“Aaaargh!”

In a dimly lit room beneath an old warehouse in Silifran’s outer ring, a redheaded elf lay bound to a wooden table, his extremities firmly secured to each table leg. His weak self too tired, sweat-drenched, and in agony, cursing his captors.

“You insufferable little bastards! I’ll make you pay!” yelled the elf.

“Easy there, Ekk’s, you’re taking this too far now,” said Mau with a wide grin, clearly reveling the torment.

“Wasn’t it you who started all of this?” asked Nila, also smiling with sinister delight.

“It’s merely divine justice, caw! What goes around, comes around, caw-caw!” proclaimed the cawinak sorcerer.

Two gnomes and a feralis diligently worked on their hapless victim.

“Mau, Nila, restrain him! Caw-caw.”

“Ah! You fuckers—!” His curse took effect, causing unwanted wonders. “Argghh!” However, a new incoming pain would soon rival it for supremacy. “I knew it! You smug wretches would exploit me at the earliest opportunity!”

God let it be quick!

“Can’t say I’m not enjoying this... after all the shit we went through,” exclaimed the male gnome, highly amused.

“Stop moving, you—” interjected the female gnome, her blood pressure rising. “And what are you doing Sikue?! Hurry the fuck up!”

Mau’s eyes landed on a rather small and glowing scroll on the nearby table. “That one’s ready to burst.”

The feralis grabbed the piece of parchment with special leather gloves and brought it near to the elf’s skin.

“Wait! Ah you...”

“Go on! Do it!”

After chanting the elven magical words, the parchment came alive, fusing its leaking magic to the redheaded elf’s skin. An acrid burning smell quickly filled the room.

“Argh! Ahhh!”

The languishing elf, kicked, shouted, and squirmed on the table, unable to achieve anything, not even a word of mercy from his torturers. A trio of creatures too far gone, too focused on creating sorrow, pain, and a sense of achievement, showing nothing but determination as they worked furiously on their victim. Any old semblance of partnership became dust and shadows, buried under a carpet of fire and magic.

“His curse is truly one of a kind! Caw-caw!” exclaimed the feralis in wonder.

“Then bring stronger magic, you non-flying diminished skull fuck!” Nila spat out piercing words.

“Ah, you gnomes have doubted my accomplishments for far too long. Caw-caw.” Sikue, the cawinak feralis, a sorcerer in ascendancy, declared, grabbing another parchment. “Admire my latest creation... this one... this one will really screw him up.”

“No, no... wait!” Their victim could only plead for an end to his torment.

Another round of skin vapors and the smell of freshly roasted meat wafted from the elf.

“Ahghh! You—Ahhrh!”

The screams of their victim simply excited the trio further. An obsession lodged in their crooked minds, to see the results of the plan they hatched in secrecy, whispered through the dark, like treasonous swine. But their work had merely begun. Inside the room, the feralis sorcerer worked against the clock, the scrolls used required his utmost concentration, his mind wandered the hallways of madness. Excruciating pain and uncertain results were the staple of his sorcery. His myriad teeth shone inside his beak, illuminated by the candlelight. A smile appeared. The mad-improptu-doctor had free reign on his test subject. He continued casting spells and using scrolls, and soon a nerve-cracking smoke barely left them room to maneuver. Only the screams of the tortured soul cut through the dense burnt-skin vapors.

*

As dusk descended, a blond and gallant figure hastened toward Silifran’s outer ring, weaving through its streets and avenues teeming with assorted sentient creatures until he arrived at the gate marking the entrance to the inner precinct. Unlike its more imposing counterpart in the outer ring, this inconspicuous gate welcomed visitors and residents alike to the city’s core. Upon approaching it, the blond figure encountered a respectable presence of soldiers, their demeanor resolute and their weapons at the ready.

A scant row of elves, accompanied by a handful of gnomes and even less of other races, awaited their turn to traverse into the inner sanctum of Silifran. While the elves breezed through the process, the gnomes, along with other beings, found themselves subjected to a more protracted scrutiny at this checkpoint. Before long, the blond figure stood face to face with the sentinels guarding the threshold to Silifran’s inner ring.

“Lei’s ashei dala’n farrui,” said one of the soldiers at the approaching blond figure.

The blond sentient creature met the gate’s guardians gazes with a hint of confusion. “Oh no. I’m not an elf. I’m a half-elf.”

One of the soldiers approached, scrutinizing his features.

“Well damn, you look like an elf,” the soldier remarked.

“I get that a lot. Sometimes I even doubt it myself, but after remembering my brakan father... I’m content enough to say: I was lucky,” replied the half-elf.

