“Ready?” Fatania asked. Trenton gave a nod.

Azura just shrugged. She had low expectations for their meeting with the elf. It felt like a waste of time to her. The elves weren’t to be trusted. Trenton was fine, but the rest could go back to their groves and shove sticks up their asses for all she… wait a second. When elves said they ‘loved’ the forest, did they… How much love were they referring too? She regarded Trenton in a whole new light. Azura debated if she should ask or not.

Fatania turned toward Tallous. “We’ll be gone for a while. I want extra security in case this is some sort of trap.”

“Sure mom.”

“You’re on duty Tallous. Use my proper title.”

“Mooooother Fatania,” Tallous said drawling out mother. She lightly thwacked him on the head.

“Smart ass.”

“I learned from you.”

Azura yawned at the interplay and directed her mind off elven perversions. Instead she turned to more practical thoughts. Could she get a sandwich before they left? As if sensing her boredom, and not wanting her to wander off, Fatania inverted her mana pool. She started a fast run toward the meeting spot, Trenton trotting behind her. Azura watch them go for a minute as she yawned again before moving. She instantly caught up and matched their pace. The only thing Azura was certain of was that nothing of interest would happen at all.

The deer-kin who’d been pretending to cultivate nearby stopped as the Magebane and Mother Fatania left Azure’s Rest. He waited a full minute before lazily getting to his hooves. Calm. He had to stay calm. This was it. The chance the herd has been waiting for. Slowly he made his way back to the den, barely able to resist the urge to run.

Tallous frowned as he watched the deer-kin leave. There was nothing suspicious about it. Indeed kin were coming and going constantly. Yet, there was just something off about the kin. He couldn’t place a claw on it. He’d been noticing it from all the deer-kin lately. Mom was too busy with her grand plans. Hamal was focusing on his cultivation. Azura… couldn’t pay attention to anything that wasn’t food. Perhaps it was just his imagination. Then again, mom always said never to ignore their gut feelings. If they did, that was when the blade would sink into their backs. Well, since he was in charge, why not investigate a little…

Breakfast was a simple affair for the deer-kin. They all gathered in the den for meals eating from large bowls filled with leafy greens. It was the same for almost every meal. What more could one ask for beyond the occasional fruit? Those poor predator kin didn’t know the joys they were missing. Fish, bah. Smelly and slimy. Why the Magebane lusted after such food was beyond Nicolas. Why have that when locally grown cabbage, rich in mana, was available? Some kin were beyond reason.

Nicolas just took another bite when one of the deer-kin scouts burst into the hall.

“Elder! Fatania and the Magebane are leaving. They are taking the elf with them to meet someone. From what I overheard it sounds like it’ll be away from Azure’s Rest and Deepmere.”

The Elder grinned. “Perfect. We couldn’t ask for a better chance. Let’s move out.”

Nicolas swallowed before rising. This was it then.

“What about my things?” Kelsa whined.

“Leave it. All of you take nothing with you beside empty baskets to collect supplies. Everything you could want will be provided by Dageth later,” the Elder said.

“But…” Kelsa began.

“Just do it!” The Elder barked making the deer-kin jump.

Nicola ignored them as a surge of excitement flooded him. His new life would begin now. All he had to do was get his herd away from Azure’s Rest. He quickly grabbed an empty basket and threw it over his shoulders. It was time.

Tallous watched with one of his sisters as the deer-kin left their den. All of them. They had baskets which foragers used to collect supplies.

“Hmm,” he tapped his claw on his chin as the deer-kin went into the mana forest. Nothing was overly suspicious about their behavior. Deer-kin were prey type kin. They often traveled in large groups to gather supplies. However the timing bothered him.

“What do you think?” He asked his sister, Fawn. She was second oldest of Fatania’s children. He was the eldest and although Hamal had outshined him, he felt no jealously. A powerful kin would secure the pack. That's what was important. Not some ranking based on birth like some idiotic humans obsessed over. Who cared who was first? Who was most capable was all that was important. Hamal, while younger, was certainly that.

“Looks like they want to earn more allotment points,” Fawn said with a shrug.

That could be true, still…

“Let’s follow. It’s probably nothing, but I want to see… Also grab a few of the family, just in case.”

