SHINJI'S NEW LIFE
by Gunman and Reisfriend
Disclaimer: We own nothing, which shouldn't surprise anyone anymore.
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Chapter 22
The Elven Forest
(4 days after leaving Ithalan)
Shinji was sitting behind Ayl, who was holding the reins of Tornac and Hana was sitting behind Shinji and tightly clinging on to him.
Tia and Lilia were riding together on the white horse with a black mane that Lilia had when they had ridden back to Ithalan from the Hunters Inn. Brighid was riding on a chestnut colored horse with a white mane.
During their ride to Ayl's forest, the group had encountered just one pack of wolves, which had 11 black wolves, but the group quickly dispatched them with magic. Lilia killed three wolves at the same time by shooting one with her bow and the other 2 with ice spears.
Hana had been shaking in fear after her first real encounters with monsters, which is why she wouldn't let go of Shinji before they went to sleep.
During the ride, Brighid also introduced herself properly, mainly to Shinji. Brighid was an orphan who never knew who her real parents were. All she knew was that she was left at the steps of the orphanage as a baby and raised by the staff of the said orphanage. She joined the army when she came of age and after completing basic training, she decided to take special training to become a Ranger, since it sounded more exciting then the Army. And sometimes it was more exciting and sometimes it was just boring.
Shinji thought that Brighid's story was quite cliche, since that setting often happened in adventure mangas.
Shinji also had sex with Tia and Lilia during the trip, in secret upon their request, since they had more or less become addicted to the pleasure and Shinji wasn't complaining.
And Shinji also came to appreciate more of the water magic he had, since he didn't have to use the leaves the people without water magic had to use as toilet paper. Ayl had some time ago explained to him that the leaves left a slight, but unbearable, itch that lasted a few hours after being used. So the ones who didn't have water magic requested Hana or Lilia to use water magic to clean them up after they did their needs in the forest. Brighid only had fire and light magic and she made it amply clear that she hated those leaves and wished that she had water magic.
'Goddess of Magic, thank you for gifting me water magic.' Shinji told the Goddess last night.
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(Gods Realm)
"You're welcome Shinji." Lianna's grandmother Lana, the Goddess of Magic said when she heard him, secretly wishing that she had a cute grandson like Shinji.
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"How much further Ayl?!" Hana shouted to Ayl as they were riding along the road.
"About half an hour to reach the road that leads to my forest and another hour to the village!" Ayl replied.
And as Ayl said, it took almost half an hour and the group reached a paved road that lead into the forest.
The group looked at the road leading further into the forest and thought that the road had an eerie look as well as the trees on either side of the road.
"Do we really have to use this road?" Hana asked shakily. Some of the trees looked like they had eyes and their leaf-less branches looked like claws. "This place looks... haunted."
"Trust me, it's an illusion magic that only makes it look scary. It's purpose is to discourage intruders. And we have to walk from here." Ayl explained.
"Let's move." Brighid said, actually getting excited about it.
The group dismounted the horses and started leading them into the forest. Hana clung on to Shinji as Tia moved next to him. The horses neighed as they entered.
"Ouch!" Hana groaned in pain. Shinji placed his hand on her butt and used 'Recovery' to heal the soreness. Hana moaned in relief as the soreness faded for the umptheenth time since the beginning of their journey. Hana had never been on a horse, so her body wasn't used to such long distance ride, like Shinji was when he rode on Tornac for the first time.
Shinji looked around and noticed that some trees had sap pouring out of them and some leaves were constantly changing color. He remembered reading that the sap was edible and some tree leaves could store a very small amount of mana, which often made the leaves change color constantly.
'A little creepy, but pretty cool.' He thought as he felt Hana tightening her hold on him.
Brighid was admiring the sight and thinking how exciting it was to be going to an elven village through a creepy forest.
Tia and Lilia kept their ears open and listened to anything that sounded suspicious, since the thick trees could hide enemies or beasts.
Ayl was frowning because the forest path probably didn't give the best first impression about her home to her friends.
"Are there traps in the forest?" Tia asked Ayl.
"There are magic traps for intruders and they are concealed with darkness magic." Ayl answered.
'So the forest is a minefield.' Shinji thought.
"And I suppose that this paved road is the only safe way through the forest? Are there guards keeping an eye on it?" Brighid asked.
"That's right. Many bandits and slavers would absolutely love to loot our treasury or capture some elves so they could sell them." Ayl replied.
