Meanwhile in the forested training area near Myrdin, the capitol of Caegwen, the trees shook with the sensation of mana reverberating the spaces between them. Leaves shuddered in response, as the rain drops had their trajectories mildly altered before reaching the floor.
Anwill cast multiple fireballs, forcing them to change their paths in midair to strike the target from different locations. His long blonde hair and fair features appeared tattered and coated with a sheen of sweat, rain, and mud, as did his training attire. His golden eyes focused on the blue, humanoid target ahead of him; a construct of mana that allowed him to gauge just how strong each spell that managed to reach it was.
The spheres floated momentarily, surrounding him like a halo, then suddenly shot out at a speed that would've been difficult for any normal human to follow in all directions. Through the will imbued in his spell, he forced the spheres to converge on the target, pomelling it from all directions, leaving no room for escape. The construct glowed a bright yellow, not quite the vibrant red he had expected to see.
I've been at this for three days straight, how the hell does she produce such power with so little mana? he asked himself.
She never did manage to explain that part to me, only that I needed to figure it out for myself but… his thoughts trailed off as he noticed another elf leaning on the framed entrance to the training ground with a water resistant cloak sheltering her from most of the rain.
"There you are, Anwill. It's taken me much longer to find you than I'd hoped it would," the elf said. "Surely her majesty wouldn't come all this way in this terrible weather just to watch me struggle with you-know-who's instructions… have you?" he asked in a playful tone, raising an eyebrow.
Her respondent laugh could have melted the heart of a frost troll in the dead of winter. Her silver, braided hair quickly shuffled across a sleek, green dress that fit her form perfectly, accented by golden details on the hems and collar. She opened her eyes again, revealing the mismatching of her left and right; one violet, and one red.
"I can assure you, my old friend, that I have not come to gloat at your progress, or the lack thereof by the looks of things. I know she can be a harsh taskmaster, especially after having surpassed even your abilities with mana," she said, glancing inquisitively at the mana construct, raindrops turning into steam as they touched it.
"So then, why are you here, Aurae? I would think your royal duties would keep you far too busy to visit your childhood friend, but it seems this is not the case," Anwill said, cocking his head to the side. She shook her head. "You're right to say that it's not the case. I bring news that Thoma and his brother will be arriving sooner than expected," she said, revealing a letter she'd kept tucked behind her slim body.
Anwill, wiping the sweat from his brow with a towel, reached for the letter, revealing its contents. His eyes widened in surprise, but his thoughts soon shifted to force a nervous grin onto his face. "That little monster," he said to himself. "Monster? What do you mean?" Aurae inquired.
"Just a term Master Pyle used to describe him that… well, you'll see how well it suits him when you meet him," Anwill replied. Aurae looked at him, confusion riddling her nearly perfect features. "Is he… misshapen?" she asked, genuinely concerned for Thoma's wellbeing. "What? No. N-nevermind," he said, waving his hand.
She has absolutely no idea what I meant, he thought.
Aurae shrugged, and decided to move on with the conversation. "In any case, how are your preparations going? Have you contacted their mother about their arrival?" she asked. "No, in all honesty, I think it would be a much wiser decision to not tell her about any of that while she's been away. I can't imagine it would be good for her to focus on anything other than her task at hand," Anwill said, rubbing a dry cloth on the back of his neck.
"I see," Aurae said, pondering his words. "In any case, my side of the preparations has gone smoothly, though I would like to have a few extra mana constructs available for training," he said suggestively. "You know how expensive they are," Aurae pleaded. "I know, I know. But please, believe me when I tell you that Thoma is no ordinary boy. He will need all the help he can get," Anwill said, his position and voice firmly stated.
Aurae could only sigh in response. "I'll go tell the artificers to work on more of them. This boy had better be worth the cost," she said, shooting him a knowing look. "He will be, I promise," he returned.
Later that evening, deep into the forests of Erebos that lay near the city of Soule and more than a few days' ride through the densely packed trees, a woman lay silently behind a fallen tree with one hand on the hilt of her curved sword. Her steel-colored hair was loosely gathered at the back of her head, tied with a single, leather strip, with strands of hair coated in specks of dried blood that wasn't her own. She watched, through her golden eyes, as a portal began to form in front of her, pouring a few, horrid looking creatures out.
Great, they have horns now? These daemons, or whatever these new creatures are, are evolving at a much more rapid rate than they have the past few years, she thought, watching them scour the local area for any potential targets, as the sounds of their uneven footsteps flowed into her pointed ears.
The orc-like, humanoid creature that stepped through the portal had glowing, red eyes peering through slits in their chitinous faces. The protruding underbites that housed short, twin tusks clicked and hammered against a skinless upper jaw. Asymmetrical horns grew from the sides of their skulls, like brambles along a hedge wall, with some being much larger than others.
She glanced to her right and left, nodding to her team. The strike team consisted of two sword-casters, three spear-casters, five bow-casters, and one spell-caster, with one all-caster to command them all. For missions like these, it was essential to have at least one all-caster to take up any role that was deemed necessary should one of the members fall.
The teams, while cross-trained in each other's most basic forms and attack patterns, were often very closely knit, as their efficiency relied heavily on their trust in one another. Without it, these teams, and the missions they conducted on the outskirts of Erberos forest, would suffer far more losses than would ever have been necessary. The success rate of their missions was second to none.
We all know our roles. Is everyone ready? the woman asked, sending a mental pulse out to her teammates. Ready when you are, one of the elves said. His dark green hair and gentle features belied the violence this elf was capable of. At your command, a female elf mentally sent, already eyeing her target, gripping her spear tightly.
Go, their commander pulsed with mana, acknowledging her team's readiness.