The arrows were raining down, and it was a splendid miracle that absolutely none of them hit them. As she ran desperately to save her own skin, the half-elf was filled with frustration in her mind. She could barely move without something terrible happening to her. It seemed that the days of peace, weekly trips to the market and silent training in the middle of the forest were officially over. It would be a miracle if she managed to arrive in town with her head stuck to her neck."PURPURA IGNIS!"Eric launched a wave of purple fire that advanced toward the pursuers, but the mage did not stop to see if it would work. A few screams were heard. Then he caught the hand of Lariel's, who was running in an uncoordinated manner. Her abdomen was bleeding.The rain of arrows diminished, but they were still under attack. They didn't stand a chance.If Lariel's sense of direction was still working, instead of heading east, they were now running south. That is, just more woods for miles until they
The first thing Lariel noticed was the unusual beauty of the boy Eric said was his cousin. He was taller than she was, though slimmer, and his shoulder-length hair shone like flames.His brown eyes sparkled as he smiled, gallantly."I heard a party going on and came to join in." He looks around at the fallen bodies. "But apparently the celebration ended early. A shame.""How did you find me?" Eric asked."Are you serious? You're a traveling disaster, you leave traces everywhere. A blind, deaf, olfactionless dog could find you."The wizard's cheeks turn red. Apparently he is well aware of the lack of discretion.The man looks at Lariel and raises one of his eyebrows, oozing charm."You are one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen."The girl ignores, totally disaffected and indifferent. Instead, she begins rummaging through the bodies, careful not to be taken by surprise."Does the pretty thing have a name?" Eric's cousin insists."Lariel.""Lariel, it's a great pleasure. I am
Lariel absorbs the details quickly. The boy looks to be about her age, has a shaved head, broad, blood-shouldered shoulders, dark skin, and green eyes so bright they look like jewels. On his back is a quiver full of arrows, and in the boy's hands a bow.He was probably trying to hunt down the wolves that run mercilessly after him, growling and slobbering, but he was not discreet and silent enough. Before he can even try to face the beasts, Varic springs into action.He is very fast. His long, slightly shapely legs speed towards the wolves, and just as he is about to collide with them, he leaps into the air, passing them both.As the animals are moving at high speed, they can't brake in time. Duly positioned behind the wolves, Varic throws the two daggers straight into their flanks, causing the blades to bury themselves deep into their necks.At the same time, the unknown half-elf takes the necessary distance and, in short, precise shots, hits the animals' heads, pinning them to the d
It was a moonless night.Away from the hut where she and her father lived, Lariel wiped the sweat from her face as she lowered her axe into yet another tree. She was not looking for firewood, but training. Her muscles tensed as she struck the massive trunk, causing a huge gash in the wood. The dark-skinned half-elf with pitch-black hair around her growled in frustration. She still wasn't good enough.Still frowning, the nineteen-year-old turned and walked briskly back to the house.The nice little wooden house was far away from the city for obvious reasons: her father was one of the last remaining pureblood elves in the world. Most humans, dwarves and various mixtures of other races did not exactly feel at ease around him, or treated him as if he were a deity. This made the old man very angry.Upon opening the door, the first thing his father says is:"You need a bath."And indeed she did. Sweat dripped down her mahogany-colored skin, and the smell she exuded was not particularly ple
"NO!!!!!" Lariel's scream is loud, hoarse, and filled with pain and despair. She doesn't even care about the other men around, nor if they will finish her off right there; the half-elf simply runs to her father's body. "Father! Father!!!" She screams and shouts, shaking his collapsed body. He does not react. Tears blur the girl's vision, and tremors take over her limbs as she shakes her head negatively, refusing to accept the idea that her father is gone. The leader of the hooded men, the one who gave the order to take him away, punches the man who killed the elf in the stomach. "You idiot! We wanted him alive! What's gotten into you?!" "M-me sorry sir, I... I got nervous, he attacked me..." "Your foolishness cost us everything! You really are an idiot!" The girl's eyes widen as she sees the leader pointing at her: "The only one who should be dead is her. Go ahead and finish off that wretch before I finish off you foolish fools!" Obeying their superior's orders, the rest of
The sound of the wind in Lariel's slightly pointed ears whistled like the final song of death, the last sound she would be aware of hearing before meeting her end. Her speed increased more and more, and there was nothing she could do but accept the Passage.The girl managed to register the sound of the wizard's desperate scream before she fell hard into the cold water of the river.In the water, the half-elf noticed that the pain of the wound was somewhat less. The bad part was that the rest of her body was numb, and if it continued like this, the current would carry her far away or sink her.Before she fell, she had the good sense to hold her breath, so there was no water in her lungs. The girl took two strokes trying to get up, but the force of the water was too powerful.Once again despair overcame her. Could it be that after witnessing the death of her father, there was still some survival instinct left in her soul? It wouldn't make much sense to stay alive if she couldn't take c