"Has anyone managed to do either?" Lilia asked.
"About 300 years ago a well-organized slaver group managed to capture 4 elven children and get out of the forest, but they were caught before they could reach the nearest town." Ayl answered.
Before anyone could say anything, a dozen elven warriors appeared from behind the trees and aimed their bows at them.
'Gah! Lord of the Rings scene.' Shinji thought about the situation.
Tia and Lilia were surprised that the elves managed to conceal themselves from their senses so well and Brighid flinched at the sudden ambush. Hana yelped fearfully and tightened her hold on Shinji even more.
"Raise your hands everyone." Ayl told them and they did so.
"Who wants to enter our forest?" The apparent leader of the elves appeared in front of the group. He had an armor with a tree bark color like the other elves and he also had a short platinum blond hair and grey eyes.
"Ayl Valtharos of the house of Valtharos." Ayl said in her elven language that the others didn't know, but Shinji understood, since Galac and Lianna gave Shinji the knowledge to understand this worlds languages on the day he reincarnated.
"It has been a while Ayl." The leader said to her in their language.
"Yes it has Aeson. I have come to visit my parents with my friends. And also to inform Vanir's parents that his killer is at last dead." Ayl said.
Aeson seemed mildly shocked by Ayl's words before he said: "You may enter."
"Let's move everyone." Ayl told her friends and they started moving as the guards lowered their bows and made way.
"What did you tell him Ayl?" Brighid asked.
"I just told them that I came to visit my parents with my friends. And they know me since I have been through here quite often." Ayl answered.
"And I take it that you can't enter this forest if you are not invited?" Shinji asked.
"Yes. You need a permission, invitation or an escort to enter our village." Ayl replied bluntly.
The group didn't talk the rest of the way until they reached a large clearing which had several simple houses resembling cottages and at the treeline there were several tree houses and some elves walking around.
"Looks... different then I imagined." Hana commented.
"What did you expect then?" Ayl asked.
"I don't know. Maybe something more... magical." Hana said.
"We elves prefer simple living quarters, since we don't generally need large fancy houses like humans." Ayl explained.
"Generally?" Brighid asked.
"Some elves have more luxurious and spacious living quarters like my parents, since they are wealthy enough and it's also to show their status as nobles." Ayl explained.
"You never mentioned that you were a noble Ayl." Tia said.
"I don't brag about it. And I also left to become an adventurer because I wanted to see the world and meet people, instead of spending my whole life in this forest and in the comforts and luxuries of a nobles house." She replied.
"I can understand that. It sounds far more exciting then just spending your whole in comfort and safety." Brighid commented.
'Brighid is an adrenaline junkie.' Shinji thought.
As the group followed Ayl, some elves looked at the visitors as they passed by and Shinji also noted that he didn't see any kids running around. But all in all, he was currently visiting an elven village in a fantasy world like an isekai protagonist.
'In games and mangas, these places look more magical.' He thought as he took in the sight. 'Then again, they are supposed to be enticing and interesting. Different from places humans would live. Peter Jackson would probably be disappointed.'
Tia thought that spending her retirement days in a peaceful place like this wouldn't be a bad idea.
When they finally arrived at Ayl's home, the group noted that it was a 3-story mansion build with a simple architecture, nothing fancy or metallic. Stones that looked like white sandstone, the tiles on the roof looked like red brick, and the doors and window shutters looked like brown oak. The front door looked quite strong.
"What a nice house." Hana said in a childish manner, since she was excited.
"There is also a basement with a large bath. I recommend that we take a bath and rest up today. And of course, something to eat." Ayl said.
"A bath. I can't wait to soak in hot water." Brighid said happily.
"I also would like to have a hot bath." Tia said with a small smile.
Shinji also got excited. A hot bath after a long ride was something he had wanted to do for a long time now. There was a public bathhouse in Ithalan, but he hadn't been there yet since he had been too busy with training and quests.
Hana was getting even more excited. She had never taken a bath before, but now she could take one with her lover for the first time.
"Are there guestrooms where we can sleep?" Brighid asked.
"Of course. But come on now, let's take the horses to our stable." Ayl said and lead the group behind the house, where they brought the horses to the stable.
"Miss Ayl, you're back." The stable boy greeted them.
"Hey there Aego. It's been a while." Ayl replied.
"Are they your friends?" Aego asked as he noticed the five behind her.
"Yes. But I would like to leave our horses here and freshen up before dinner. Are my parents in?" Ayl asked.
