Author Notes: Now with a more action packed chapter and an excuse to showcase our character's skills and capabilities in more dangerous situations. Hope you enjoy it.
"How big is the world mom?" Eleni asked to Lilith, her hair as white as the full moon from outside Royal Makai and eyes as red as the Moon in her kingdom, heard her with patience. "I heard that there is a lot out there"
The Mamono Lord, greatest of monarchs, of great power that was respected, admired and feared in equal measure, looked at her like any good mother would to their child, with love and care.
"If the calculations of the greatest scholars and minds are correct, is quite big my dear," Lilith simply said. "It has many lands and even nowadays not all of it was truly explored in its entirely even after civilization was stablish long ago"
"But didn't you and dad went around the world?" Eleni asked, as she loved the story in which Lilith and Alcides freed the monsters of their shackles. It was her favorite. "You went even to the Zipangu continent, and that's far in the east!"
"Yes, we did go there, but there is still far more," the Mamono Lord explained. "For example, there is the Mist Continent, which is far bigger than Zipangu, it's quite the isolated place and very few travelers ventured there and all what we heard about it was from them and any native inhabitant that left it"
"And what about other lands?" Eleni asked again. "I wish to become an explorer one day"
Lilith smiled towards that open enthusiasm. "One day, when you grow up, maybe you will become a great adventurer but…"
"You have to be aware, that as the world has many wonders, it also has an equal amount of dangers, me and dad learned this long ago" the Mamono Lord explained, now with a more serious tone in her voice. "If you wish to become an explorer of the unknown regions, then you must prepare yourself, I don't wish to lose my precious daughter"
"I will not get lost," Eleni said innocently. "Maybe the world is big, but I as long I have a map and a compass, I will always find my way back home"
The Lilith simply smiled but in her eyes there was a hint of worry.
"I'm not talking about that," she said with a sigh. "When you grow up, you will understand it better"
-OOO-
"So, how long until we get to the border?" Daiana asked. "I'm getting tired of these trees"
"Not much longer, maybe five to six days, until we are in the borders of Oreira" Eleni said as the group walked on a steady pace. "And it is not like you aren't unaccustomed to them"
"Is not the same," the Gazer protested. "Is that simply that I just…don't like this forest in particular"
"And why is that?" Ashely asked, her gelatinous form advancing through the terrain. "I don't see anything wrong with it"
"Well, is that this particular one is putting me on edge since we entered," Daiana explained. "At first I thought it was just my imagination but every hour in it is just…unnerving"
"Unnerving?" Seela now asked, her body tensing up in response to the Gazer's description, tightening her grip on her weapon.
"I can't put it in words, is like if the forest itself was…marked or something," Daiana said. "Eleni, are you sure that there are no people living in here?"
"Well, according to all info that I managed to collect there are no known settlements or colonies," the Human said. "Very few ever ventured in these parts"
"And my instincts are telling me that there is something intelligent thatmade its home over here" the Gazer said as her tentacle eyes looked to the trees.
"Maybe is just some sort of hermit that wanted to be left alone," Eleni said as she began to say. "If one wanted such a lifestyle this region would be absolutely perfect for it"
"If it was some smelly dude with a long beard, I wouldn't have problems, but I have the sensation that, whatever or whoever made its home here is not particular friendly with travelers" Daiana said as she moved her head and tentacles anxiously, as if she was waiting for something to jump out of the tress. "Maybe we should consult our expert mage, Ashely?
The Shoggoth nodded and began to concentrate holding her staff and closing her eyes in deep thought. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again.
"Strange, I only sense the presence of animals and plants," Ashely said. "Maybe it was the encounter with the slowclaws that is making you nervous"
"No, I'm telling there is something more dangerous that those stinky bastards," the Gazer protested. "And that is not going to let us go so easily if it spots us"
"Even if there is no actual people living here, we should take Daiana's words seriously your Highness," Seela said as she approached Eleni. "Who knows, maybe a band of bandits or even rogue mercenaries made their camp recently"
While such possibilities were minimum, Eleni nodded in approval. She considered Daiana among the best trackers and survivalists she ever knew and Eleni wasn't alone in her opinion.