“Half-elf, half-brakan?” exclaimed another soldier, his expression twisting with disgust.

“I never asked my parents why, and much less how.”

“All these mixes... it’s hard to keep up,” interjected a lower-ranking soldier.

“Leifu’lo, keep your comments to yourself,” his superior reprimanded him with a stern look.

“But it’s the truth.”

“You’re right, but it’s not our place to say it,” the high-ranking elven soldier asserted, turning his attention back to the half-elf. “Name, papers and business,” he demanded, his tone grew rougher once he knew the truth of the half-elf’s heritage.

“My name is Ferd’inan Sil. Here are my papers,” Ferd’inan presented a document to the soldiers. “And I’m here for business.”

“What kind of business?” inquired the elven captain.

“I’m going to the elves’ merchant guild. I’m looking for a potential business partner in a small venture I’ve been ruminating for some time”

“You’ve got gold?” pressed the elven captain.

Ferd’inan grinned wildly. “Tons.”

Both elven soldiers exchange a glance, not entirely convinced by that claim.

The half-elf observed their incredulous expressions and offered an explanation, “I’m a hardworking fellow, and here in Silifran, they say opportunities abound.”

“It depends on who we’re talking about,” responded the elven captain.

“In that case, you have nothing to worry about. I’ve got the gold,” affirmed Ferd'inan.

After a moment of silence, the rank-and-file soldier broke the stillness. “His papers are good.”

The captain turned to the half-elf. “Everything seems to be in order. Half-elves possess the magnificence of their inherited elven lineage, but we’ll still be keeping a close eye on you. Even with our blood running through many of your half-kind... It’s a disappointment at times.” With a sigh, the elf returned his documents along with a card. “Here’s your pass for the day. Don’t overstay, mind your manners, and don’t let your... other half dictate your actions. Understood?”

“You’ll be proud of this half-elf. Of my elven half, of course.”

Without answering, the captain motioned for him to proceed inside the inner ring. “Next!” he called out.

“The merchant guild is located at the left end of the main avenue.” The lower-ranked elven soldier added before turning away.

Once inside, Ferd’inan witnessed the distinct lifestyle within the first inner ring. As the half-elf comprehended, the outer ring housed the allies of the elves—a diverse array of races seeking to establish themselves in the Elf Kingdom. Most were refugees, driven by war and famine. Their sheer numbers strained the elven resources, leaving them no choice but to accept them as allies, essentially providing more bodies to act as a buffer between elves and the humans. However, within the inner ring, the scene was markedly different.

Clean streets, elves frolicking out in the open, gardens adorning every corner, and different style of architecture and materials characterized this area. The quality was infinitely superior, with houses boasting a fantastical twist. Green structures clustered tightly together, resembling trees with their conical tops. Tubular homes nested within each other formed the foundation of their communities in this inner ring. From the bases of these structures, roots extended into the earth, surrounded by grass, and carefully tended vegetation. Cobblestone paths connected each segment of houses, from which elves emerged and disappeared. Ferd’inan noticed only a few sentient creatures beside elves, and among them, gnomes were the predominant race, favored by the elves as servants.

Ferd’inan wandered along the main avenue, marveling at these unfamiliar structures. It was his first time within in the inner sanctum of the elves, and this ring was not even the most sacred or important. Referred to as home by the common elves, it was not inhabited by the wealthy, influential, or political elite. Another ring, the central one, awaited exploration, but for now, this one would suffice.

Passing elves saluted him, and he returned the gesture. Walking along what appeared to be the main avenue, the half-elf continued until he reached a towering tree. Dozens of stories ascended into the skies, its thick trunk supporting a sprawling crown of leaves and branches. Attached to the trunk were several tubular structures, each adorned with mushroom-like roofs. Protruding from them were artificial growths made by the elves, serving as offices, departments, and even warehouses on the lowest levels.

Ferd'inan arrived at the lowest attached structure, resembling a tear-shaped green excrescence. Some symbols adorned the entrance, through which numerous elves hurried in and out, their movements marked by the characteristic seriousness of their race. He crossed the threshold and entered the Elven Merchant Guild Headquarters.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

In the main office, the half-elf encountered a female elf. After some initial talk, he succeeded in affiliating himself with the merchant guild, albeit not without cost. He had to pay a hefty sum, the most important requirement, in exchange for which they provided him with a merchant card.

“Uff. Look at this document, it has all my info and everything. Only thing missing is my pretty face on it,” remarked Ferd’inan, glancing at the female elf receptionist. “So... now I’m officially a merchant of Silifran?” he asked.

