Elf Lords
The wood elf turned at the sound of what he thought was a twig snapping. Sure this was the far back lines, but there was always the chance that some enemy could be lurking about behind the lines. He relaxed when he saw, heard and smelled nothing. He had to get back to the front there was nothing out here to watch for.
"Are we there yet!?" a peevish childish voice asked. The elf world around to see two humans and a high elf standing behind him. He had to wonder how the child, who was obviously not very concerned with stealth, hadn't alerted him to their presence.
"Is there a place I can leave non-combatants nearby?" the older human, a dark-haired boy in his late teens. He looked familiar to the elf.
"You're Gabriev's son!" the elf declared suddenly.
"Yessss," Jol said slowly as if speaking to a child. "Non-combatants, some place relatively safe. Does any of this ring any bells?"
"There's the field hospital," the elf said, shaking off the surprise. "How did you get so close to me?"
"The clouded mind sees nothing," Tinuviel said in silibant voice while producing a small light spell under her chin. The elf just looked at her blankly.
"What?" Jol asked. "Is that?"
"Something I read in a book once," Tinu said. "I always wanted to get a chance to say that."
"Oh kay," Jolrael said. "Look, just direct me to the field hospital and we can both get into..." Jolrael looked up and past the elf. "SHIT! And let's get that done quickly, we have more company coming." The human pointed up at the approaching storm front.
"It's just a..."
"No it's not just a storm." Jol said.
"Then wha..."
"A whole bunch of minor mazoku I think," Jolrael interrupted the elf again.
"The fiel..."
"The field hospital is that way?" Jol asked pointing. The elf nodded. "Thanks."
"How do.."
"How do I do what?" Jol asked innocently. "Come on we don't have time to be sitting around here discussing parlor tricks, let's go!"
"How much further?" Kyrie whined as Jolrael seemed to vanish back into the woods. The elf followed closely behind, though he soon lost sight of the trio. "Where'd they go?"
Fimore glanced to his rear line, past where he assumed the wood elven rebels were stationed. There was a storm forming on the horizon, a storm with a particular taint emanating from it.
"Mazoku," he spat.
"Just what we need," Zelgadis sighed as the aftermath of his last Dug Haut left him a little breathing room. "A fourth army to join this mess."
"What are you talking about, its just a storm," one of the magicians next to him said.
"No they're demons, and they're heading this way, spread the word," Zelgadis said dryly. "If it wasn't a free for all before, its about to become one."
"Oh dear, that is not a natural storm," Sylphiel sighed as she looked from the soldier she was healing. Then she felt something approach, something that didn't want to be noticed. She turned toward the edge of the tree line and watched as her son appeared out of the woods along with his sister and the elf-girl, Tinuviel.
"Jolrael! And Kyrie!!" Sylphiel shouted. "You're safe!!" Sylphiel rushed across the field, nimbly avoiding bumping into anybody, and swept her children into a hug. "Oh we thought you were gone, dear."
"But I was just with that strange man in the hat," Kyrie said. "He gets made a lot!" Kyrie giggled.
"Mom," Jol sighed. "I'm going to have to go fight now."
"Of course," Sylphiel said reluctantly, releasing her children and accepting her daughter, who was perfectly happy at being transferred. "Oh my poor dear. Thank Ceipheed you're all right," Sylphiel sighed. "Hakubi-san, its good to see you healthy as well." Sylphiel nodded to Tinuviel
"I don't see how we were in any danger," Tinuviel said, though the hesitation in her normal cheerful demeanor indicated she may not have felt it. "That storm has moved very quickly since we first saw it, though. So we might have trouble soon."
"I was already planning on an attempt to evacuate the hospital," Sylphiel said. "Lina and your father are near the front, where's every one else?"
"Most of them are chasing after Zangulus and Martina," Jol explained. "There are two more of us here, but I'm not certain you know them. They're probably already fighting by now." Jol said.
"Don't be too reckless, Jolrael," Sylphiel commanded him as he turned towards the sounds of battle.
"I'm never reckless," Jolrael said. "I leave that to other people." He waved and vanished into the forest with a smirk.
"Excuse me," a elf said, stumbling into the clearing. "Did three people just, oh, they're here already."
The sounds of battle reaching Jolrael's ears were just transforming from an overall din into the sound of individual skirmishes when the storm hit. In mere instants the place was blanketed with snow an inch deep, quickly growing from there. The white against the bright, vibrant greens and browns of the forests were mentally jarring.