Nicolas was nervous as the herd moved on. To complete the illusion of foraging the herd was traveling at a relaxed pace. They even stopped to partial fill their baskets. However, soon it would be obvious something was amiss. They were moving too far away from Azure’s Rest. Until this point they could claim they were distracted while foraging and got further away than anticipated. Now the excuse might not hold up anymore. As if his worry summoned them, four figures appeared just ahead of them. Rat-kin…

Nicolas recognized Tallous. Everyone could considering the rat-kin’s prodigious size. The other three he didn’t recognize. This was bad, but not hopeless as long as Hamal wasn’t with them. He’d been keeping a close on the rat-kin. The liquid cultivator was busy learning his new powers. They had a chance.

“Afternoon,” Tallous said leaning against a tree. “Get lost?”

“No. Just gathering supplies,” Nicolas said trying to hide his worry as he kept moving forward.

“You’re getting far from Azure’s Rest,” a female rat-kin said.

Nicolas didn’t recognize her. He shrugged as he kept going portraying as much confidence as he could muster.

“It’s fine,” Nicolas said. “I think we might have better luck farther away. The area around the village has been picked clean.”

Tallous frowned as Nicolas kept approaching. “It’s more dangerous around here.”

“That is why I bought the herd with me. With this many we should be safe.”

The bluff was a good one. Everything sounded plausible, if a bit odd. The rat-kin were looking unsure. It might have worked too if it wasn’t for Kelsa. The terrified kin wasn’t watching where she was going and tripped on an exposed root. That would’ve been fine, except that her belongings spilling out of the basket. She must have hidden some of her personal items into it before they left. The confession spilled out for all to see. Nicolas didn’t wait for the rat-kin to react. He inverted his mana pool launching himself at the rat-kin.

“What's…” Tallous began then stopped as Nicolas’s fist impacted his chest. The blow sent him flying backwards. The large kin crashed into a tree, which only seemed to piss him off. The other rat-kin weren’t as lucky. Nicolas was an elite cultivator in group two, the difference in their power was immediately apparent. With speed the lesser cultivators couldn’t hope to match Nicolas’s hoof impacted the female rat-kin’s chest. Bones broke and vital organs ruptured as the kin was hurled backwards into some thorny plants. A bloody mist floating between them. Nicolas suppressed his horror at his own actions. He didn’t mean to kill her.

“FAWN!” Tallous screamed in fury as he charged. Nicolas only had a moment. He needed to take out at least one more. The other two rat-kin tried to back away. Only one of them made it. With a powerful snap kick one of the other rat-kin’s skull caved in from the impact, his brains decorating for the forest. Nicolas suppressed the revulsion he felt at his own actions. He could feel disgusted with himself later.

“NO!!!” Tallous thundered as he crashed into Nicolas. The titans wrestled as the on lookers watched, stunned.

“Go!” Nicolas shouted. The herd obeyed. They inverted their mana pools running at full speed straight for Deepmere.

Stolen story; please report.

“GET HAMAL!” Tallous shouted at the last rat-kin. Nicolas felt himself lifted off the ground as he was hurled away. A large rock ended his flight as he painfully crashed into it. A quick roll saved him from Tallous follow up blow which sent splinters flying from the boulder. Nicolas got to his feet as he regarded his opponent. Tallous wasn’t as powerful as he was. Nicolas made sure to memorize all the kin in groups five and lower. Tallous was in three, yet he was the more dangerous of the two. With the training all rat-kin had they were deadly beyond their cultivation prowess.

“I’m sorry it had to come to this,” Nicolas said as they circled one another. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Sorry?! You’re fucking sorry!? You killed my family!”

“I did it to save mine!”

“Bullshit. What did some mage buy you off?”

Nicolas was silent. That was a little too close for comfort. However it appeared to be all the confirmation that Tallous needed.

“God’s below, that it isn’t it? You’re running off to the fucking mages!? Wasn’t being their slave once not enough for you!?”

Tallous charged at him. It wasn’t a ferocious charge from blind rage. This was all grace as the rat-kin kept his center of balance low, two daggers appearing in his hands. Nicolas grabbed a small magical trinket from his robe. It resembled a small citrine that shimmered with internal mana. An arc of lightning erupted from the trinket hitting the rat-kin full on. The effect on the powerful rat-kin was brief, but it was enough for Nicola to slap both daggers from the kin’s hands before landing a blow to the rat-kin’s throat. A powerful hoof kick sent the rat-kin stumbling backwards.

“I’m no one’s slave!” Nicolas spat furiously. “I want a future for my herd! You won’t even try to make peace with the mages! How can there be peace, if you never extend your hand?!”

Nicolas closed in on the rat-kin his blows reinforced by his dense mana driving the larger kin back. After just a few seconds Tallous roared taking several blows as he closed the gap grappling him. Nicolas felt the air being pressed out of his lungs.

