Year 21

~Emma sits at a table reading about spells with Lily resting on her shoulders when Ruddy and Niala come inside and place a box in front of her.~

Emma: What’s this?

Ruddy: I know you don’t celebrate your birthdays as an elf like we do but, we got you a cake to celebrate so.

Niala and Ruddy: Surprise!

~Hannah and Ariella walk in from one of the other rooms.~

Hanah: it’s your birthday?

Emma: I guess so?

Ariella: Elves don’t celebrate birthdays because when we get older we’d have too many to remember.

Hannah: Oh.

Niala: Where’s Lyra?

Emma: She wanted to watch the Drakar fight today. I decided to try to learn some new spells. That would work against Demons. I can’t expect it to be as easy as the fight after Kara.

Ruddy: Taz? Yeah, how did he get to the semifinals?

~Niala laughs~

Niala: He pissed himself just from them announcing your last fight achievements.

~Lyra walks in as they finish serving the cake.~

Emma: What’s the damage?

Lyra: I’ll give you 15 seconds.

Ariella: Is he that weak?

Emma: How do you figure?

Lyra: It was closer to a live torture. He ripped off each of their fingers.

~Ariella covers Hannah’s ears.~

Emma: If I go all out, I might out the seers.

Lyra: We have bigger problems if you die or become a slave. I’m also not sure if you will win still.

Emma (TL): Sounds like I’ll be needing you this time.

Lily: Of course Momma.

~Niala brings over a box.~

Niala: Also this came today from DeepDock?

Emma: It’s the Twilight fangs! I sent them in for repairs before we headed to Glimmerfell.

~Emma pulls out her blades and then looks at Lily.~

Emma: We’ve got this.

~The day of the finals.~

Announcer: Today’s the day Ladies and Gentlemen! Emma versus Drakar!

~Cheers~

Announcer: Can The Enthralling Emma overcome the Diabolical Drakar?!

~Lily hides in Emma’s person. Before Emma stands a towering Demon, Drakar. He holds onto a dual-tipped spear, making the beak of a bird. Scars cover his arms and face.~

Emma(TL): Lily, Thank you.

Lily: Of course Momma!

Announcer: These two don’t care to talk so let's get this started!

~Fireworks go off. Emma unsheathes the fangs and runs towards Draker her eyes glow slightly. Drakar throws his spear, nicking Emma’s left ear, Her eyes lock on Draker. As Emma closes in on Drakar she hops back as his spear comes back to him. A chain falls behind Drakar, attached to the spear. Drakar smiles and Emma uses shadow step to appear behind Drakar as he turns to hit her, A second Emma appears and cuts at his back.~

Announcer: Looks like Emma has her clones again! How’s Drakar going to handle this one?!

Drakar: No. You’re her spirit.

~Drakar points to the Emma whose eyes aren’t glowing. Emma Appears before Lily.~

Drakar: Oh?

~Emma's urge to protect Lily causes her eyes to gain a purple hue. Drakar looks down to his right arm missing. Drakar quickly regenerates his arm. Emma puts' away the Twilight fangs, her irises turn purple as She holds up Lily who changes into dual chakrams. The blades start to hum as they spin, As Emma releases them they start to hover. Emma unsheathes the Twilight fangs. Their gems glowing. Drakar Lets out a roar, his body grows significantly, and his head becomes more Dragon-like. Emma runs towards Drakar, He grabs the chain of the spear and holds it like a whip, and he manages to whip Emma into the wall, She looks down at her chest bleeding. As she attempts to move you can hear her ribs crack.~

Ariella: Emma!

Lyra: Shit!

Ruddy: We’ve gotta get her out of there!

~Hannah Squeeze her face into Airella’s side.~

~Emma closes her eyes to see the figure. The figure stands before Emma holding a vessel, its cracks barely holding together. Emma walks closer reaching her hands out to the Vessel. The figure pulls back and Emma grabs her chest.~

Emma: Help me, please.

