I lost a quarter of this chapter after my web browser crashed. So I had to rewrite it and hit save line by line. Well, it could've been worse.

Chapter Five: Part Five

The Ruhiges Woodland was not as dense as Zwielichtshain. The trees were vibrant and the sky was visible; making the paths easy to navigate. But it was an also a very quiet forest. Unsurprising due to its name, but at times they didn't hear enemies approach through the brush. And the enemies were tough in there.

"So what will we find in here?" Arin asked as they traveled east for a bit of time.

"Two groups live in the Ruhiges Woodland," Sigrun told him. "The Elves of Zelant and the Forest Pixies of Zelant. But while it's generally known that the elf village is located in the northern part of the forest, it's not known where the Forest Pixies are located."

"So what exactly is the difference between Forest Pixies and House Pixies?" Viktor asked. "That little guy Brownie got drunk with the guys a few nights ago and went on a rant that Forest Pixies were a bunch of assholes."

"Watch your mouth," Dawa said.

"That's the word he used; "assholes"," Viktor said defensively.

"They are similar to each other," Astraea said. "They are small in stature and can cast magic through Pixie Dust without the use of a rune. But as you can imagine from their names, Forest Pixies thrive in the forest and House Pixie thrive in a home. As we saw from Donauwelle's condition when we first found her, if a House Pixie doesn't have a home then they will not survive. But it also sounds like House Pixies could survive in a Forest Pixie community if the need arose, but…it didn't sound like Donauwelle had much luck. Brownie feels that Forest Pixies look down on House Pixies."

"So that's why Brownie called them "assholes"," Arin said in a thoughtfully innocent tone.

"But Forest Pixies do not generally make themselves known to others," Sigrun said. "I do know though that when a new monarch is crowned in Zelant, the Forest Pixies will send a representative to Blutkrieger to meet the new monarch, and the new monarch will be spirited away to their village to meet their chief once. I know this happened with the current monarch when he became king; I overheard him tell Mother once about meeting a Forest Pixie named—ah—Wisp, I believe."

"So we will probably not meet any Forest Pixies here unless we stumble upon their hovel," Ferdinand said.

There was a short path off the main trail that led to a dead end with two chests. Astraea opened one to find a Sound Set 01–"Conall can use this!" Astraea declared—and a Clay Guardian rune scroll. Astraea looked at it peculiarly before tucking it into her back.

After walking for another hour, they came across a distinctive fork in the road. One path continued straight, and the other deviated at an angle to the northwest of their position. "So, which way should we go?" Viktor wondered, rubbing his chin.

Astraea glanced down both paths. After a moment she pointed to the one that turned northwest. "Let's go this way. The Elf village is in the northern part of the Woodland, right? We'll have a higher chance of finding it this way."

"That's a good idea," Sigrun said. "But are we seeking an alliance with the Elves as well?"

"I would tread with caution, Your Majesty," Ferdinand said. "We nonhumans are naturally wary of humans, but Elves are especially wary of humans."

"We have Elves within Nagarea," Arin said. "The government we overthrew committed genocide against them. It took a lot for Big Brother to convince them to join us. Now that have their own autonomous nation within Nagarea's borders."

"Zelant however has never committed atrocities against their Elven population," Sigrun said. "The Reiser Royal Family has always respected their desire to be left alone."

"But they most likely were also summoned to pledge their loyalty to the King," Ferdinand added.

"I would still like to see them," Astraea said.

They followed the path northwest. After walking for a bit they found another intersection with three branching paths. Astraea saw a peculiar glow ahead of them and she gasped. "The hot spring! Dr. Louyse mentioned something like it once! She said someone—oh, Lundgren!" she burst out. "She saw Lundgren set up a therapeutic hot spring not far from the Elf village! That must be it!"

"I'm going to take a dip," Viktor announced, quickly heading towards the spring. "Maybe it'll give me a miracle and help me regrow my arm."

"I think I will join him," Ferdinand said, looking at the others. "Shall we take a break?"

"Sure," Astraea said. She looked towards the path to the left and it seemed to be longer than the path to the right. The path to the right looked like a dead end. "We'll explore over there in the meantime."

"I won't wander too far," Sigrun promised Ferdinand.

"I don't feel like doing an outdoor hot spring right now, so I'll stick with you guys," Arin said.

While Viktor and Ferdinand briefly relaxed in the spring, Astraea took the rest of the group to the dead end on the right. She saw a circle of trees, but she saw that the clearing was empty except for a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties sitting crossed-legged on the ground. She had long dark brown hair that was loose with bangs, a long-sleeved black and purple tunic dress, black leggings, and black boots. She wore light, fur-lined armor and a sword in its sheath was sitting on the grass beside her on her left. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be meditating.