"Stop, Seelk!" The mage's grave, imperious, and utterly incapable of being disobeyed voice causes the little dragon to stop in mid-stride, braking sharply. The half-elf was already on her feet and ready to run, although she doubted she stood a chance against something out of legend. She looked at the human, shocked. "Do you own him?!" "Absolutely not. Seelk is my friend, not a slave." Like a friendly puppy, Seelk gives the golden-haired man's cheek a lick, even wagging his spiky, red tail. "Well, your friend almost killed me." "You're right. Seelk, apologize to the little lady immediately." The creature turns toward Lariel, sniffing and sniffling, and then lowers its head in a position of submission. Seelk's owner, or rather friend, clarifies: "He recognizes you as a natural leader, and humbly acknowledges your position." "Ah." She mutters, taking a step back, still facing the dragon. "So... I'm not his friend?" "Only if you want to," he replies cheerfully. Suspicious, the
"That is preliminary information. I need some more details, which I can get when we reach our destination. However, everything I know now can be proven."This is how Eric begins to tell about everything, which led him to go out on an insane quest across the world to stop that horrible, unholy evil that threatened him.Lariel can't even say a word when the blond man lays out a few more scrolls near her, letting the girl examine them all she wants."The Pavilion is one of the largest Organizations in the world. They act at the behest of the Order of Light, but are mainly focused on magical enemies and dark beings. Usually a person who joins the Pavilion never leaves. These thirty-six soldiers are exceptions."He opens his canteen of water and takes a sip before continuing."I don't know exactly what they are about, but I do know that they hold a secret so deep and important that they were sentenced to reclusive lives when discharged. The Pavilion thought it would be safer for them to re
Lariel absorbs the details quickly. The boy looks to be about her age, has a shaved head, broad, blood-shouldered shoulders, dark skin, and green eyes so bright they look like jewels. On his back is a quiver full of arrows, and in the boy's hands a bow.He was probably trying to hunt down the wolves that run mercilessly after him, growling and slobbering, but he was not discreet and silent enough. Before he can even try to face the beasts, Varic springs into action.He is very fast. His long, slightly shapely legs speed towards the wolves, and just as he is about to collide with them, he leaps into the air, passing them both.As the animals are moving at high speed, they can't brake in time. Duly positioned behind the wolves, Varic throws the two daggers straight into their flanks, causing the blades to bury themselves deep into their necks.At the same time, the unknown half-elf takes the necessary distance and, in short, precise shots, hits the animals' heads, pinning them to the d
The first thing Lariel noticed was the unusual beauty of the boy Eric said was his cousin. He was taller than she was, though slimmer, and his shoulder-length hair shone like flames.His brown eyes sparkled as he smiled, gallantly."I heard a party going on and came to join in." He looks around at the fallen bodies. "But apparently the celebration ended early. A shame.""How did you find me?" Eric asked."Are you serious? You're a traveling disaster, you leave traces everywhere. A blind, deaf, olfactionless dog could find you."The wizard's cheeks turn red. Apparently he is well aware of the lack of discretion.The man looks at Lariel and raises one of his eyebrows, oozing charm."You are one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen."The girl ignores, totally disaffected and indifferent. Instead, she begins rummaging through the bodies, careful not to be taken by surprise."Does the pretty thing have a name?" Eric's cousin insists."Lariel.""Lariel, it's a great pleasure. I am
The arrows were raining down, and it was a splendid miracle that absolutely none of them hit them. As she ran desperately to save her own skin, the half-elf was filled with frustration in her mind. She could barely move without something terrible happening to her. It seemed that the days of peace, weekly trips to the market and silent training in the middle of the forest were officially over. It would be a miracle if she managed to arrive in town with her head stuck to her neck."PURPURA IGNIS!"Eric launched a wave of purple fire that advanced toward the pursuers, but the mage did not stop to see if it would work. A few screams were heard. Then he caught the hand of Lariel's, who was running in an uncoordinated manner. Her abdomen was bleeding.The rain of arrows diminished, but they were still under attack. They didn't stand a chance.If Lariel's sense of direction was still working, instead of heading east, they were now running south. That is, just more woods for miles until they