"Lady Aelene is in, but Lord Aranel has gone to visit one of the other lords. He will return tomorrow from his trip." Aego answered as he took the horses reins.
"I see. Thank you." Ayl said and started leading her friends to the house.
The inside of the house looked well kept and there were a few paintings of elves along with some swords that were hanging below the portraits and the furniture looked like works of art thanks to the engravings and decorations that were carved in them.
"Looks pretty cozy." Hana evaluated.
"It is, especially during the cold season. There are magic stones embedded on the walls that emit heat and they can be recharged by anyone who has fire magic." Ayl said.
"That's pretty handy." Tia commented, remembering the time when she had to chop firewood with her father so they could warm up their house during the winter.
"Ayl, you have returned." They heard someone at the stairs.
The group turned to look and saw a beautiful elf whom they could have easily mistook as Ayl's twin sister.
'Holy shit she's hot.' Shinji thought, now knowing where Ayl got her elegant beauty from. She was dressed in a elegant-looking green gown with gold trim and silver accents around her neck and waist. She had a gold ring on her left ring-finger, and a silver necklace around her neck.
"Mother, I have returned with my friends. We are currently on vacation from the Guild." Ayl said in elven language.
"Welcome everyone. I am Aelene, Ayl's mother. Will you introduce them Ayl?" Aelene asked.
"This is Hana Doma, the cook and receptionist of the Inn I stay at. This is Tia Van Dorin, a quarter vampire and a fellow adventurer. This is Lilia Kranjcar, a pantherian adventurer. This is Brighid Vorn, a Ranger from Ithalan, and this is Shinji Ikari, my apprentice." Ayl said, pointing out each member of her group as she introduced them to Aelene.
"A pleasure to meet all of you. But we can talk after you have freshened up and eaten. I'll have dinner ready in 3 hours so you should go take a bath first." Aelene said and went towards the kitchen without another word.
Shinji seemed slightly confused by her demeanor. He noted that neither Ayl or her mother even tried to hug each other, not kiss each other on the cheek. Ayl noticed her apprentice's confused look.
"Don't mind her too much. She always goes right to the point with everybody." Ayl quickly explained.
"I don't mind. But show us to the bath now Ayl." Brighid said.
"This way." Ayl said, relieved that her team didn't mind too much about her mothers manners.
Ayl lead her friends to the basement, where she turned on the magic stones imbedded in the walls that emitted light.
When they got to the bathing room, the others were impressed while Shinji thought that it reminded him of a hot spring one saw in mangas.
Hana went over to the pool of water and tried the temperature. "How do you heat this water?"
"There is a fire magic stone in the bottom that heats the water. My parents both have fire magic and since they use this bath regularly, they recharge the stone daily." Ayl answered.
"I wish I had something like this in my home." Brighid whined.
"Me too." Tia added.
"But anyway, let's bath. Shinji, Hana and Lilia, clean our bodies first with water magic." Ayl said and started stripping. The others followed suit.
Brighid hesitated at first, since Shinji was there, but she mustered her courage and removed her clothes and armor.
The three water magic holders cleaned eveyones body and soon they were all relaxing in the hot water.
"Aaaahhhhh!" Everyone except Ayl moaned from enjoyment.
"This feels so amazing." Hana said, loving the relaxing feeling.
"I could get used to this." Brighid commented.
Tia and Lilia weren't saying anything, but the look on their faces told everyone that they were enjoying themselves.
'Oh God I missed this.' Shinji thought, remembering the times he had a hot bath after an Angel battle.
Ayl was glad to see that her friends were enjoying the bath and she was also glad that her father wasn't home at the moment, since there was no way he would have let Shinji anywhere near the bath when she was using it.
Tia and Hana scooted closer to Shinji and snuggled against him. Lilia was too relaxed to notice what her rivals were doing.
'WHOA! Two naked beauties snuggling against me in a hot bath! It feels even better then I imagined!' He thought, having fantasized about a scenario like this quite often.
"What kind of food are we going to have Ayl?" Brighid asked.
"I bet that we are going to have some fresh vegetables and fruits and some fish and chicken." She answered.
"Hmh, it will do." The Ranger stated.
"Shinji, let's sleep together." Hana said.
"I will sleep with you as well." Tia said.
"Hey! I get to sleep with Shinji alone!" Hana protested.