Even in Royal Makai she had a very positive reputation in that regard, considering that one time the Gazer managed to localized and find a lost orc child after she got lost for eight days when most couldn't.
It was quite the heartwarming moment, Eleni remembered but Daiana would try to dodge the subject matter without avail. The Human didn't understand why the Gazer was so easily flustered by the praise of other people.
"Well, as you are a great scout and tracker I will take your advice, besides, is not like…" Eleni said as she advanced but stopped suddenly. "What the…?"
The Human girl suddenly jumped forwards towards a particular big tree, bigger than most that they saw until now. She was followed by her companions.
"What is the…?" Daiana tried to ask when she saw something that Eleni pointed out at the bark of the tree. "No way, there is no fucking way"
Seela saw too what the two were watching and her she frowned, her face marked with an expression of absolute seriousness.
"What it is?" Ashely. "is some hermit living inside the tree? Maybe we should ask permission to…"
"Is not that," Eleni said, moving away to showcase a strange mark, like a glyph or rune that the Shoggoth didn't recognize. "Is something much worse"
"Elves!" the Gazer said as she kicked the ground in frustration. "Goddamn elves!"
"Elves? I heard about them," Ashely said with enthusiasm, ignoring the tone of the rest of the group. "They are a long lived race full of wisdom, power and understanding of nature and considered to be extremely beautiful, even their men are said to be as beautiful as human maidens and their women even more so"
"Maybe we should try to hook up with some pretty elf boy with you," Eleni tried to joke to add some levity to the situation. "you are quite the charming and kind girl; guys will practically fall in love with you if you open up with them"
Ashely blushed deeply at the same as Daiana looked at both the Human and the Shoggoth with bewilderment.
"As if it was all that true," Daiana said with disdain.
"Well, is not that Ashely is incorrect in her assessment," Seela said with a sigh. "Indeed, they have a considerable inherent power over nature, to the point that all elves can blend into their surroundings better than any chameleon"
"But most elves, or at least forest elves, tend to be very…protective of their territories," Eleni explained. "Is not something we can simply ´ask nicely´ like with human towns or cities, because…"
"Because they are a bunch of arrogant assholes that would put an arrow between your eyes even if you offered them a nice gift basket" Daiana interjected. "In fact, forget any attempt of communication, they will kill you regardless on principle"
"Because we are…monsters?" Ashely asked with fear.
"No, because we are not elves," Seela pointed out.
"Eh?" the Shoggoth tilted her head in confusion.
"Yeah…elves, at least isolated communities of forest elves, will kill any trespasser of their territories regardless of species," Eleni explained. "But there are some…intricacies"
"And by intricacies, it means, how fast they will be ready to kill you," Daiana said, all of her eyes half-closed in contempt while raising her right hand, using her fingers to count down. "Humans? Five seconds; Monsters? Two seconds; Dwarves? One second"
"Why…why they would hate dwarves more than monsters?" The Shoggoth asked with worry.
"Isolated elves consider monsters as defilers of all that is sacred to them," Seela clarified. "While Daiana is exaggerating a little, is true that the…rivalry towards dwarves is very deep"
"And bloody for what I read," the Gazer remembered well. "Even in wars in which clans of elves and dwarves should have been united against a common foe, most of the time elves would gladly fight against the dwarves for no other reason of who they are"
"It is true that elves and dwarves had a complicated history," Eleni said. "Is just that their culture considers all other races are somewhat…lesser because of their lack of connection with nature"
"More like arrogance, they claim to be better followers of the gods than Humans and Dwarves, they claim that civilization came first from them, that magical knowledge originated from them and that they are the rightful inheritors of the world," Daiana pointed out. "You can be the greatest warrior, mage, scholar, hero, even a monarch of legend…but most elves will see you with a condescending look, because you were not born an elf"
"Daiana, you know that not all elves are like that, dark elves have accepted monsters on their majority, many even becoming one themselves willingly, there are even forest elves living in Royal Makai," Eleni said with a sigh. "Is just that…their culture is incredibly different than ours"
"A culture of being arrogant jerks," the Gazer crossed her arms. "Dwarves are much better anyway, they drink, they laugh openly with others, they have great parties and have a simple policy that I like; do you want to be my friend? No problem, here let's be friends; do you want to cause trouble? Axe or hammer to the face"
"Generally dwarven clans and Order nations have a good relationship," Seela admitted. "Even with monster countries or neutral countries that trade with them"
"See? Even the Order, the freaking Order, doesn't have problem with dwarves…except in Lescatie, but that's just Lescatie," the Gazer said as she watched above, suspicious of every tree.