Astraea cautiously approached her, but the woman made no move to move. Astraea didn't take her meditation or her relaxed posture lightly. A woman would not be traveling alone if she didn't know how to use the sword she causally placed beside her on the ground. "Hello," Astraea said politely. "I don't mean to disturb you, but may I ask why you're meditating in a place like this?"

The woman slowly opened her eyes, revealing a steeling brown gaze. She peered at Astraea. "And you are?"

"This is Queen Astraea Reiser," Dawa said sharply, stepping forward.

"…I see," the woman said plainly. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Astraea choked on a reflexive laugh at her bluntness. She quickly recovered, though she didn't know if she should be offended or not. "You're not from here, are you?"

"I am from the Nameless Lands," the woman responded.

"The Nameless Lands?" Sigrun asked, her curiosity immediately piqued. "You're quite far from home, Miss! I've heard you've got an impressive military academy there!"

"I graduated from it," the woman said. Then she fell silent.

"May I ask your name?" Astraea asked.

"Do you ask everyone you meet your name…Queen?" the woman responded.

"Would you rather we refer to you as "Miss", "Ma'am", or "You"?" Astraea asked, keeping her tone good-natured.

The woman maintained her silence before she spoke. "Rika. My name is Rika. Please do not ask me which tribe I belong to in the Nameless Lands, as I prefer my privacy."

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Rika." Astraea's gaze fell upon her sword. She squinted at the hilt. "Is that a dao?"

"Yes." Rika looked impressed by her question. "It complements my Falcon Rune well."

"You have a Falcon Rune?" Sigrun was starting to look excited. "Would you like to spar, Rika? I would love to see your skills!"

"What is your weapon?" Rika asked.

"I wield a cutlass."

Rika nodded thoughtfully. But after a moment she shook her head. "I will pass for now."

"These woods are dangerous," Astraea said. "Why don't you come with us?"

"Where?"

Astraea quickly explained her situation. Rika seemed to think about for a long moment. Then she slowly stood up and walked around Astraea, examining her closely. Dawa visibly bristled that Rika was in such close proximity to Astraea, but at least she had left her sword on the ground.

Finally Rika stopped in front of Astraea. "Forgive me, but I must decline your invitation."

"What? Why?" Astraea asked.

"I seek companionship with strong warriors," Rika said. "Your level is too low for me. Build your strength Your Eminence and then come and see me. I will consider your offer when you are stronger."

Both Sigrun and Dawa looked upset by her words but Astraea raised a hand for calm. "I understand. I'll build my strength and then come back and see you."

Rika nodded, and then turned and walked away. She saw down beside her dao and closed her eyes. She appeared to be meditating once more.

Astraea knew that she was done talking to them, but she trusted in Rika's skills that she could take care of herself, and so they left her alone.

Viktor and Ferdinand were done with their dip in the hot spring after they finished their meeting with Rika. Much to Viktor's disappointment, the hot spring did not regrow his arm.

They went down the long path, and Astraea was shocked to see their surroundings become shrouded in darkness. She looked up and she realized that she could no longer see the sky through the trees. "W…What is this?"

"We're close," Ferdinand said.

The path led to a dead end, but at the end was a massive black tree. Astraea had to guess that the trunk had to be 15 meters wide at the minimum. Two torches stood on either side of the trunk, and on the left side of the base were steps. Astraea craned her neck back and she saw that a staircase wrapped around the circumference of the trunk leading up into branches. "Is that where the village is? Hríw Ethuil?"

"So these Elves have their village in a tree, too," Viktor mused aloud.

The group climbed the spiral wooden staircase that wrapped around the tree, rising higher and higher. By the time they reached the end and emerged onto a wide branch, Astraea had to guess that they had climbed 61 meters. But they had indeed reached Hríw Ethuil; the Elven village of Zelant.

The tree was filled with houses, and Elves casually talked amongst themselves. They received several dirty looks and almost no one talked to them, which disheartened Astraea greatly. The homes looked like standard houses with straw roofs and siding made of wood. The homes appeared to be made of the same wood from the tree they rested on. It was surreal for Astraea to be walking around. Even though they were in a treehouse village, the "ground" beneath their feet seemed comprised of green leaves. And the leaves were sturdy under their feet as they would be on solid ground!

Astraea saw a blacksmith shop, and a female Elf kneeling beside an anvil holding a worn hammer. She had long lavender hair and lavender eyes, and she wore a sleeveless purple top and dark purple pants. She looked up when Astraea drew nearer, but there was no malice in her gaze. Only resignation. "I'm afraid I can't sharpen any weapons right now," she said dejectedly. "My hammer is so dull it couldn't flatten a nail."

Astraea remembered the Iron Hammer she left at the Old Capital and quickly became excited. "If I bring you a new hammer, would that help?"