“Indeed, sir. Welcome to the Elven Merchant Guild. As a member you have the privilege of access to certain information, and conducting business in Silifran becomes possible.”

“Can I sponsor someone? It’s a partner but...”

“Yes?”

“He’s a human.”

“Oh, yes, you can. We actually do business with many humans, as well as with many other races. Everything is an opportunity for us, especially in tense times like this.”

“Imagine that. I thought you’d despise doing business with humans. How wrong of me. Then, I’d formally ask to sponsor a human.”

After following the necessary steps outlined by the female elf, Ferd’inan emerged from the Elven Merchant Guild. He slowly toured the inner ring, mentally noting the places he saw, endeavoring to remember the layout while appreciating the well-structured and orderly nature of this part of the city. His migraine, which had plagued him for most of the day, subsided slightly, as he admired the strange constructions the elves referred as architecture. However, his headache soon returned with a vengeance, and his head threatened to burst from the rising pain. Before long, he exited the inner ring and scurried away amidst the gritty streets of the outer ring.

*

The road connecting the elven towns of Fildereal and Silifran was an old and neglected one. Though shorter than going into the Elf Kingdom, it remained a perilous route that many creatures, elves included, undertook when speed or privacy was of the essence.

A caravan consisting of two carraiges pressed on along this rugged path. A cloud of dust billowed in its wake as it pushed beyond a safe speed. Its occupants, a jovial assortment of various races, occupied every available space—inside, atop the roof, and at the helm—gazing out at the horizon bored out of their minds. Steering the second carriage was a young female gnome with vibrant blue hair.

“Aren’t we going too fast? The wheels might break!” yelled the young female gnome at her companions.

“You rookie, stay behind the captain’s carriage. This shit ain’t nothing. And we ain’t stopping for anyone or anything,” retorted a burly orc, seated on the roof of the second carriage.

“If you say so, but I ain’t repairing no fucking wheel if one breaks,” replied the female gnome, her eyes darting to a red-painted sign on a tree they passed.

“Miaws your mewame cannon fodder?” asked a feralis standing beside the orc.

“Lucida. Feralis... schmuck.”

“You’re mewaucky I ain’t mewing like pawing off.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that before,” Lucida dismissed the feralis words.

Spotting a second dot painted on a tree, Lucida slowed their carriage.

“The hell you doing, new meat? Stay behind the front carriage,” shouted the orc at her.

“Lanaen’s not gonna be happy hearing how you’re acting!” a dwarf joined the admonishent.

“That subhuman can suck my feet’s toes! You lesser shits will soon behave under our name!” shouted Lucida.

“What are you saying!?” demanded the orc, staring at a soon-to-be-dead gnome with a piercing gaze. Not before toying with her for a while, a really long while. She looked yummy.

The several creatures that heard her turned their sights toward Lucida with apprehension and aggressiveness.

“Mewing gnome shit miewed too much grrrwe!” The feralis approached Lucida, paws off, but an explosion blasting off the front carriage drew everyone’s attention. With the smithereens still falling back to the ground and dark smoke loudly ascending, the sentient beings on the second carriage watched, paralyzed.

“What the hell?!” yelled the orc.

The transport came to a full stop.

“Fuck, are we under attack?” asked the dwarf.

Every being began descending from the two remaining carriages, while two sentient creatures on top of each one kept scanning the road ahead.

“See anything?” asked an old vermaian.

“Nothi-!”

A flash, then an explosion ensued, blasting off a portion of the orc’s head. Chunks of his brain splattered into the air, descending as rain.

“Meawww!”

A barrage of spells began landing on the creatures, a torrent of firebolts raining from their left flank.

“We’re under attack! Fight back!” yelled the dwarf.

Everyone ran towards the other side, believing themselves guarded, while several more firebolts landed on the carriage, damaging one wheel and blowing a corner of the roof.

“Ah! What the fuck is happening out there!?” shouted a feminine voice from inside the carriage.

Another round of explosions rocked them once more, this time on their right flank, and then once more, behind them, two steel rounds blew two creatures in an instant, their guts landing on the middle carriage.

“Fuck, from behind!” the dwarf yelled

“Caw cawn’t see them!”

“Who are you fuckers!?”

The three remaining beings, shocked and in panic, held frozen by fear, attempted to discern their aggressors. Suddenly, a green-haired gnome emerged from the bushes.

“Boo motherfuckers!”

“A gnome! You little shit!” shouted the dwarf.