"And is not like all isolated forest elves have rejected monsters in their entirely," Eleni added, trying to recall certain obscure knowledge. "For what I heard some of them have integrated mamonos of the plant type like dryads and alraunes"
Daiana and Seela's eyes widened in surprise while Ashely raised a (gelatinous) eyebrow. For a few seconds they didn't say anything as they were absolutely bewildered by this new information that came from almost nowhere.
"I never heard of such thing," the Kikimora was taken aback from this revelation. "Although they live in such isolation that very few things are known about each individual clan or tribe, so who knows…"
"Wait, what?" Daiana merely said, don't believing her ears. "Is that some sort of joke? Because I will admit you totally took me by surprise there"
"I mean, it just some rumors but is not so out there, there are some nations ruled purely by Humans that have integrated kobolds and holstaurs in their civilization, even some times hiring kunoichis in various jobs," Eleni remembered. "Is not just all cut and dry, so maybe is the same with forest elves"
"Are you saying that they will make an exception just because the tree suddenly has some sexy woman in it?" the Gazer said in frustration. "Talk about being selective"
"Well, that's makes sense if you think about it," Seela pondered with a hand on her chin. "As interesting as it is we should end this conversation; we must do something before the elf scouts come here"
"Dammit, what are going to do now?" Daiana said as she put her hand on her waist were her twin daggers rested on their sheaths, battle-ready.
"Can we…can we just go back?" Ashely suggested. "I mean, isn't that mark a sort of signal that this is their border territory? As long we don't try to do anything that would harm their forest, they will leave us in peace, right?"
"Is not as simple as that," Seela said as she tensed her body. "While you are correct in certain ways in your assumption, elves have a curious way seeing things; in most civilizations this could be said ´you are near our borders, respect our laws if you advance´ while for most elfish cultures is saying ´you have already broke our laws intruder´, they don't care about warning people, they simply want to send a simple message…prepare for consequences"
"Being unreasonable, another ´wonderful´ trait of theirs," Daiana said as she went to Eleni's side. "We must to do something, Seela is right, we are technically inside of elven territory, the mark is just a way of mock us in the face"
"Dammit, I should have suspected when we visited that meadow, "Eleni put a hand on her forehead. "It was too nice and pretty not to suspect that it was the kind of place elves would love to visit"
"Is not your fault, but of those tree loving bastards," Daiana said, trying to reassure her companion. "Besides, we know that you went interviewing every person back on that border town back in Ioden"
"She is right, we know that you are quite diligent regarding investigation and gathering information," Seela agreed with her, remembering the long hours in which the Human woman visited every archive and talked with every knowledge person in the town many days ago.
"But I should have been more careful," Eleni said as she inspected the symbol on the tree. "Going back is not going to work, this is a very subtle magical rune made by elves, as such, it can mask its elfish essence with the essence of plants and trees, once we got into its range of detection it would activate an alarm that alerts to all elves that live in this part of the region"
"That's the reason I couldn't sense anything unusual in these parts…," Ashely pondered. "But that's means we are in danger!"
"Not necessarily, this mark is more of an alarm and will only tell how many intruders are, not of what they are, which can work in our favor and it will take some time before any elf shows up, "Eleni said, forming a strategy in her mind. "But even if we were going back from where we came from, we will be chased regardless"
"This is going to be difficult," Seela said. "We could drive them out, but…"
"But if we kill any of them, even by accident, then they will enact bloody vengeance on us," Daiana said. "They will not stop until they have kill us all, even if it meant chasing us outside of their territories"
"Even then, we are not going to kill anybody if we are permitted," Eleni remind them with a serious tone. "We are here for the sake of knowledge and exploration, not to have blood on our hands…unless we are obliged and have no other alternative"
Then the Human girl sat down in one of the big roots of the tress in deep though, then, a twenty seconds later, Eleni suddenly raised up. "It seems we don't have any other option but to advance"
"Your Highness, are you sure?" Seela asked with worry, while the Kikimora was quite diligent with her superior, she let her own doubts form in her mind and openly asked when others in her position would barely dare to do it. Which was normal, as both her and Eleni grow together since a young age.