After a restless night of talking about conspiracies, cults, and stories about ancient empires and bloody battles, the two decided to take a few hours' sleep. They were to head east as soon as they awoke.Lariel could not sleep, although he tried. Her thoughts were disconnected and confused, and the revelation that she had an uncle did not help at all.Losing one family member and gaining another soon after. Fate must have been finding it hilarious.Eric explained that the old man was supposed to be living there, and would probably be the Cult's next target. They should hurry as much as they could, since time was against them. Just as she was about to relax and catch up on sleep for good, she feels a friendly squeeze on her shoulder."Shall we?"She doesn't have much choice but to get up, drink some water, and begin the long walk into the forest.Eric even seems in a pretty good mood for someone who has spent the night sleeping on hard ground. Lariel would give anything for a bath an
"That is preliminary information. I need some more details, which I can get when we reach our destination. However, everything I know now can be proven."This is how Eric begins to tell about everything, which led him to go out on an insane quest across the world to stop that horrible, unholy evil that threatened him.Lariel can't even say a word when the blond man lays out a few more scrolls near her, letting the girl examine them all she wants."The Pavilion is one of the largest Organizations in the world. They act at the behest of the Order of Light, but are mainly focused on magical enemies and dark beings. Usually a person who joins the Pavilion never leaves. These thirty-six soldiers are exceptions."He opens his canteen of water and takes a sip before continuing."I don't know exactly what they are about, but I do know that they hold a secret so deep and important that they were sentenced to reclusive lives when discharged. The Pavilion thought it would be safer for them to re
"Stop, Seelk!" The mage's grave, imperious, and utterly incapable of being disobeyed voice causes the little dragon to stop in mid-stride, braking sharply. The half-elf was already on her feet and ready to run, although she doubted she stood a chance against something out of legend. She looked at the human, shocked. "Do you own him?!" "Absolutely not. Seelk is my friend, not a slave." Like a friendly puppy, Seelk gives the golden-haired man's cheek a lick, even wagging his spiky, red tail. "Well, your friend almost killed me." "You're right. Seelk, apologize to the little lady immediately." The creature turns toward Lariel, sniffing and sniffling, and then lowers its head in a position of submission. Seelk's owner, or rather friend, clarifies: "He recognizes you as a natural leader, and humbly acknowledges your position." "Ah." She mutters, taking a step back, still facing the dragon. "So... I'm not his friend?" "Only if you want to," he replies cheerfully. Suspicious, the
The sound of the wind in Lariel's slightly pointed ears whistled like the final song of death, the last sound she would be aware of hearing before meeting her end. Her speed increased more and more, and there was nothing she could do but accept the Passage.The girl managed to register the sound of the wizard's desperate scream before she fell hard into the cold water of the river.In the water, the half-elf noticed that the pain of the wound was somewhat less. The bad part was that the rest of her body was numb, and if it continued like this, the current would carry her far away or sink her.Before she fell, she had the good sense to hold her breath, so there was no water in her lungs. The girl took two strokes trying to get up, but the force of the water was too powerful.Once again despair overcame her. Could it be that after witnessing the death of her father, there was still some survival instinct left in her soul? It wouldn't make much sense to stay alive if she couldn't take c
"NO!!!!!" Lariel's scream is loud, hoarse, and filled with pain and despair. She doesn't even care about the other men around, nor if they will finish her off right there; the half-elf simply runs to her father's body. "Father! Father!!!" She screams and shouts, shaking his collapsed body. He does not react. Tears blur the girl's vision, and tremors take over her limbs as she shakes her head negatively, refusing to accept the idea that her father is gone. The leader of the hooded men, the one who gave the order to take him away, punches the man who killed the elf in the stomach. "You idiot! We wanted him alive! What's gotten into you?!" "M-me sorry sir, I... I got nervous, he attacked me..." "Your foolishness cost us everything! You really are an idiot!" The girl's eyes widen as she sees the leader pointing at her: "The only one who should be dead is her. Go ahead and finish off that wretch before I finish off you foolish fools!" Obeying their superior's orders, the rest of
It was a moonless night.Away from the hut where she and her father lived, Lariel wiped the sweat from her face as she lowered her axe into yet another tree. She was not looking for firewood, but training. Her muscles tensed as she struck the massive trunk, causing a huge gash in the wood. The dark-skinned half-elf with pitch-black hair around her growled in frustration. She still wasn't good enough.Still frowning, the nineteen-year-old turned and walked briskly back to the house.The nice little wooden house was far away from the city for obvious reasons: her father was one of the last remaining pureblood elves in the world. Most humans, dwarves and various mixtures of other races did not exactly feel at ease around him, or treated him as if he were a deity. This made the old man very angry.Upon opening the door, the first thing his father says is:"You need a bath."And indeed she did. Sweat dripped down her mahogany-colored skin, and the smell she exuded was not particularly ple