“Kill caw cawim—!” In that moment, the ravenish feralis’ head split in two as a blade surfaced from his left eye socket. The two remaining creatures turned around to find the female gnome standing over the damaged carriage.

“You trait—”

“This is Del’vhario motherfuckers!” shouted Lucida.

Another set of blades tore through their faces, causing the two remaining creatures to collapse, their heads impaled by several sharp metals.

The female gnome turned to her gnome partner in crime. “I see you’re still alive.”

“We gnomes can never—” Mau was cut off by two more firebolts landing near the carriage.

“Holy shit, stop that! They’re fucking death already!” shouted the female gnome to the bushes on the other side.

A redheaded elf came out from the foliage, stowing several unused firebolt spells in his pockets.

“Damn it Ekk’s, stop getting all excited like a younglin about some first-level spell like firebolt,” remarked the female blue-haired gnome.

“You know I can’t.”

Mau chuckled at the elf’s words and then turned to the female gnome. “Shit that goes boom has its allure. Come on, Nila. Who doesn’t like this exploding crap?”

“I think you two assholes have a point.”

“Anyway, let’s get what we need and leave this place,” said X to his short accomplices.

“I enjoyed that little warm-up, and we got a nice haul! We fucking rock!” exclaimed Mau.

The trio set to work, unloading from the damaged middle carriage whatever they deemed worthy to claim as their own. A voice from within interrupted their morning tasks.

“You shits better don’t touch my stuff!” shouted a feminine voice.

“Hey Ekk’s, someone’s still inside,” pointed out Nila, nodding towards to the carriage.

“Nila, who were they transporting?”

“I slept through the fucking briefing, shit’s boring in there.”

“Let’s blow it up, just to be sure, mate,” suggested Mau, his eyes gleaming, even under the morning light.

“I can fucking hear you little shits!” yelled the feminine voice, angrier with each word sputtered.

X approached the carriage. “Lady... whatever, just come out, and we’ll talk.”

“No! Just take what you killed everyone for and go! Just don’t touch my instruments!”

The trio exchanged glances.

“Yeah... that won’t do. We need to make sure you won’t talk,” declared X.

“I’ve seen nothing, I’ve heard nothing. Get going you lanky fuck!”

“Ah! Let’s just blow it Ekk’s,” Mau’s excited expression spurred him on.

“Let me talk to to her, you unfeeling bastards,” insisted Nila, closing in and peering through the carriage’s left window. The shadows obscured most of the female’s figure, but her delicate face was visible. “Mhmm. A pretty young female.” Nila noted her ears, long but not as elongated as those of elves, medium in size with a peculiar spiral form unique to a specific race. “What’s a fae doing this far from your kingdom?”

“Nothing that concerns you, you little numskull! I already told you midgets to leave me alone!”

Nila turned to her criminal associates. “You know what? Blow this shit up to high heaven.”

“Yeah!” enthusiastically agreed Mau, producing several explortents.

“Ah! I told you to leave my instruments alone!”

Before the trio could respond, the carriage roof was sent skyward. Several extremities emerged from within, slithering and oozing their unsettling essence for all to see. Dozens of legs extended outward, accompanying the emergence of a creature—a beautiful female, her torso invaded by a black growth, as if insects crawled from beneath her skin, multiplying at her command.

One of her extremities swatted away Mau’s explortents as they reached for the elf. Manipulating her unnatural living growth, her extremities lunged toward X. They all landed around him, forcing him to the ground. Her face hovered inches from his, a pointy insect leg pressing against his throat.

“I told you not to touch my shit!” yelled the female creature.

“Damned my eyes, is this really a fae, Nila?” questioned Mau.

“Some part of her... deep, very deep within her bastardized blood,” replied Nila.

The gnomes swiftly drew their weapons, aiming at her.

“Wait! Everyone, calm down!” shouted X, his gaze locked with the half-insectoid creature overpowering him.

“We don’t want further bloodshed, we in Del’vhario have our limits. Let’s talk, like half-civilized beings,” stated Nila, then addressed X. “I’m learning, don’t I?”

“You are, but this time I didn’t want her guts landing all over me,” replied X, his disgusted expression shifting between her numerous appendages and humanoid torso. “Who knows what the hell this beast’s innards might contain? Maybe some incurable disease, and thanks but no, I’m already up to here with intractable crap.”

“You got a point with all the lessers and deformed races, diseased to their grills, loitering these lands,” added Mau.

“Really?” Nila looked at them, dumbfounded. “I don’t know how you can prance in the ruins with all those vawykins... ugh.”