"Well, not precisely going forwards, we are going to walk to the right side of the tree and not venture towards their village…I have plan," Eleni explained, pointing her finger to direction she was talking about. "But first, you will have to take into human forms"
"It is going to help us?" Ashely said, preparing herself. While she didn't have problems in acquiring a human form, certain abilities inherent to certain species would be sealed and unusable while in their disguises. A disadvantage if they were going to defend themselves.
"To be honest, I don't know, but it would be much better than to simply wonder around in your true forms," Eleni said as she prepared herself, adjusting her backpack. "You can't take the form of elves, even masking your monster mana will be useless because they would notice it immediately that you aren't of their kin just by the way of walking,"
"But if we take the form of humans…," Seela said as her reddish tail, feathers, and scales disappeared, while her floppy ears turned into round human ones. "The possibilities that they will not attack us immediately could increase"
"What a shame really," Ashely said as she sighed in resignation, her slimy body turning and shaping itself into the form of a Human girl with fair skin, long blue hair and green eyes wearing a simple greyish traveling clothes like Seela's. "It could have been nice to talk with an elf"
"Dammit, this is not going to be fun," Daiana sighed as she went into deep concentration, her tentacle-eyes and tail retracted completely, her skin turned into a fairer tone rather than the usual greyish while her hair was still the same color as before. However, it took some moments for her single eye to become two, now with a brownish color. "Ugh, I still don't get used to the last part, it always gives me a headache; you are lucky Ashely, your magical skills and being a slime type mamono makes it far easier to disguise yourself, me in the other hand…"
The Gazer remembered with a shudder the long hours of training into acquiring a human form back in Royal Makai. While most of the inhuman parts were easier to disguise, the true trouble was on her single eye in her head.
After all, Daiana had the incredible bad luck to be born as one of the two known species of mamono with that particular body characteristic, everybody else didn't have to literally divide their single eye into two.
"Not time to waste," Eleni suddenly began to walk to the right. "A word of advice, don't hide your faces into your hoods, don't make any sudden moves, don't run, don't talk too much and most importantly…don't panic"
"And If they attack us?" Daiana asked. "I could try to use my hypnosis to distract them, but that would mean revealing myself and the others that we are monsters"
"It would be better if you maintained your disguises, I know it would be difficult but," Eleni explained. "If you maintain the form of a Human, the Elves would be more inclined to just drive you out of their territories, which would be quite different if you were in your true forms"
The Human girl walked as her companions followed her closely as Eleni began to concentrate her mana into her left hand then into her index finger. There was a subtle blue light that shined into the fingertip and then the Human began to draw something in the air as she walked. Quite literally, as she began to write some unknown symbols to Ashely's knowledge.
"Is that elvish?" the Shoggoth asked. "I didn't know that you were expert on it"
"Not an expert, just knowledgeable enough," Eleni explained as she remembered her long hours of studying with her private elfish tutor back home. "I'm just trying to prevent any sort of conflict"
"What are you writing?" Ashely whispered as she saw Daiana and Seela watching to their left with suspicion.
"I'm just trying to say that we are not here to harm you or your forest, we are mere travelers, we don't want to steal any secrets, we just want to pass," Eleni said as she wrote more ethereal symbols. "Elves don't share their own writing to others easily, so at the very least they will get confused and would think I'm a 'special friend' of their kin"
"But they could always assume that it was a monsterized elf that imparted that knowledge," Daiana said as low as possible in a counter argument to what she theorized. "They always assumed the worst"
Eleni didn't said anything but she continued to walk. They went like that for two hours at least, sometimes stopping for two minutes as the leader of the group put a more stable longer message and then they resume their march.
However, the tension didn't diminish, in fact, it seemed to augment with every second, to a point that even Ashely was nervous enough to consider to simply just to forget any discretion and to run, but Seela brief look at her reassured and made her calm enough to endure just a little more.
Then Daiana went directly behind Eleni and tugged slightly her cape in a peculiar manner, three times she did this in subtle intervals as if she didn't want someone else to notice the act except the four.