The Elf woman smiled. "If you could bring me a new hammer Miss, I would be eternally grateful." She offered a hand to her. "My name is Iolanthe. I've been sharpening weapons before I could walk."

Astraea shook her hand and was shocked. At first glance Iolanthe's hands looked delicate, but when she touched them she could feel rough callouses in her fingers. "Nice to meet you, Iolanthe. I'll bring you a new hammer in no time."

"Good, a blacksmith for the army," Viktor murmured.

They continued walking around, ignoring the dirty looks they got from residents. They passed a one-story building with a sign that indicated that it was a shop. Astraea looked at the sign and couldn't help but smile. "Oh, I know this place!" She quickly hurried inside. She saw three display cases lining each wall, which were full of figurines. At the back she saw the register, and a case with one lone figurine. She saw her arm and cried out, "Hello, Mr. Mooney!"

"Oh, Princess Astraea!" Mooney exclaimed, waving to her. "Long time no see! What brings you here?"

"You set up your shop here, Mr. Mooney?" Astraea asked as she approached the counter.

"Yeah, but business has been very slow," Mooney sighed dejectedly. "The Elves aren't interested in my product. Not even for Elves I carved from the previous wars."

"MR. MOONEY!"

Arin rushed into the shop, passing Astraea and throwing his arms around Mooney. "Mr. Mooney, it's you! It's been a long time!"

"Oh, do I know you, young man?" Mooney asked, pushing him away. He looked at Arin closely and his eyes went wide. "Wait—ARIN?! Lord Daunte's little brother?!"

"Yep, that's me!" Arin said proudly.

"You've grown up! I—wow!" He laughed sheepishly and rubbed his nape. "I suddenly feel like the old man I am!"

"So you two know each other?" Astraea asked.

"We fought together in the Nagarean Civil War," Arin said proudly. "Brother bought so many figurines for me from Mr. Mooney!"

"Lord Daunte still stands as one of my best customers," Mooney agreed. Suddenly he stiffened as he glanced towards the front of the store. "Wait. Is that—Vagabond Viktor?!"

"The one and only," Viktor said, standing in front of the case displaying figurines for the Gate Rune War. His brow rose. "Is that supposed to be Flik?"

Mooney leapt over the counter and raced over to Viktor. A look of alarm briefly crossed his face when he saw Viktor's right arm. But then he quickly shook Viktor's left hand. "It's an absolute honor to finally meet you! The figurines I've created of you have been my bestsellers!"

"So these—toys you sculpted are real heroes?" Viktor asked.

"They are not toys," Mooney said, looking offended. "They are figurines. They are my tribute to the heroes of 6 fantastical wars! The Gate Rune War, the Dunan Unification War, the Second Fire Bringer War, the Island Liberation War, the Falenan Civil War, and the Nagarean Civil War!"

"Hey, that's me!" Arin shouted, pointing at a figurine in the third case from the right. He pointed to a figurine of a boy. "That me, isn't it Mr. Mooney?"

"Yes, that's correct," Mooney said proudly. "I would offer you a discount, but unfortunately I'm losing money having the shop open here."

"You will have a market to sell these figurines is you join my Army," Astraea spoke up.

"Your Army? You have an Army, Your Highness?"

"Haven't you heard what's been going on in Zelant, Mr. Mooney?" Sigrun asked.

Astraea quickly filled Mooney in. When she finished, he looked thoughtful. After a few moments he returned to behind the counter. "How about this, Your Highness," he said. "I'll join you if you buy this."

He reached into the case in front of the counter and pulled out the lone figurine, setting it onto the counter. Astraea looked at the figurine close and then looked up at him. "That looks like you, Mr. Mooney."

"Yes, that's me," Mooney said. "I'm proud of the way I crafted my likeness. However my figurine is a terrible seller. If you buy my figurine and satisfy my ego Your Highness, then I will join you."

"…Just like that?" Viktor asked.

"Sure, Mr. Mooney," Astraea said, straightening. "How much is it?"

"20,000 Potch."

"What?!" Dawa burst out.

"Mr. Mooney, that's a lot of money for one figurine," Sigrun protested. "More than I've ever seen you charge for figurines!"

"I know," Mooney said, his tone sad. "But this figurine is me. I have spent so much time crafting other heroes and I would like the acknowledgment of being a hero myself. So Your Highness…will you buy it?"

Astraea swallowed thickly. She had enough Potch to buy it, but if she bought the figurine she wouldn't have much to buy anything else. But when she met his gaze and saw his pleading eyes, she slowly nodded. "Okay, Mr. Mooney. I'll buy it."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Mooney cheered. "From this moment on, I am your servant!"