Jol paused in walking as the first of the mazoku descended. Three of the creatures, like the one before. Jolrael shrugged as he drew his sword and readied himself to face the monsters.
"I was holding back the last time I fought one of you," Jol said to grimmly smiling creature. "Not this time."
"Do not bluff uhhhfff..." the speaking demon was tossed backwards through a tree, bringing the great plant down between the other two mazoku. "...mortal." The ice demon stood up and glowered at Jolrael.
"I don't bluff," Jolrael said simply before charging forward.
Lord Fimore hesitated a moment before slicing through one of the mazoku that had added there presence to the field.
"Another Elf Lord," he muttered. "With the rebels!"
The scion of House Feanor turned back from the human lands began to rush back through the ranks, what little rank there was now. Absently destroying the swarming ice demons that were tearing apart his forces, assuming they came in his reach at least. He paused only a moment before deciding that his sorcerers and assorted magicians were holding there own against the demons.
Fimore had bigger problems to deal with than a few minor spirits.
"This is perhaps good news," Zelgadis said as he blasted another demon out of existence. "There are more of the high elves than there are of us. The demons are a bigger problem for them. Remind me to send Dynast a thank you message."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous for the messenger, milord?"
Zelgadis turned to look at the young soldier.
"That was a joke."
"Oh, uh okay."
Lina smiled, a truly terrifying thing in the fourth aspect. At the moment she lived for battle and battle alone. And the addition of a few hundred demons to the battle field was very satisfying. Especially since the demons tended to occupy the minds of the enemy spellcasters long enough for her or one of the other surviving werefoxes to get close enough to kill them.
Lina ripped a demon apart, not bothering to use her fangs. She had discovered that they did not taste very good. After the demon fell she noticed a new change in the air and the surprise shocked her enough that she regained the second aspect. The fox woman glanced around, ignoring the expressions on the various faces of soldiers who suddenly realized that a very attractive, if furry, and very nude, woman seemed to have suddenly materalized in their midsts.
"That smells like...," Lina started.
"Lina-chan! Put some clothes on," a voice snapped from behind her. "Really, how long have you been living in that forest of yours?" Lina turned to face her sister, actually out of uniform for the first time since she could remember. Luna faced an oncoming unit of elves and casually cast a mega brando that scattered the lot of them.
"Oneesama? What are you doing here?" Lina demanded.
"Lina, clothes," Luna insisted. The woman materialized a thick bulky robe and tossed it at her sister. "That should survive your transformation."
"Okay," she put the robe on quickly, not wanting to aggravate her sister. "Now, uh, why are you here?" Lina asked bervously, making sure they were still in a calm area for now.
"I missed work," Luna said coldly. "Since you are properly attired, well as close as possible anyway, I think its time we both returned to the battle." The woman rose up off the ground and into the sky, the mazoku formed storm clearing as far as a mile away from her. Following Luna's aerial departure there were a number of large, very large, explosions.
"I think that's good news," Lina muttered to herself before she began to seek out more opponents. The former sorceress grew and dropped to all fours for more speed as shifted into the fourth aspect to hunt.
Jolrael felt the fool heading his way, they would meet soon. Him and the Elf Lord, the absolute epitomy of all that he despised about his distant relatives. The arrogance, the superiority, the supreme hubris that so many of them displayed to anybody that wasn't an elf, and quite a few who were. Jolrael smiled quietly as he considered the coming meeting and easily sidestepped a pair of elven warriors.
Then he was there, and the way opened up between the two. The Elf Lord regarded his opponent and sneered.
"A boy, a mere HUMAN child?" he growled. "By what evil power do you bear an Elf Lord's power, boy?"
"I'd assume genetics," Jolrael said as he hefted his blade.
"Genetics, what magic is this?" The Elf Lord started circling him.
"Another word for heredity," Jol explained. "Much as I hate to admit it, I do have the blood of you stinking, haughty elves in my history."
"An abomination," Fimore spat. "When I return I shall have all of mixed blood hunted down to extinction. Humans are not meant for such power."
"Apparently we are," Jol smirked. They barely noticed the appearance of Luna Inverse's power in the battlefield, so concerned they were with each other.
The two swordsmen stopped moving and suddenly they exploded into bright, shimmering lights as they charged forward. Two men engaged immediately in two battles. One a battle of swordsmanship, the other one of clashing minds.
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