Both Seela and Ashely tensed their bodies but didn't dare to make any sudden moves as they realized the meaning of the message.
There were three elves nearby watching them, even if they themselves couldn't see them thanks to their inherent magic.
Eleni nodded and slowed her walk as she carefully wrote another message, this one far more elaborated and longer than the previous ones.
There was a pregnant pause. It seemed like if the very air became as heavy as lead.
One second.
Daiana concentrated all of her senses in a particular point.
Two seconds.
Seela remembered her warrior training, her muscles tensing as she held her spear with her right hand but didn't put herself into a fighting stance, still clinging to the faint hope that they would be left alone.
Three seconds.
Ashely prepared mentally the best spells if anything went wrong, wanting to protect her companions.
Four seconds.
Eleni completed her message in its entirely, a brilliant set of letters that illuminated the forest. The hearts (and core in the case of Ashely) of the travelers was beating up on their chests so loudly to the point that they could hear it themselves.
Five seconds.
The message hanged in the air, the mana that formed in the air hold it for another second before it dissipated in small blue particles.
Then Daiana and Seela heard the sound of multiple arrows being ready to be released. One of them definitely being directly towards Eleni.
The Kikimora jumped between the arrow that was directed towards the Human and herself as they shot them, parrying it with her spear.
Two other arrows flied from the depths of the forest but were intercepted by Ashely magic as she formed shields around her companions, the Shoggoth managing to mask the mamono mana that she used to cast it.
"SCREW IT!" the Gazer shouted. "WE HAVE TO MOVE NOW!"
With that the four launched themselves forwards to a higher speed thanks to their particular training. While Eleni, Daiana and Seela ran using their inherent physical strength, Seela had to use her magic to catch up with them as she wasn't trained to be close combat fighter as the others and her physical prowess was not on par as them.
When they were running and jumping through the dense forest, the four could heard that something invisible was leaping from tree to tree to their same speed as them.
The chase was on.
"It seems the plan didn't work your Highness," Seela said. "So, what we do now?"
"The best course of action is to run in this direction until they get tired of chasing us!" Eleni shouted. "Seela, cover Ashely! Daiana, try to distract them!"
The Kikikora nodded as she went to cover the Shoggoth's flank while the Gazer glanced upon the Human for a second before she jumped towards one of the trees with her great agility. Her feet hitting briefly bark after bark as her lean figure almost looked as if was flying through the air.
"HEY YOU, YOU DAMN TREE LOVING BASTARDS!" Daiana screamed. "OVER HERE!"
Then three arrows were shoot from seemingly nowhere but the Gazer already calculated were they came from thanks to the small traces of leaves and dirt elves left with every jump. After all, they were only invisible, not intangible.
With great skill, Daiana managed to dodge two arrows aimed at her, while the third directed towards Ashely was intercepted by Seela, the sound made by the clash between the spear and the arrow sounding more like the hit between two heavy swords wielded by ogres than wood being cut.
Eleni calculated that one particular was charged with magical energy of the type made to reinforce the inherent strength of the arrow more than just elemental damage, which made sense.
Magical shields were best when dispersing most purely magical damage, but there were not as effective when dealing with physical ones, as such using such types of tactics were the best when dealing with mages.
Another thing that the Human girl was correct was that their pursuers would try to kill Ashely first knowing that the girl was a capable mage.
Still, Eleni feared that soon there will be reinforcements, so they had to be on high alert if anything happened.
As they ran at high speed, the three invisible attackers tried again and again to deal with the intruders, but even if they somewhat altered their tactics slightly, they were still unsuccessful.
However, for the Human girl, things didn't seem as they were. The mere fact that they didn't stop chasing them was indication that things were just beginning.
Then they heard something on their left, something far heavier than an elf, it was galloping as fast as them (if even more) but with such a grace that it seemed that it barely touched the ground.