~The figure hesitant at first nods then flicks her wrist and vines wrap around the Vessel. Emma opens her eyes and glows purple, Her chest is held together by vines Lily changes to her smaller form and runs next to her and Emma rests her hand on her. Lyra hears a gasp and spots some elves in the distance.~

Emma: We’re going to be okay stay here now.

Lily: No Momma! No!

Announcer: Talk about committed Folks. Emma is holding her ribs together with what looks to be vines!

~Emma walks slowly towards Drakar, Drakar clenches his chest he looks down to see blood flowing from under his scales.~

Drakar: Damn counter. Guess I’ll just have to kill you before you get a chance!

~Drakar starts whipping towards Emma, She flashes around at speeds, almost too fast to see.~

Emma with the figure's voice: You made her cry.

~Emma punches into Drakars stomach The breaking of his scales is heard throughout the arena. Drakar recoils in pain holding his stomach. Emma starts walking towards Drakar, He grits his teeth and swings his whips striking Emma’s arm. A vine reaches out and grabs the chain and starts pulling back. The chain snaps Emma appears next to Drakar and sends him into a wall with a kick. Lily runs up to Emma.~

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Lily: Where’s Momma?!

Emma: She’s fine.

~Lily hisses at Emma.~

Ariella: Is Lily Hissing at Emma?

~Emma smiles for a moment then blinks. Lily calms down.~

Lily: Momma!

Emma: Lily?

Announcer: Amazing! Emma has Drakar on the ropes now!

~Emma looks over to see Drakar slowly uprighting himself he drops his now broken spear and roars.~

Emma: I see, Sorry Lily. I got scared.

~Emma grabs ahold of Lily, She takes the form of the twilight fangs.~

Emma: I’m trusting you.

Lily: Same.

~Drakar Enraged charges towards Emma swiping with his claws. Both can’t manage to get a hit on each other when Drakar manages to smack Emma with his tail She catches herself but not before he grabs her by the head and drags her along before throwing her across the arena. After a moment she attempts to stand. Drakar slams down with his foot on her back pinning her down.~

Drakar: Oh we’re not done yet.~Grin~

~An alarm sounds and everyone looks up towards Kyl’s booth. Lyra holds the gnome other the edge with one hand, she looks at the ring in her other hand.~

Lyra: All this work for this little thing?

~Drakar looks down at Emma stomps her once more then runs towards Lyra. Lyra drops Kyl and Drakar goes to catch him. When they turn around Emma is gone and Lyra is nowhere to be seen. Emma looks from the floor of their cart up at Ariella, her tears falling on Emma’s face. She goes to reach for her when Ruddy Grabs her hand and starts to heal her chest.~

Ariella: Why didn’t you Run?

~Lily brushes up on Emma licking her face and Emma falls asleep.~

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~Emma Opens her eyes and sits up looking around the small room, her chest sore and bandaged up. Ariella is sitting across the room, asleep holding Lily in her Lap. Hannah walks in wearing Winter clothes looks at Emma and smiles.~

Hannah: Emma!

~Ariella and Lily wake up and run towards Emma holding her close. Ruddy runs in after and stands at the foot of the bed. Lyra stands in the doorway with Niala just inside.~

Ariella:~in tears~ You're awake! Oh, thank the moons.

Emma: How long was I asleep?

~Knock~

Goren: Hey Emma.

Emma: Dad?!

~Everyone steps out leaving Emma with Goren.~

Emma: What are you doing here? Wait where is here?

Goren: We’re at Paul and Katie’s house. It’s been 6 months. Emma, I’m glad you’re trying to save people. But. You have to protect my daughter as well!

~Goren holds Emma and starts crying. Emma is still in slight shock from everything.~

Emma: I'm sorry Dad. Everything was going so good. I didn’t.

Goren: I know. And I won’t ask you to stop. Just tell me you won’t be afraid to run if the alternative is dying.

Emma: I.

Goren: Promise ME!

