“Alghast, Elven for the city of celestials, the capital of the former Southern Imperial Protectorate and leading power of the Imperial Rebellion. The newly conquered states in the south need both the fourth and seventh legions operating in the area to mobilise to hold off the threat but… I am not sure how long we can hold out. The enemy has a few Sanguinomancer Squads in the area and it's running havoc on our supply lines as they possess and kill our troops and caravans. We have been attempting to intercept and lay traps but they seem to be two steps ahead of us each time, which is why I beseech the Spellswords and the Imperial Gryphon Riders that we can get their assistance in this matter otherwise I fear that we maybe lose our opportunity to bring the newly independent Elantrans back into the fold.” Praetor Salandus Rex, 1484, The Southern Invasion

1509.04.23

  Kelly cartwheeled out of the way as Oakarn fired three more white lasers out of his bone wand. With a pulse of darkened energy Kelly slices the air causing a wave of energy to be cast towards Oakarn.

  “Kelly stop!” But Ivalinna’s words fell on deaf ears.

  “How is she alive I thought Oak said-” Rotkar shouted above the din of combat just a couple of dozen feet away. The old wizard barely able to get his footing to cast the quick spells he knew and yet not enough time to create his real game ending spells.

  “Run! You need to take the children out of here!” Oakarn could scarcely get the words out before another slice of the air was rendered muted and dark and the old man had to jump behind a boulder in the forest grove they had been fighting in. As the energy slammed into the boulder again one would think it was clay or putty as the material was easily cut into.

  “You are running out of cover you old traitorous bastard….” There was strange inflection in Kelly’s voice, there was something of another voice seemingly speaking behind her words but Oakarn wasn’t able to infer what it was saying underneath her words.

  Tolun Brae

  Oakarn’s plasmic serpent was summoned and born once again, it was risky but Kelly’s overconfidence had allowed the old wizard to summon his signature spell.

  “Time to die again Kelly, this time for the last time!”

  “You think I am afraid of your magical pet snake Oak?” Kelly smirked and then threw her sword at the spell. Ivalinna and Rotkar disappeared back into the woods though it seemed Jet had managed to either get missed in the recovery of the refugees or simply managed to get away. The ionised air around the seemingly alive energy creature crackled violently as the thrown sword was ejected towards the serpent’s centre of mass. Purple lightning arched toward the sword in an attempt to stop it but the sword just seemed to absorb the energy as if it was nothing and the improvised missile cut through, shattering the spell and causing a shockwave that threw Oakarn on his back. The sword landed tip first into the ground barely five feet away from where Oakarn was attempting to stand up and recover from. Two throwing knives landed into Oakarn's right wrist and left foot causing the mage to be pinned to the ground and preventing him from fighting back and Kelly sauntered forwards and pulled her blade out if the ground seemingly as sharp as ever.

  “Oak…. I have lived in your mortal shadow for long enough.” Kelly’s grin never left her face, the same purple lightning arched up the warrior elf’s arm but the warrior seemed unfazed. “You left me to die, you ran from the village and let the innocents, you let Ada die!”

  “Kelly, our hands were forced. The mayor was in on the plot!”

  “I care not for your pitiful plees and excuses!” Energy continued to crackle around Kelly as she continued to end the gap between her and her former mentor.

  “Blight take you Kelly, how can you turn your back on our mission! We need to save these kids, we need to save the Empire!” Kelly said nothing as Oakarn continued to try and get up, the old wizard managed to get his hand free but it was still badly damaged from the dagger that had pierced it and blood flowed freely onto the ground around him.

  “Kelly!”

  “SHUT IT!” Kelly’s voice boomed across the glade, though they had left Fort Julius behind there was no doubt that someone would hear the corrupted warrior. “You have always held me back Oak, you could never teach me all you knew and yet here I am defeating you in combat and giving you more mercy than you ever showed me.”

  Oakarn could say nothing to refute, not that it would have mattered anyways, black veins pulsed up Oakarn’s remaining wound that still kept its dagger and the old man’s eyes widened.

  “What have you done Kelly, who have you allied yourself with!” Kelly could only chuckle at the old mage’s words, raising her sword and pointing it toward the half sitting body of Oakarn.

  “Is that your final request then old man?” The blade hovering over Oakarn’s chest, the wizard nodded.

  “Abaloss…” The words slithered out of her mouth as if she was speaking acid and spitting poison, she then plunged the bladed into Oakarn but not before the wizard took a clump of dirt and threw it at Kelly.

  Terra Klast

  Dirt flies up to slam into Kelly’s face quickly turning molten but not before the mage was stabbed by the sword. Oakarn’s body slumped into the sword.