Then for a brief moment they saw the shape of one, no, two big four legged animals being rode by one elf each, one with white haired and the other. They were deer, big ones in fact, with peculiar grey antlers on their heads. The elves that mounted them shoot their own arrows, now joining the ones being shoot by the three on above. Seela and Ashely managed to intercept them with their own skills, spear and magic each, while Eleni was the target of one elf in the trees while Daiana kept distracting the other two
"Silver deer!" Eleni shouted to her companions, immediately recognizing the creatures, a type of deer that had quite the connection with elfish culture, beautiful beings of great elegance that was hard to catch and even harder to tame, even for the fair folk. "They are riding silver deer!"
"WHO CARES!" Daiana shouted from above while dodging another two arrows. "WE MUST KEEP MOVING!"
"Eleni, this is bad!" Seela pointed out as she saw the new reinforcements. "If this continues…!"
"Keep protecting Ashely, I will deal with the riders!" Eleni said as she concentrated her mana. "It is time to put my skills to test as well!"
And with that the Human girl began to run faster than her partners, outclassing them now in speed. The riders now focused on her as they were the only ones to match her speed, as Eleni hoped they would do.
Daiana looked at the Human girl as she heard her own pursuers now changing tactics, now coming closer and closer. Then, they suddenly jumped towards her in a big leap at the same time as the disguised Gazer did. She briefly saw the two elves (two men, one with black hair and another red) now having dropped their invisibility 'cloak' showcasing their green clothes covering their bodies, now wielding two short swords each, as they seemed to engage in close combat.
But Daiana smiled to herself, reading her own weapons. When the Gazer landed in a bark, she saw one elf swinging her weapon towards her head, but she managed to parry with her daggers and to kick him in the chest, incapacitating him instantly.
Then she jumped towards another tree while the other elf followed her, this one tried to cut the Gazer's arms by hitting her elbows, but she already anticipated such move. Daiana managed to parry on time the hit, and then kicked the elf's head, hard enough to knock it out but not to harm him in a serious way, his body landing in a nearby branch.
The last elf (a tall one with blonde hair) that was part of the initial group tried to shoot one last arrow by focusing the last of its mana but a certain mage had another idea.
"Smoke screen!" Ashely shouted, summoning a black mist. The smoke covered and distracted the blonde haired elf long enough for Daiana to go after him and finally putting him down by kicking his back. She then landed on the ground and reached towards the other two.
"One question, why you didn't do it before?" the Gazer asked puzzled. "It could have been quite useful back then"
"The thing is that concentrating in running and using magic and casting spells at the same time is not that easy," the Shoggoth explained as best as their situation permitted. "For not saying that if I used smoke screen before it would have only worked for you to take down one single target, leaving the other two to adapt, nullifying the surprise factor"
"Huh…it seems he taught you well," Seela commented while remembering Ashely's teacher and his past, which made sense why the Shoggoth had such a sharp tactical mind regarding spellcasting.
"But what about Eleni, is she going to be alright?" Ashely asked worryingly, as while she traveled for over almost two months together, it was the first time they were ever involved in such a situation.
"Nah, she can handle this," Daiana said with confidence with almost a casual air. "Just watch it"
The Shoggoth looked at the Gazer puzzled and then towards Eleni and her pursuers.
Meanwhile the riders closed their distance towards the Human girl, her black hair in a ponytail waving in the air. Each rider positioned on the left and right of the girl, close enough that she managed to saw that it was woman to her right and a man to her left that were riding each silver deer, reading their arrows.
But Eleni simply gave out a simple smile as the arrows were shot. The Human girl successfully dodged each projectile with grace while her attackers had to duck to avoid being hit by each other's arrows.
"It's a shame we couldn't have a nice conversation but…" the Human girl said as she saw the riders prepared for the next attack. "I hope you forgive me for this!"
Then both silver deers leaped high in the air and then turned invisible, hoping to catch the girl off guard. But Eleni already calculated the distance and position of each rider the moment they left out the ground.
The Human focused mana on her legs, more specifically in her feet, and then she impulse herself to the air towards the silver deer in the right, she then kicked the creature, propelling the rider outside her mount, then taking advantage of the momentum, she flied towards the other rider and kicked the creature, making the rider lose his balance.
Then Eleni landed perfectly to the ground as her companions reached her, the four adventurers leaving their pursuers behind.
"That's was spectacular!" Ashely shouted with open admiration. "I never knew you were capable of that!"