~The look of absolute terror sets in Goren's eyes at the thought of losing Emma.~

Emma: I promise Dad. I’ll be more careful.

~Isabelle walks in.~

Isabelle: Heya Emma.

Emma: Auntie? Is Keya here too?

~Goren and Isabelle look at each other.~

Goren: Actually, we’re kinda seeing each other.

Emma: WHAT?!

Goren: We weren’t sure if we should tell you girls but after this, we made the decision.

Emma: Okay... How’d you get here so quickly?

Isabelle: Ariella sent a letter with an address and said to "come quick". We got here just the last couple of days. Your dad’s been worried the entire time.

~Emma looks back at her Dad and places her hand on his.~

Emma: I told Momma I’d protect all the smiles. If running protects yours then that’s what I’ll do.

~After a bit Everyone leaves to let Emma get some rest.~

Emma: How close was it?

~Lily tears up~

Emma: I’m sorry.

~Lily shakes her head.~

Lily: I want to become stronger. I want to be able to protect you.

Emma: ~Smiles~ Then we’ll protect each other.

~The two hold each other close crying. ~

~The next day Emma stands before a mirror looking at a fist-sized scar in the middle of her chest, someone knocks and she uses Magic to hide it.~

Emma: One second.

~Emma quickly covers herself and answers the door to Goren.~

Goren: We’re getting ready to go.

Emma: Already?

Isabelle: We didn’t exactly give Seraphina a heads-up.

Emma: Oh. Good luck. ~Smiles.~

~Emma steps outside, Ruddy and Niala are loading the cart.~

Emma: Are we leaving as well?

Ruddy: We can’t exactly stay here.

~Emma looks confused.~

Niala: You and Lyra are fugitives now.

~Emma turns to her dad, He nods.~

Emma: I’m confused. How?

Goren: They’ll explain as you move. Just be careful for now. You might want to look at leaving Glimmerfell.

Emma: Okay. Love you.

~The three hug and Emma goes back inside to gather her things. Lyra walks in.~

Emma: So what happened? Why are we fugitives?

Lyra: Technically just you are. I used magic to hide my appearance. But.

~Lyra explains to Emma what happened after her chest opened up. Afterward, Paul, Katie, and Hannah walk in.~

Paul: Sorry, we wish you could stay and heal more.

~Emma shakes her head.~

Emma: You’ve done more than enough.

Katie: Thank you again for Hannah. I know we probably will probably never meet again, Soo… Good luck.

~Hannah runs up and hugs Emma.~

Hannah: I’m gonna miss you.

Emma: I’ll miss you too.

~Hannah smiles and nods as she leaves the room. That night the group sets off while most people are sleeping.~

Emma: So where are we going?

Ruddy: We’re heading through Mithrun. We’ll head to the southern border then sail over to Valoria. We’ll be safe in a Town called Sarton. If everything goes over smoothly we should reach there Midsummer.

—---------------------------------------------------------

~Outside of a Dwarven dock town the group sits down for lunch.~

Emma: Niala, I’m not gonna ask you to keep going. I want you to be able to go home to your kids.

Niala: But I haven’t paid you back.

Ruddy: You helped care for Emma more than most of us during her recovery.

Emma: That’s why with us hopefully boarding a ship soon I want to break the contract.

~Ariella places her hand on Niala’s back.~

Ariella: I free you from your shackles.

~Click!~

~The collar on Niala disappears. Niala Hugs Ariella and Emma.~

Niala: Thank you everyone. If you're ever back in the territory stop by in Gracefield west of here.

Emma: Of course!~Smiles~

~The group wishes Niala off by giving her some travel funds. As the group boards a massive ship Ariella walks to Starboard and looks out at the ocean.~

Ariella: I’ve missed this smell.

~Emma and Lyra hold onto Ruddy.~

Emma: Smell yes, But I really just want to be back on land.

Lyra: I’ll agree with you for once.

Ruddy: What’s gotten into you two?

