While the king and his comrades were having fun, they might have forgotten about the one who is trying so hard to save the king.
Yes, it is the legendary duke that returned back in time, Carlos.
"Come at me." Carlos' voice echoed through the whole forest.
The fight was a blur of motion, the air cracking with tension. It has been 5 hours in the elf's village since Carlos started fighting with them, the elves are too much. Just as Carlos had expected, it is not because the higher elves didn't care about the elves in the village. The elves in the village are just a barrier for everyone to think there is nothing inside. Because there is another village inside where the mother tree grows, this place is the real village, the village that Carlos has passed is the fake. What a joke, even that fake village's head might not even know that they have been used by the real elves. They are just the one who had to be sacrificed.Ah..they might be the dark elves.
Carlos moves again with purpose, each strike of his sword meeting and crushing with that of elves. It might be about 20 elves. They also back each other up. If one of them is hurt, the other takes their place immediately. There is no death yet even though Carlos has managed to hurt every single one that has been replaced. They are fast unlike those from outside village. Carlos really admired their swordsmanship. But that doesn't mean that Carlos' desperation is not there. His strike becomes more harsh as the time is running out for his brother as well as him. His body is a chicken compared to those elves. His swordsmanship and fighting knowledge with elves from the past is saving him to this point. There is already a lot of time he got sent back flying when fighting. They are totally monsters.
Clash Clash
Carlos got sent back again with the force of the elf that he had been fighting right now. It is ..no she is.. It is a she. She has her arms thick with sinew and strength , this is the first elf that can follow Carlos movement, out of 20 elves, Carlos had fought with 15 elves already, each carried a specific fighting style that suited them. The first elves that jump on him are a group with 5 elves, a fighter..must be the leader, a shielder? He carried a wooden board.., a maiden..she is a healer?, a dragger holder and another fighter.. Rival of the leader i think, he always looked at the fighter with strange eyes as if he was jealous or something like that. Even though they are a good team, they are really pretty easy to defeat, beat up the fighter and the second fighter and fright the maiden…boom they are destroyed. It is strange though, Carlos has never seen that team in the past nor Carlos had heard about an elf with a sword or shield. Carlos has always thought they only used magic given by their mother…tree. He still thinks that.
After that team, most of the elves he fought used magic, but of course Carlos didn't. He needs to store it for the big one and here now he is too exhausted to fight against that woman warrior. Carlos has already known that the high elf is watching him fight all of his children, if Carlos was in his palace, he might also do the same. It is not everyday you could see a man blessed by the other gods. They might have wanted to test his children's power with him, Carlos thought. Carlos can feel the glaze on him become deeper the more he beat up the elves.
"Do not leave a single elf behind. I don't have time to entertain you one by one." Carlos said, looking at both the warrior elf in front of him and the other four of the three that he has not fought yet. Oh..one of them is an archer… it had been a long time since Carlos met an archer, this is going to be fun if Carlos has more time, he might even offer her to spare. A female elf always has sensitive ears and sharp eyes. They are perfect for sparring if you give them one companion to cover them, Carlos thought looking directly into her eyes. /She might be a master of archery, I can see it by her way of sitting. No weak spot at all./
/?No, Carlo. This is not the time to admire fighting styles. You have work to do."
"Bold words for an imbecile human who won't live long." The voice was smooth and cold, each word, each syllable cutting through the air beside Carlos. Carlos' thoughts faltered mid-step, as though someone had struck a sword into his heart and the very core of his mind.
Before him on the tree of the blossoming wisteria, stood an elf draped in white and black, the gold of their hair spilling their molten sunlight over their shoulders, the wisteria flowers on his hair, watching every flicker of light covering with purple as if the world itself bent to illuminate them. Their pale, unwavering face was framed with strands finer than silk, each movement delicate. Eyes sharp and ancient looking straight into Carlos deepest soul,shimmered like molten amber-holding the weight of the centuries…no, holding the weight of the mother tree and disdain of someone who had seen the empire crumble in front of him.
Jewels dangled from pointed ears hidden beneath cascades of hair, glinting faintly as he moved a little to see Carlos clearly.
Carlos felt his grip on his hands and smiled faintly, beautiful and dangerous at the same time, perfect as the true leader of the elves.
"One greeted the higher elf of the mother tree." Carlos said it is not mocking, it is every soldier's way of showing respect. But it depends on the other person on what they will think. If they are truly soldiers , they will know and greet each other. This is the one to one fight in a war. And to be called a higher elf of the mother tree is something that elves would be proud of no matter under any consequences.
"Carlos of the Moonier Empire. Welcome to the village of elf. One also greets you as well."
"One's children have been giving you a hard time, one apologizes for that, also for calling you an imbecile human."
"As far as one knows, one has judged you just by your movements. One apologizes again."