  “Ahhh!” Kelly recoiled and held her face, sizzling flesh could be heard as well as a barely audible gasp. Kelly’s face half covered in burning molten earth turned to see a teenage dark elf boy hiding in the bushes and trees beyond the glade. Jet quickly disappeared in the brush and ran for his very life, he knew he stood no chance against his former saviour. Panicked, breathing, moving leaves, bramble and branch attempting to stop him at every turn but he could not find Rotkar or Ivalinna. Tumbling over himself, Jet landed in a large area of undergrowth and micillia. Hyperventilating, Jet turned and looked around himself, trees, trees and more trees. The branches at the bottom of these natural monuments are too small for the elven boy to climb. Jet didn’t know where he was but he knew he must’ve been somewhat safe, he couldn’t see or hear anyone following him.

  “What are you?” A light bright voice sounded from behind Jet, an unfamiliar voice at that.

  “Ah! Don’t kill me!” When Jet turned to face the voice he instead found nothing.

  “I promise not to kill you if you tell me what you are?” The voice seemed behind him again, it’s light singing voice almost mocking the fear that Jet held close. Jet still scanned the trees around himself for sign of Kelly and her murderous new tendencies.

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  “Hellooooo earth dark skinned pointy eared booooy,” Whatever this creature was, it grated on Jet’s disposition.

  “If you are going to kill me, do it already, otherwise I have to keep moving!” Jeet tried to keep his voice down but the panic rising in his voice was overpowering his will to keep quiet and whisper.

  “What are you running from Tal’Dao?” The name caused a shiver to run up Jet’s spine.

  “Fuck you Elantran, your slurs mean nothing to me.” Jet no longer cared if Kelly found him, this creature spoke hate and vitriol.

  “Does the name offend you? I was unaware the mortal realm was disgusted by the terms of the ancient Fey.” The creature then made its presence much more known as it landed on Jet’s shoulder.

  “Only the Elantrans and their allies use such words, they use them to refer to the pureblooded elves though.” Jet found himself taken aback the creature seemed sincere enough, and landing on his shoulder and the soft patting on his cheek told him enough to where he knew at least her might be safe for a time.

  “I sense scarring in your natural forces, something maybe chasing you but something haunts you also.” Jet tried to get a good look at the creature talking to him but found it difficult considering.

  “Can I see you?”

  “No!” The creature giggled maddingly, and while frustrated Jet took the opportunity to attempt to catch the creature on his shoulder.

  “Hey no touching! You meaty paws would hurt my delicate complexion!” An insect-like creature eventually fell into Jet’s purview. It had wings like a dragonfly’s but the body of a humanoid that was segmented with an exoskeleton. It wasn’t wearing any clothes, not that it needed any, and had a spear being held by two of its four hands. The creature had two legs as well if you could call them that, each leg ending in a pair of hairy toes not unlike that of a spider. The creature was well adorned with gold filigree embossed into its exoskeleton and while its bodily features were closely humanoid in shape the face of the creature was something like that of a large grasshopper’s head with a crown adorning it, altogether the creature was no more than the size of Jet’s hand.

  “What in the Blight are you?” Jet gave the creature such a quizzical look that it almost seemed offended. The creature then buzzed it’s wings closer to Jet’s face looking hime straight in the eyes causing Jet to become somewhat disoriented from crossing them to focus.

  “The Blight?! Now you’ve done it, Tal’Dao you know not the heritage of your peoples, great bringers of strife the colonisers brought.” The creature seemingly looked deep in though they had a look of anger and their wings beat ever more furiously. “Your gods came to the world to make it for you, they killed the devil and demon kings and led a magical crusade so your people could have a home.”

  “What?”

  “They do not teach this? Of course they don’t, let me enlighten you while I show you your new home” Jet felt a tug within himself and suddenly realised that he was surrounded by many such creatures, all carrying weapons but none of them pointed at him they seemed more of an escort of sorts. “We used to caretake the world you call Aerith, when your gods came they locked us in a plane that became simultaneously another world of its own but in doing so separated very carefully the balance of life and death.”

  Jet couldn’t quite focus on what the creature was saying, if he could get here even if it was another world then surely Kelly could come here too.

  “This created three separate worlds with the plane you exist in! Then they imprisoned us, us and the blighted they created, what was once something that was in complete harmony is now something to be harvested for power and influence amongst the gods you hold dear.”

  “Surely this means we can go back?” Jet felt surrounded by bigger and thicker trees now, deeper undergrowth was here and animals seemed to just walk freely and fully exposed to the people here, they knew no fear.