“While you have your hand extended the other guy can sink a blade into your chest,” Tallous snarled.

“Then… you…” Nicolas gasped. “Have… to… keep… trying. Peace is… worth the risk.” His vision started going black as he lowered his head to Tallous’s chest. Then with a viscous jerk Nicolas snapped his head up, his small antlers gouging flesh. Tallous screamed stumbling back his hands grasping the ruins of his left eye. With a final kick Nicolas hit the rat-kin who flew backwards into a tree which splintered from the impact. This time he didn’t get up. Tallous panted heavily as he glared defiantly at the deer-kin as the tree came crashing down off to the side.

“I’m sorry. Tell her that. But my family comes first. I won’t follow her into a war that will ruin all.”

With that said he ran after his herd. Nicolas put all his power behind each step as he ran on. If the rat-kin brought Hamal everyone single one of them would die. He was sure of that.

Azura yawned. It had been nearly an hour, yet the elf wasn’t here yet. The location was, ironically, the farm they had raided just after the kin were enslaved. It brought back bad memories. Was it intentional on the elf’s part or just bad luck? It didn’t really matter. Perhaps it was best that the elf was late. If he was here when she first arrived violence would’ve been her response. She had time to calm down since then. She yawned again… maybe too calm.

“Where is he?” Azura huffed as she leaned against the brunt structure. The message was to wait in the ruins of the farmstead so they would be out of sight. Too paranoid for her tastes.

Fatania didn’t say anything spending her time cultivating. Trenton seemed too nervous to do any. So he answered her instead.

“Elves like their politics. This would be seen as a sign of his importance and rank by being the last to arrive.”

“That just makes him late and annoying.”

“Well, that too. You must remember Sylvar is over three hundred years old and until recently he was considered a high elite warrior which is the same rank as a noble. The game, is in his very nature.”

“Well I don’t care about…” Azura trailed off cocking her head. “I can feel a source of blood approaching. It must be him.”

“About time,” Fatania grumbled getting to her feet.

Less than a minute later he was there. The elf paused when he saw Azura, his stride taking a brief, but noticeable pause. His gaze then drifted to Fatania then to Trenton where it lingered the longest.

“You wanted to see me?” Azura asked. They agreed on the run over to let her do the talking. The less they give away the better.

“Yes. Thank you for seeing me Magebane,” Sylvar said. “I wish to talk to you about collaborating with you in fighting the mists.”

“What makes you think I need help?”

Sylvar snorted. “I’m not slow like some human. You are powerful, but you’re alone. You need me and my elves.”

“I’m not alone,” Azura said gesturing to Fatania and Trenton.

“So I see.” Sylvar gave Trenton a disapproving look. “Yet, he is only one. My elven warriors are far beyond his capabilities.”

“I have my fellow kin,” Azura pointed out.

“Yes, but they can only do so much. I do congratulate you on finding a way to increase their mana pool density. It’s unbelievable potent. I imagine they can cast many spells before their small pool are empty. If you could share the source of that power, together we could repel the mists.”

“Trade secret,” Azura said.

“I already know how it’s done.”

Azura paused. Her ki empowered body not letting her heart beat out of control.

He knew? Was the secret out?

“Oh? And how’s that?”

“It’s standard elven tactic. Empty your pool then fill it from a dense source. Either from powerful mana beast flesh or from a dense leyline. I imagine the traitor over there taught you this secret.” He gave Trenton a dirty look.

“So what if I did?” Trenton asked.

Weren’t misunderstandings wonderful? Azura thought to herself as she suppressed a smile.

“Who are you? How could you betray our grove, even if you are a cripple?” Sylvar asked giving his missing hand a dismissive snort.

“Aren’t you doing the same thing?” Azura pointed out. She wasn’t sure if Trenton wanted his identity out or not. She would leave that up to him.

“It’s not the same. I’m willing to work with you to defend Deepmere from the mists. It’s different.”

“You must be truly desperate if you came to Azura for help,” Trenton said. Then he straighten as if a weight fell from his shoulders. “My name is Trenton Fallenleaf. I served under Ulvandia before her… untimely sickness. I have renounced our grove and have willing joined with the Magebane.”

Wow. Didn’t think he would actually do it, Azura thought impressed. Sylvar obviously didn’t share her view. The look he gave the other elf was one of pure loathing.

At least I’m not bored anymore…

Sylvar could barely stomach the traitor standing there. How could an elf abandon their grove? Sure he’d come here seeking aid. His goal was simple. Defeat the mists so he could save his elves. That was all he cared about. If the Magebane was the only way to achieve that, then he would take it despite his disgust.