"All is in order. But my lord really feels regrets, please give me consent for what I need." the high elf raises his eyebrow out of distress, it is not that easy to spot since that elf is good with pretending but Carlos has already seen it. It is easy to spot if you had done the same thing back in time.
'Carlos. You are not worthy."
"My Lord, I have already played with one's children. Is that not enough?"
"Or, my lord is not sincere enough."
"How dare you.." the woman warrior says back to Carlos. Even though Carlos likes her way of fighting, she gives him a bad expression with the way she talks. Even the esteemed higher elf lost his composer.
"Did I say you can talk…."
"But father…he is the one.." this time it is not the female warrior that speaks but the one on the tree, the female archer. /Oh, he is a father/ Carlos thought.
"Go Back Into The Forest…Now." the high elf said with a cold and harsh voice. The gentleness he had given when he saw Carlos was gone immediately.
"Hmh…" the female archer disappeared with her holding the hand of the female warrior. Not really disappearing since Carlos still can feel the deadly stare behind his back but he will let that slide, he has more important things to discuss. He needs to know why he can't enter the passage of mother's tree.
"Apologize. One's daughter doesn't know when to speak or when not to."
"Why." Carlos asked, his voice colding down like midnight. Ah…he is getting inpatient.
"Why am I not worthy?"
"Because the mother tree doesn't like weak people near her."
"If you want to go there, you need to beat one of her original children."
"Like you." Carlos spoke immediately back not glancing even a little at the elf but only to his sword, ready to strike.
"..." the silence was too great. Carlso still brushing his sword with the handkerchief he had brought from somewhere and the elf staring at him.
"Yes. Like Me."
"Oh, my lord..you stop talking mighty." Carlos teased the higher elf like he was his long lost friend. Carlos doesn't know why he did that but it is just funny to hear the higher elf who seems to care about formality more than his life drop formality after talking about his death or maybe Carlos. But Carlos knows that his god would not let that happen.
"I heard it was for your brother…is it worth it?"
"Yes, it was for my brother and it still is.."
"He's worth every single thing I work for." Carlos' eyes that have been on the sword shift to the very beautiful amber eyes and saying every single word he says is true.
"That little child.." The high elf looked away from Carlos and looked straight into the forest. Carlos immediately understands who that child the elf has been talking about…
"The archer.."
"Right, she is an archer. Yes, that child…"
"That child's father was killed by humans…in front of her and his mother.."Carlos also looked into the forest to see what that elf had been looking at the whole time. He know how much humans can be when they are mad. It is not suprised. Carlos had seen a mother trying to kill her own child for an authority that cannot give her life. Carlos' thoughts immediately go to his brother, the king in the past. He had no choice but to kill him.
Carlos doesn't know why that elf starts talking about the archer who called him "father" but Carlos just listened. After that speaking, he is going to fight that dangerous man, a rest would be nice especially if it comes with a story.
"And that child's mother died while running away, they met a group of monsters. And that child has to watch her mother torn apart piece by piece."
"Everything happened in front of her, so she hates them…monsters and humans, everything."
"When I first found her, she was eating the meat that the monsters had left, her own mother."
"Yet, she says that she didn't regret, her own mother asked her to in her dreams for her to survive."
"She survived..three whole days just by eating her own mother."
"And because of that her magic power significantly increases, sometimes we can see when she uses magic, One can see a woman guarding her.."
"It is her mother…?" Carlos asked, intrigued by the story of someone he doesn't give a fuck about. /That elf is not biological father?/
"Yes. It is. It is fascinating, isn't it."
"Humans, Emotions..even her mother,an elf couldn't escape from that.."
"Our mother's tree, even though we called it a mother, she never shows up when we need it. One's brothers and sisters left because of this after waiting centuries guarding this place. Only I remained, guarding her. Can't let go of her. Even when on the verge of dying, One's brother waits only for her not to come. And you think you can get her to appear in front of you."
"What are you talking about? I only want the root."
"Not the whole person, why would I need her?"
"To get to the root of the mother's tree, you have to meet her personally. Get her permission."
"Do you really think we have not tried yet, our brother died even though the medicine was in front of him."
"But we can't. Because without permission, the root becomes rotten as soon as you touch it." The wind starts blowing rapidly near Carlos as if it wants to carry Carlos back to the starting point. But Carlos won't, he hold tightly of the nearest tree and responds back./ That elf have wind blessing, he is gonna be so dead./
"It doesn't matter. I am gonna get the root no matter what. Even if it means that I have to take that woman out of that tree, I will do it gladly."
"After all, I hate parents who don't take responsibility for their children."
"Ha…you bold imbecile human…One makes the right choice in letting you come into the village."
"What!" A sharp laugh of elf can be heard and he moved not waiting. He doesn't need to wait.