Lyra: Shut up I’m using you for support.

Emma: I feel very unbalanced.

Ariella: We should get to some beds before she collapses.

Emma: I won’t collapse.

~Emma stumbles a bit.~

Ariella: I don’t know why, but Emma doesn’t do boats very well.

Emma: I said I’m fine.

~The group heads down below deck Ruddy holds Lyra and places her down in a hammock.~

Lyra: Thank you. ~Smiles~

Ruddy: Are they gonna be okay?

Ariella: Emma’s the same way. At first, she’s grumpy, then she acts like she’s drunk or something.

~Emma holds onto Ariella.~

Emma: I’m sorry I messed up.

Ariella: It’s okay. Get some rest okay?

~Emma nods and rolls over in the Hammock.~

Ariella: Would you be willing to watch over Lyra? Emma won’t let me get far from her when she’s like this.

Ruddy: Of course. But, we’re going to be out at sea for five weeks. How are we going to watch them the whole time?

Ariella: We hope they stay cooperative?

~Emma and Lyra end up sleeping through the entire trip. The ship docks in a large port town.~

Ruddy: Welcome to Seabright Harbor.

~The port town is flowing with all the different races. Emma and Lyra both stumble off the ship very light-headed.~

Emma: ~Groggy~ Where do we go now?

Ruddy: We should probably find an Inn. Humans and gnomes don’t interact much so we won’t have to worry about people looking for us.

Ariella: I heard about a place on the northern side of town.

Lyra: Lead the way. I’m hungry.

~The group walks into an Inn, Emma, and Lyra both sit down to eat while Ruddy takes care of the rooms.~

Emma: Is that just an us thing?

Lyra: I don’t know. I feel terrible though. I don’t feel tired just stiff.

Ariella: After we eat and set things down why don’t we go see if the guild has a training room?

~Ruddy hands a key to Ariella.~

Ruddy: Here’s the key to your room. I’m going to go bring my stuff up order my usual.

~After eating the group heads to the adventure guild the back has a couple of training areas and a ring in the center for duels. Two adult humans are sparring in the ring, both male. One of the humans has black hair the other has brown hair. They both seem equal in skill as they both block each other's attacks. Emma watches the two while Lyra decides to exercise her joints with stretching. The two stop and look towards Emma.~

Black hair: Sorry did you have the ring next?

~Emma shakes her head.~

Emma: No, I just enjoy watching people train.

Brown hair: Well the name's Mike if you ever want to train yourself. I’d be happy to help. This here is Tyler.

~Tyler punches Mike's arm. Ariella walks over to Emma.~

Ariella: Don’t push yourself. You should exercise like Lyra first.

Mike: So what brings all you elves here?

~Ariella looks Mike up and down then Tyler.~

Emma: They don’t mean any harm.

Ariella: Okay.

Tyler: He means. We don’t see a lot of elves in the guild in Seabright.

Emma: Is there a reason why?

Mike: Probably because Elves happen to be our number one slaves. It’s not intentional. It just happens to be that way.

Tyler: To clarify we don’t condone slaves. It’s mostly nobility that has them anyway. They use elves since they’ll be able to stay with the family eternally.

Emma: What about their spirits?

Mike: Spirit?

~Lily pops out from behind Emma’s neck.~

Emma: They’re our partners in life we are born with them without them we become mortal.

Tyler: Oh! I think they use them as guards then. Most nobles have these weird creatures like pets around their place.

Mike: After you recover some more maybe we can show you a place. One of the noble families in the town over is very nice. They treat all their elves closer to family.

Emma: Depends on how long we’re in town.

Ariella: I’m fine staying here for a bit. I wanna go on adventures again. It’s been forever it seems.

Emma: While I recover we should study the local fauna.

Tyler: The guild store sells a local bestiary you can get.

~The rest of the day Ariella bugs Emma to properly exercise. Emma finally gives in after Ariella offers to buy Emma a new spell book.~