  “No we are sealed in by you God’s celestial magicks, whatever they did to create these mirror planes the only one that can be easily accessed is The Blight, the ultimate plane of death and the end of time.” Jet noticed that while the other creature shared the golden embossed feature of his fellows that he was the only one what had a crown.

  “Are you the king of these people?”

  “I am the warden of the fey, protector to those that would wish these peoples harm, and you Jet are a mortal that has stumbled here wishing nothing more than to be protected. Otherwise you would’ve never found this place.” They eventually found themselves to what seemed like the largest tree Jet had ever seen, it towered so far above him that it seemed to even blot out the meagre sunlight that was finding its way down, everywhere but here.

  “Touch the tree Tal’Dao,” The pixie gestured towards the tree

  “Would you stop calling me that…” Jet rolls his eyes, annoyed but curious.

  “What do you call yourself then Tal’Dao?” Jet continued to

  “My name is Jet.”

  “I am the Pixie Warden, touch the tree Jet.”

  “What is going to happen if I touch the tree?” Jet knew fear once more, this felt like some sort of trick.

  “You will understand when you touch the tree, it is a hard thing to describe but for me to allow you to live here I need you to touch the tree, otherwise we will exile you to where we found you and the creatures there are hungry for Tal’Dao flesh.”

  “So I don’t have a choice…” Jet crossed his arms. “I don’t like being forced to do shit pxie prince.”

  “Forced? Perhaps it is forced from a certain perspective.” The pixie warden thought for a moment. “Think about it like this, it's a test to see how willing you are to become part of our greater collective, it is a rare gift to become part of the collective Tal. Consider this more of an initiation into our family while we wait out the eventual end of all things.”

  Cold thoughts flew through Jet.

  “What about my friends?” Jet knew the answer to this already.

  “Only those of Fey blood can find themselves here Jet, only those that are cut with the blood of the trees, the forest and the moss underneath your feet will ever feel the pull of the natural order of things.” Jet stared at the forest floor, it was also so alive, so alive that he knew that he might hear it. He raised his hand and quickly slammed it into the tree and immediately felt the world around him and the connections that were there; but something was wrong, something inside of him was wrong. Jet pulled away but not in time it appeared. Instead he was surrounded by an empty dead forest, thousands upon thousands of trees that were once vibrant with life were now dead, sunlight easily penetrating through the empty spaces where leaves once stood and in their wake they were surrounded by ravens. Ravens and a single black robed man with a circle of dead elven bodies with their blood seemingly used to create something in the centre of them. There was a glowing that their blood and the symbols made with was ebbing off and the black robed man stepped out of the circle.

  “Welcome back Jet,” The black robed man spoke softly and move forward slowly.

  “What did you do!”

  “I found a way to bring you back from The Wilds, and these…” The man gestured towards the bodies around him. “These are your former tormentors though not all of them.”

  “I’m… I’m in the Blight aren’t I?” Jet looked around him.

  “You are, I plan to bring you back to the material plane.”

  “The pixie prince said I couldn’t go back,”

  “Your blood has been corrupted by you former slaver, I need that blood to find her,”

  “You are going to kill me aren’t you?”

  “No boy, I plan to save you and everyone else that this person has hurt.” The robed man kicked one of the downed bodies hard, then spat on the body. “Fuck the Elantrans Jet, fuck them and their twisted games and their twisted fucking servants.”

  Jet felt something deeper and more terrible to the words of this man.

  “They called themselves the ancient Fey,” Jet ran his hand through his hair, white locks of hair falling back towards his face.

  “The Wilds aren’t to be trusted Jet, they themselves are servants to the Elantrans and will trade you back to them. Your blood is very important to her, I need to find out why.” The man then snapped off two dead dried branches then tied them together and hammered their ends into the ground with a nearby stone. Jet noted the slow deliberate process the apparent mage displayed. He then resumed his approach to Jet.

  “Who are you?!” Jet grabbed a nearby bead branch and brandished it like a sword towards the man but it only elicited a chuckle in response.

  “I can’t tell you friend, though I know that I need your blood and you can come with me alive or….” The man slowly pulls out a wand made out of some kind of white material. “I could just leave you here and take it.”

  Jet couldn’t stammer out words.

  Haos Votra Intreme

  A wad of sticky black energy with pinpricks of starlight flies towards the archway summoning a portal made of the same energy.

  “Come on, I hate to waste the energy kid and considering I saved you from the Wilds I expect some sort of compliance.” Jet just bolted through the portal.

  “You're gonna have to catch me first!” The mage just chuckled and walked through.