"Hopefully this shop at the Old Capital won't be the money pit that Saotshi's Garapon stand is," Ferdinand muttered.

"Oi," Viktor called out. "If my figurine is a bestseller, where is it?"

After leaving Mooney's shop (with a lighter wallet) the group climbed a ladder to a higher tree. Viktor had to piggyback onto Ferdinand's back to get up there, much to the former's embarrassment. They saw a large house that had been carved into the trunk of the tree itself, and Astraea pointed. "That must be where the lordship lives. Lord Quillan, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Sigrun said, though she looked apprehensive. "I've met him only twice in my life. He's an elder and while he's not specist against humans he has little patience for him."

"He has little patience for kobolds as well," Ferdinand muttered.

Astraea started towards the mansion, but then something to her left caught her eye. She saw a sign for a Combat Trainer, and a male Elf with long blonde hair and a muscular build under a blue tunic and yellow cape. When Astraea approached he smiled and waved. "Hullo! Would you like some training?"

"Certainly," Astraea said. "What's your name, sir?"

"Ah, a polite human!" the Elf laughed, but his tone was good-natured. "My name is Wren, miss. And yours?"

"Queen Astraea Reiser," Dawa said.

"Oh, even better! A Reiser royal!" Wren waved to Astraea. "What would you like to improve?"

Astraea thought about it for a moment before she said, "Accuracy."

"Ooh, that's always important! Step right up and I'll take you take care of!"

To Astraea's amazement, Wren raised her Accuracy from D to B. "I can raise it to A+ with more time," Wren said. "But you're a fast learner, Your Highness."

"Would you mind joining me?" Astraea asked. "Dawa is a licensed Combat Trainer, but she already has a lot on her plate."

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty," Dawa said.

Wren thought about it for a moment. Then he smiled and nodded. "I have the license but have not been able to utilize it the way I want. If I have a wider range of people that I can help, then I will gladly help you."

"Thank you, Wren!" Astraea shook his hand. "Welcome to the Reformation Army!"

"I have to pack up, but I'll head for the Old Capital once I'm ready," Wren promised her.

Once that was done, they headed for the mansion. As they started climbing the stairs, the double doors to the mansion suddenly burst open and a male Elf who had a somewhat elderly appearance. He has long white hair, dark eyes, and black clothing. He frowned with disapproval as he stepped out onto the front step. Astraea paused as she climbed the steps. "Lord Quillan," she greeted.

The leader of Hríw Ethuil stared down at her with a stony expression. He did not look pleased. "Princess Astraea Reiser," he said with forced politeness. "I must ask you to leave Hríw Ethuil."

Astraea blinked in shocked, and her heart sank. "I—"

"If King Franz finds out you are here, I fear that he will burn down this tree," Quillan said. "You have been declared an enemy of Zelant. I cannot and will not entertain you. Now please leave."

"Lord Quillan, I was framed!" she exclaimed. "I didn't do anything that they said—"

"I believe you," Quillan interrupted bluntly.

Astraea's mouth fell open. "I believe you that you are innocent and were framed," he said. "But I do not care that you were framed. I only care about my people. I will not have what happened in Toran happen here. Leave this tree. The Elves do not seek an alliance with you. The Elves do not want an alliance with you. Settle your matters with your father yourself and leave us out of it." Before Astraea could say anything more, Quillan turned around and went back inside his mansion, the doors slamming shut behind him.

"Well, that went well," Viktor sighed.

"Man, every Elf is like that," Arin murmured, rubbing his hair.

"Elves has always been treated badly by humans," Ferdinand told him. But Arin shrugged. "I've been treated badly by humans, too. I still have scars on my lungs."

Astraea exhaled and turned to face the group. "Let's go," she said. "Once we leave Hríw Ethuil we can use an Escape Scroll to get out of the Ruhiges Woodland and then use the Blinking Mirror to go back to our HQ."

"And with that Viki girl, we can come back at any time," Sigrun said with a smile.

Astaea smiled back. "Exactly."

Descending the staircase out of Hríw Ethuil was much easier than climbing it. However Astraea had no idea what time of the day it was. "Okay, is everyone here?" she asked when they reached ground-level. She counted heads and saw that everyone was there. She dug her Escape Scroll out of her bag. "All right, let's get—"

"Oh, thank goodness I found you!"

The unfamiliar voice made the group jump. They turned to see a young man approaching from the forest path with his hands raised in surrender. He had short fiery red hair, and wide dark brown eyes. He wore a blue headband, blue vest, white shirt, and tan pants.

"Wait," Viktor said, his brow furrowing. "Why does that guy look familiar…?"

Biehn stopped two meters away from them, his posture slightly slouched. "Could you all help me?" he asked uncertainly.

Recruits: Mooney (46), Wren (86)