“Why should I trust you?” The Magebane asked.

Good, now they were approaching the heart of the negotiations. He had to admit the Magebane was a good bargainer. She genuinely appeared to not care about the forces he offered. What nonsense. Who wouldn’t want his band of elves on their side?

“I’m willing to work with you to save the lives of my warriors. I hate to admit it, but you are the most powerful fighter I’ve seen. Working together we can repel the mists.”

“Why don’t you leave?”

“Huh?” Sylvar asked. He surely misheard.

“If you want to save your elves, leave.”

Sylvar lowered his opinion of the Magebane a little. Clearly she had the wrong impression of elves. Or perhaps the traitor gave her a misconception of elven loyalty.

“Our orders are to protect Deepmere. Once that is done we can return to our grove.”

The Magebane watched him for nearly a full minute. Was it something he said?

“I don’t believe we can work together,” she said simply. Sylvar blinked. What? Was she insane? Who wouldn’t want to ally with elves? They were the elites. Perhaps she didn’t understand how great he and his allies were.

“My elves are worth ten times the number of Deepmere mages. A thousand times of your kin mages. I doubt that your kin there could cast more than a two dozen enhancement spells before exhausting her mana pool.” It might actually be a lot more than that. He’d never felt mana so dense before. It was so dense that there was a real chance that a spell might go out of control. How many kin died from spell misfires trying to tame such powerful mana? How did she do it? Did the Magebane find a hidden leyline? Such a potent leyline was something wars would be fought over. She must be rotating the kin out of there constantly to empower them. If he could find it, he might not need the Magebane at all.

“It’s not your worth that’s the problem. Although, I don’t really see what you could offer. It’s that I don’t trust you. I can’t have an ally that would stab me in the back. My purpose is saving my people. Your goal is obeying your grove.”

The Magebane turned away not giving them a second look. After a brief nod the rat-kin and elven traitor followed. Sylvar watched them go, stunned. He’d been rejected. He was an elite elf. They should be begging for him to join them. What just happened? Numbly, he got back on his horse heading back to Deepmere.

“That was a waste of time,” Azura mumbled as the three of them ran back to Azure’s Rest.

“That’s not true. We got several important pieces of information,” Fatania countered.

“Like what?”

“Well, they don’t know the truth about cultivators yet. They think we’re some mages you’ve been stuffing with dense mana. At least that was what that elf thought. I imagine that everyone has their own ideas, but that at least tells me that the knowledge is safe for now.”

“I was thinking the same,” Trenton said.

“Oh… yeah I thought so too,” Azura said. She ignored the looks the two gave her. “So what else was there?”

“What? I’m sure you figured it out already,” Fatania said. “Why don’t you tell us already?”

“Uh… he didn’t like Trenton,” Azura said.

“Who does?” Fatania asked. Trenton gave her a hurt look only to receive a playful punch to the shoulder. “A jest. You’re alright for an elf.”

“I’m honored,” Trenton deadpanned.

“So, what’s the other things?” Azura asked.

Fatania sighed. “We know they are getting desperate. This only helps to confirm that the elves and Dageth are leaving. He was very careful not to say how many elves he had, but if he was here asking for help there can’t be many left.”

“Oh. I should’ve asked him.”

“I doubted he would’ve answered,” Trenton said. “He would’ve given a vague response and tried to move the conversation along. I doubt he has more than thirty. Probably less if he’s been disgraced.”

“Then why did we even bother coming here?!” Azura asked frustrated. This really had been a waste of time.

“For the last thing,” Fatania said patiently.

“And what’s that?” Azura asked, annoyed.

“Training.”

“Huh?”

“You’re our official leader. In the future you’ll have to have such negotiations with others who actually matter. This time it was just some elf who thought he was far more important than he really was. Next time…” Fatania gave her a shrug. “Who knows?”

Azura was silent. Things made a lot more sense. She was wondering why Fatania wanted to come along.

“How’d I do?”

Fatania stuck her paw out wiggling it back and forth. “You did okay. I got some notes for you to go over. We’ll practice later.”

“Yay…” Azura said sadly as the boredom threaten to return in full force, which she could not tolerate.

“Hey Trenton, do elves shove sticks up their ass?”

Both Fatania and Trenton tripped as the question caught them completely off guard.

Ah much better, Azura thought as she was subjected to a lesson, which was more of a rant from Trenton, on the depths of elven perversions.

Ten minutes later Azura resolved to get a bar of soap and clean out her ears, vigorously.