim her its mate.
Her blows continued to reign down on the Benjamin holding her aloft by her armpits, whilst looking at her in a nonplussed fashion.
Clearly unaffected by her unarmed combat skills, she shrieked in panic.
“R-RELEASE ME THIS INSTANT OR FACE THE VENGEFUL WRATH OF THE SAL’EIR!”
Acquiescing, it gingerly set her down to the side.
Panting in relief at her hard fought freedom, her elation was short lived as her wounded leg buckled under her within but a few moments. Once more her agency was stolen from her as the imposing being caught her before she hit the ground, and put something to her lips before tipping it unceremoniously down her throat.
Euy’La coughed and spluttered in the vice like grip of the Benjamin as it inquired.
“You right there love?”
Airway finally free of its heinous concoction. Euy'La began to fear that the mind controlling poison she had failed to spit out would begin to take hold before she managed to find a healer.
At the end of her ever shortening rope, with her abysmal diplomacy abilities only making matters worse, she shrieked.
“RELEASE ME YOU MONSTROUS INTELLIGENT DEFICIENT! I AM NOT YOUR COPULATION PARTNER AND NOR DO I HAVE ANY INTENTION OF BEING SO!”
To her surprise the being didn’t respond to her directly. Instead settling her calmly setting her atop half a protruding Wo'Dan before when he throwing its hands up to the air and looking to the stars of the night’s sky before decrying.
“You know what system, FUCK YOU!
I’VE HAD IT WITH YOUR SHITTY FUCKIN DEBUF UNDERMINING EVERYTHING I DO! I THOUGHT MAYBE, JUST BLOODY MAYBE, IF I PUT IN A LITTLE LEG WORK THIS TIME THAT IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT, BUT NOOOOOOO!
I DIDN’T EVEN MURDER ANY NATIVES, HELL I EVEN SAVED A BUNCH!...well except for that robed dude getting pancaked into the shield, BUT HE WAS A TOTAL BELL END SO THAT DOESN’T FUCKING COUNT!
AND YEEEES I’M AWARE THAT EVEN IF BY SOME BLOODY MIRACLE, THE LUDICROUSLY ATTRACTIVE IF UNCOORDINATED, LEATHER CLAD ELF LADY DIDN'T THINK I WAS A RETARD OR THOUGHT IT WASN’T SOME RAPE MOVE TO REMOVE THE LITERAL SWORD FROM HER LEG AND FEED HER A HEALING POTION, IT WOULD HAVE NEVER WORKED OUT BECAUSE SHE WOULD HAVE DIED MID COITUS!
BUT YOU COULDN’T EVEN LET ME REFUSE THE OFFER LIKE A BLOODY GENTLEMEN NOW COULD YOU YOU FACELESS SHIT!?!?!”
Collapsing backwards in a heap as she barely defended her now ringing ears against the tirade, noting absently that her health bar had risen much more than it naturally should have...
Turing as red as the sun in its zenith due to her own misinterpretations, Euy’La frantically tried to come up with a way to thank him without loosing what little face she had left to her name.
Seeming to only just remember her presence, it turned its white browed scowl upon her and announced whilst gesticulating toward her and the City.
“And You! You had your chance missy and I’m sorry about this I really am, but I don’t have the spare time to scrape and beg to whatever rulers you lot have! So I’m taking your City and you can have it back once I fuck off out of this mushroom infested planet!”
Then he disappeared with a booming clap of thunder.
And so whilst her weary mind was still attempting to comprehend the ramifications of what had just taken place, the city’s defenders valiant efforts of the night were rendered almost completely redundant by a pair of floating notifications:
Quest: Defend City #209 from attackers
Status: Failed
Your City of residence has been conquered, please seek shelter at a nearby friendly habitation centre.