"Give thanks to Inoue-sensei and auntie Ropurotto for teaching me hand to hand combat," Eleni casually said while remembering fondly her harsh but fruitful training.
"Auntie?" the Shoggoth asked.
"Just the way I like to call some of the Sabbaths' leaders back home," the Human said. "They are like family to me"
"Speaking aside of homely subjects, how far we must run before we cross over their territories?" Daiana asked.
"At this speed, maybe an hour or two," Seela answered. "Then we should be able to leave this region without much trouble if we keep up the pace"
"Another thing, you must not take off your disguises as Humans until we are definitely outside of their territories, understood?" Eleni pointed out. Each mamono nodded in approval.
The four didn't said anything else as they continued to ran without even stopping for a single moment.
-OOO-
"So, did you managed to expel the intruders?" a female elf of shining black hair great stature, elegance, exhaling an aura of both great calmness, experience and leadership at the same time. She was talking to a group of five elves as they tended each other and their animals, two beautiful silver deer under their care.
They were in one of the many smaller garrisons that circumvented the territory near the village. While most of the time there would be a captain in which the scouts would report, it was highly unusual that someone like her would speak directly to them.
"We managed to do it Lady Nasiandra," one elf with blonde hair, Ruith, said as reported to his superior. "But we should do something about them…"
"It seems for what you said earlier, one of them showcased a great deal of knowledge of our language and writing," Nasiandra said, recalling their earlier report.
"Yes, my Lady," the other female elf, that had white hair, Doeria, said with respectful tone, befitting for the one she was talking to. "It was something that Ruith, Goras and Vineas said they saw earlier, it was clear as day what it was written"
"It tried to convince us that they were no danger for us," Goras, a black haired elf, said as he recalled. "Even then, we weren't sure if it was truly sincere in their motivations so we attack them as corresponded"
"Still, they took us by surprise," Vineas, an elf with shining red hair that was said that waved like flames, said with great shame in his voice.
"Then we must send more to…," Jaem, the other silver deer rider, began to say before it was interrupted.
"It wouldn't be necessary," Nasiandra interjected. Every scout widened their eyes in surprise from these words.
"My Lady…are you sure about it?" Ruith asked. "They don't seem like mere regular intruders"
"While they seem skillful enough to deal with great warriors as you," Nasiandra said, praising their abilities. "I have sense no true hostile intensions in them"
"Is that so…," Goras pondered.
"If you think so, they could have made far more harm to us," Vineas said. "It is hard to admit, but they have showcased far more restrain and discipline, far more for a bunch of barbarians"
"Even then, we can't let them…," Doeria began to say before she stopped, blushing in front of her Lady in obvious shame.
But Nasiandra understood their concerns so she tried her best to dispel their doubts.
"That no means that they will not be watch over, for now, I will only send a couple more of scouts to observe their activities, meanwhile…you can rest," the matriarch said as she gave her permission to retire.
The scouts bowed in deep respect as they went to their own paths.
-OOO-
Hours later, Ruith returned to his home. It was a house made of wood, but not the way many of those brutish outsiders made their houses. Oh, it was something far more sophisticated, as through great skill and ancient knowledge these ones were grown rather than measly chopping trees.
The elf opened the circular door and announced to the only other inhabitant of his home, his recently married wife
"Naridia, I have returned," the elf said as he entered the house and closed the door behind him. She was looking towards a figure inside that was reading a book while she was sitting in one of the chairs. She was green haired woman of great beauty, a figure so captivating that made Ruith's heart pound every time she saw her, even if he already knew her for many years and was already married to her for some months
"How did things dear?" Naridia asked towards the tired blonde haired elf as she left the book she was reading aside. As she walked towards her husband, one would have noticed that apart from looking like elven maid, her feet and arms were actually made of tree bark.
It was very obvious that she wasn't an elf at all. Ruith considered himself to be a very lucky man to have married his childhood friend, a Dryad, a sacred being. Days in which he would play together in their younger days, days that they would share stories and anecdotes, days in which he would watch her dance beautifully under her tree in autumn.
"We managed to chase out some intruders," the elf man didn't specify that one of them managed to knock it out. That small girl was truly problematic, should have smack that smug smile of her while he could. Maybe she would remember very well not to trespass the boundaries of elf's territories ever again.