“Aw, come on Nila, it’s not so bad. I know you’re warming up to them,” teased Mau, winking at her.

“It is that bad,” she replied.

“Shut the fuck up!” shouted the half-fae, her anger nearing its limit. Every chance she got, she glanced at the gnomes, eyeing their weapons. “Whoever you are, you crazy fuckers, you didn’t touch my instruments, did you?”

“What are you talking about?” inquired X.

“My harp! My music!”

“Hell no, what would we even use that for?”

“My precious instruments! They are in the other carriage—” The half-fae’s gaze fell upon the burning remains of the first carriage. “Ah, no!” She hurried off toward it, braving smoke and fire to retrieve her precious items.

The gnomes helped X stand up, watching the female half-fae wail as she searched for her lost instruments.

“Now, this is just sad,” sighed Nila.

“Leave her be. Let’s load the cargo onto the sukullas and unchain them from the carriages,” said X, already assessing their recently acquired merchandise.

After completing their task, the fae had finished with hers too. With tears in her eyes, she approached the trio.

“It’s gone! Everything’s gone! My instruments!” Her wailing and weeping intensified.

“Do I end her suffering?” Mau queried his accomplices.

“Let’s ask the beast—”

But the female half-fae had different intentions. Abruptly ceasing her lamentations, she charged X with a mind consumed by rage.

“Whoa!” X quickly withdrew two firebolt scrolls and directed them at the incoming monster. However, the slippery creature evaded the burning magic. Just steps away from reaching the redheaded elf, a shot landed close to the insect appendages supporting her, sending her debris of dust and rocks flying around her.

“Ah! I surrender!” she screamed, while wiping away some of the fine particles that had lodged in her eyes. “My fucking eyes! My instruments! You murderers! And you, whoreson of a bitch elf! You and your kind, be damned!”

“Next shot is going right through your abdomen, you demented half-abomination!” yelled X at her.

“Shoot me now! I’ve already lost my instruments!”

“You want to die over some freaking instruments?” asked Nila.

“No! It’s more than that, those were my tools of vengeance! Yes! I hate you elves! Every single one of you cocksuckers must die! Ah!” Another round of laments ensued. “What the fuck am I to do now?”

“Hey, this abortion is growing on me. Repeat that about elves,” Mau goaded her. “I mean, who doesn’t despise elves, apart from elves themselves.”

“And those that lick their boots, paltry creatures, filth, living excrement! But not us gnomes!” Nila seconded her gnome companion.

“Never us!” They both concluded with a shout.

The female half-fae looked up. “You hate elves? But isn’t he one?”

“Uh-uh. He’s a gnome, like him, like me. And exemplary male of our species,” proudly commented Nila.

“And we three gnomes are known as Del’vhario. Never forget,” added Mau.

X approached her. “I know I look like an elf, and everyone says so. Hell, sometimes I really buy into their propaganda and think myself as one. But then I remember the demon-gods above in the skies.” The trio glanced upward. “Or perhaps lurking deep below the very ground we tread.” Their gaze shifted downward. “Nevertheless, I harbor no fondness for elves.” Finally, they fixed their eyes on her.

The half-fae’s semblance contorted in confusion. “Hmm... I’ve met some demented creatures, then I’ve met you.” She stood straight, dusting herself off. “As long as you buy or steal an instrument for me, I’ll shut up about your... whatever.”

“We’ll see about that. What’s your name?” asked X.

“Marika, half-fae, half-prunae,” she declared, proud.

“The male gnome over there is Mau, this is Nila, and I’m X. And we’re Del’vhario.”

“You fucks are even crazier than I am.” Before any of them could respond, she silenced them with a finger. Then, she growled, screamed, and her appendages began retracting into her body, her flesh contorting until nothing recognizable as part insect remained. Regaining her composure, she stood before them. A fetching sight, appearing wholly female if not for her secret transformation; no one would suspect a monster in disguise.

“Fiu... Not a bad trick,” remarked Mau, drooling at her like a small dog in heat.

“Come with us, and we’ll talk about these reparations you seek from us,” X said.

Marika’s clouded thoughts cleared. “Considering you’ve left me with nothing, why not?”

“Is it her pretty face that convinced you?” Nila taunted the elf. “Or maybe one of her insect legs? Just remember those insectile extremities lie in the waiting.”

“Out of sight, out of mind, right, Mau?” X redirected the conversation to the male gnome.

“Following my teachings, are you? Good on you, Ekk’s. The next step is wanting to see those extremities while you passionately—”

“Can we fucking go already! I want my instruments of vengeance!”