"If we were in Ithalan, I would agree. But since we are not, I will sleep with him. You can sleep on his left side." Tia countered.
Hana grumbled but agreed to Tia's suggestion. Lilia had almost fallen asleep, so she didn't even hear her rivals agreement.
Ayl and Brighid were suppressing their laughter as they watched their companions fighting over their love interest. Shinji on the other hand was busy enjoying the feeling of their breasts pressing against him.
The group spend the next 30 minutes relaxing in the hot water and Ayl had brought them cold drinks from a nearby cabinet, which was mead and the drinks were kept cool by the ice mandala Hana used often. Shinji also got the chance to finish the story he had been telling them along the ride. The story was Dracula, and the group had been enthralled by it.
"Shinji, would you wash my back for me?" Tia asked suddenly.
"NO TIA! He's going to wash my back first!" Hana protested.
"I asked him first." Tia said back.
"I'm his first lover." Hana said.
"Rock paper scissors." Tia said and raised her hand.
"Best of three." Hana declared and they started playing.
(5 minutes later)
"I win." Tia said as she won with paper.
"Nooooo!" Hana whimpered in defeat.
"I think we should get out now. I'm getting a bit dizzy." Brighid said and got out of the pool.
"I agree." Ayl said and also got out. "And wake up Lilia."
Tia shook Lilia awake and the group started washing each other. Shinji was surprised to see sponges and liquid soap, but then he remembered Ayl telling him that the rich could afford such luxuries, since soap was difficult to make and sponges weren't widely available, due to the price and rarity.
"Ooohhh. That feels good Shinji." Tia moaned as Shinji scrubbed her back.
Hana was washing Shinji back and was actually glad that she lost the game, since she wouldn't get to wash her lover if she had won and he would be washing her next.
"Lilia, your skin is so pretty." Brighid complimented out of nowhere, since she was a bit drunk.
"Thank you." She replied, grumbling at the sight of 4 other beautiful women with big breasts.
"Harder Shinji." Hana said as Shinji started washing her back. "Ooh. Just like that."
Shinji was fighting back the urge of getting hard, but it wasn't easy, since he was washing a beautiful womans back and there were four equally naked beauties around him.
'A perverts wet dream, or at least part of it.' He thought, his willpower wavering a bit.
10 minutes later, the team was thoroughly washed with Shinji's Shower, which everyone enjoyed. They also used water magic to clean their clothes and headed to the dining room.
Ayl just hoped that her mother didn't realize that Shinji was from another world.
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Upstairs in the kitchen, Aelene was supervising the cooks in order to make sure that her daughter and her friends had the best first elven meal of their lives. None of them had been here before, and so it was only right to make a good first impression of the elves to them.
Aelene had eyed each of Ayl's companions, trying to understand them as much as possible. She had been a good judge of character, something she passed on to Ayl. So she was confidant that Ayl had chosen these people because they were good and trustworthy.
And diverse. A ranger, an inn keeper, a quarter-vampire and a pantherian.
However, the one that interested her the most was Ayl's apprentice. Shinji Ikari. Aelene couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something off about him. Her instincts told her that he wasn't a threat, but there was an aura of mystery about him. As if he was blessed or charmed or something.
'Shinji Ikari. What mysteries do you hold?' she thought as she rubbed her gold wedding ring on her left hand.
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Authors Notes:
Sorry this took so long to update. Things have been pretty busy in the real world.
This chapter was a bit simple and fun, since the group is on a vacation. There will be more conflict and drama late, but for now the group is just relaxing and enjoying their vacation.
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OMAKE 1
Bron the dwarf fighter had decided to come with the adventurers to Ayl's forest for their vacation. Bron had never been to an elven forest before. He was naturally wary.
"They say a great elf witch lives in these forests." the dwarf said.
Shinji's ear twitched at he heard him say that.
"All that look upon her, fall under her spell, and are never seen again." he contiued.
'OH, My, GOD! Is he really imitating Gimli right now and not even realizing it?' Shinji said, trying not to laugh.
"Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" He said with bravado.
'And cue the elves.' Shinji thought as several elven warriors appeared out of nowhere, their arrows aimed right at the group. Three were pointed at Bron. 'Called it.'
"And the footsteps of a pregnant ox." one of the elves said.
Bron growled at he said that.
"The dwarf breaths so loud we could have shot him in the dark." another elf said.
'Oh, Kill Me Now!' Shinji thought, struggling very hard not to laugh at what he was hearing.