"Oh dear, you are so brave," the sacred being said as she came closer to her husband, one hand now touching his right cheek. She could feel his body heat rising.
"I'm trying to be brave for your sake," Ruith said as his face came closer to hers, his lips now slowly touching her lips, the kiss was chaste at first, but soon their mouths (and their tongues) explored each other with passion. "Same of the village…and for the sake of the family we will have"
"Oh Ruith," Naridia said as she let him embrace her, letting his right hand explore her left thigh. "You seem very tired from your duties…as your dear friend and wife I must do the best to ease your burdens"
"You don't have to do it this night if you don't want to," the elf man was about to stop but then the Dryad closed the small gap between them and resumed another passionate kiss, her left right hand guiding his left one to cup one of her breasts.
"I want it," her wife's kind eyes were shining with open desire. "Hope, let's go to bed my love"
Ruith smiled and followed her wife.
-OOO-
It was midnight and the four travelers and adventurers were preparing themselves for the night. The moon was shining in the clear sky and there was a subtle breeze that permeated the air.
Even in such a tranquil night and while the four were technically outside of elven territory, they were still cautious, so the three monsters still maintained their disguises for the meantime, but something unexpected have developed, something that surprised everyone.
"A…A…ACHOO!" there was a thunderous sound that resonated through the night, a disguised Gazer snoozed loudly in the quiet night of the forest. The rest of the group watched her with both curiosity and worry.
"Are…are you catching a cold Daiana?" Ashely asked worryingly. "You were sneezing like that for the last couple of hours"
"Nah, mamono don't generally get mundane sicknesses," Eleni remember her lessons with Greilia, and was comfortable talking about her true nature thanks to Ashely's field of silence that made muffled the sounds they made. "Although there are some diseases that are somewhat specific to certain races and others that are general for all monsters, mostly mana related but in some occasions they can get the same sicknesses as humans do, and sometimes monsters can die from them"
"What are you talking about Eleni? I'm…totally fine guys…Is nothing to worry ab…ACHOO!" the Gazer snoozed loudly again. "Dammit all…"
"Generally…," Seela repeated, now with a hint of obvious doubt. "It seems we have an exception now people"
"Yep, definitely you caught a cold…", the Human girl gave out sight, at the very least even if she was sick, Daiana was able to maintain her human disguise in the meantime, which spoke volumes from her great deal of skill and concentration, but didn't help her in her current predicament.
"While your case is nothing to worry about, it would be better that I take your guard shift until we get in town"
"Maybe I should make some soup," Seela said as she observed Daiana as she snoozed again loudly. Now there was some mucus handing from her nose. The Kikimora rapidly pulled out a napkin and cleaned her up.
"Shit…we got to…smack some…sense…on those elves bastards and I get this fuc…eh…annoying cold," Daiana contained a swear as her voice became raspier. "I think one of…them…cursed…me…thinking…about…me"
"Really?" Ashely asked. "I mean; they were good in their inherent magic but they didn't seem to be able to cast curses"
"Is a way of saying…never mind," Daiana said weakly.
"Please, you don't have to overextend, okay?" Eleni said as she put a hand on Daiana's forehead. "You should rest"
For a moment the Gazer and the Human watched each in the eyes and then Daiana left a sigh as she went to sleep in her own place as Eleni put blanket upon her as Ashely and Seela prepare themselves for the night.
"Hey…," the Gazer said in a certain tone that only indicated that she wanted to say something that wouldn't be heard to the others except to the Human, something that Eleni picked up from her.
"Yes?"
"I…thanks," Daiana said shyly. "Is just…I hate…feeling being…so…useless"
Eleni smiled
"You don't have to worry about it," the Human girl said she began her guard turn, letting the Gazer to rest.
Daiana closed her eyes and went into a deep sleep.
Author Notes: As said before, hope you have enjoyed this chapter. The whole "elves turning invisible in nature" is something that came from Fourth-Born's Conquest, otherwise the rest is somewhat based on canon and my own ideas (like the silver deer) and also, Zipangu being referred as a continent and not a small island is not a mistake, it's another change from this AU. For now, let's say that Zipangu in my story is similar in size to half of Australia with smaller islands scattered around. See you next time.