Signs of War (3)
The capricious weather of the unexplored zone relentlessly tormented intruders who crossed its borders. From morning, intense sunlight beat down, spawning sweltering heat, and aside from winter, rain was so rare it was downright abysmal. Humans venturing into the unexplored zone without any intel faced a double ordeal: savage monsters and blistering heat.
"Gwahk!"
A scream pierced the air. A boy's thin, high-pitched voice—Gareth's.
The group converged in an instant at the tearing cry. They were already on edge from constant monster ambushes.
"A dark elf?"
"I can see that much."
"So why's there a dark elf kid?"
The culprit who ambushed Gareth from behind was an elf with dark skin. A dark elf. It was only natural for the subordinates' wariness to zero in. But something was off. The dark elf who struck from the rear looked no older than ten at best.
Trembling with a crudely made dagger raised, the kid started shaking at the humans swarming from all sides.
"Why's it shaking?"
"Your face looks like a bomb."
"We got properly thrashed by dark elves, but taking it out on a kid... "
"Who said anything about taking it out?"
Yushin's men gathered, murmuring among themselves.
The sudden dark elf kid's goal was food. When Isana handed over a strip of jerky, it snatched and devoured it like a wild animal. Intrigued, the other subordinates pulled out their own snacks—biscuits, jerky, dried fruit—and kept offering more. Despite being the same race as the dark elves who'd attacked them, pity stirred for the filthy, ragged elf boy.
The dark elf gradually let its guard down.
"Where'd you come from?"
"This ain't a place for people."
"Never heard a peep about elves living in the unexplored zone."
"Got a big sis or something?"
At the barrage of questions, the dark elf boy bobbed his head busily while munching away. Once stuffed, he finally spoke.
"Who are you uncles? You can give me all this good stuff?"
The human men froze at the boy's words, then whispered furiously.
"Uncles? Who's he calling uncle?"
"Tucker, obviously. Face got smashed to hell."
"Why me?! I'm the elves' eternal younger stud!"
"Getting the younger guy treatment from centuries-old elf beauties went to your head, huh?"
As the men bickered pointlessly over the dark elf boy, Yushin returned from scouting and spotted the kid.
It was Yushin's first time seeing a dark elf. He flinched at the boy with dark skin. One tracking us into the unexplored zone? But he sensed no power from the kid. The crude dagger looked like no formal sword training.
"Kid, where you from?"
Yushin knelt to eye level with the boy and asked. He knew next to nothing about the unexplored zone, so intel from the kid was worth a shot.
Thanks to the food building trust, the dark elf shot up a hand at Yushin's question, pointing southwest—likely where he lived.
Yushin felt baffled by the kid's overly friendly openness to strangers.
"Alright, you're full now. Head home, kid. And don't answer anyone else who asks."
Nod, nod.
The boy nodded at Yushin's words. Yushin handed over a bundle of rations. The kid, taking it hesitantly, bowed in thanks, waved, and toddled southwest—toward his presumed home.
Watching the boy's back, Yushin nudged Allen, who was dozing against a tree.
"You're on watch."
"Wasn't sleeping. I'd know if enemies got close."
"Then why miss a dark elf?"
"No killing intent. Didn't seem like it meant harm."
"Don't talk back."
"Hmph."
Yushin planned to track the traces the dark elf boy left, aiming to make contact. Normally, keen-nosed war dogs handled tracking. Without dogs, he deployed the rabid dog instead.
"Why me? I'm not even in berserk mode."
"Your nose is sharp. Eyes too. Mine are hazy; can't see shit."
"...Liar."
Grumbling at Yushin's order, Allen followed the dark elf's trail, sniffing and checking footprints. Yushin trailed her, the group behind, forming a long line.
As Allen diligently led, Isana spoke up.
"This isn't southwest, though?"
Yushin replied, "Obviously the kid lied. No way a brat surviving monster-infested wilds trusts strangers outright. We tossed food like suckers, so he played nice. Smart kid. Streetwise early... "
He looked barely ten, yet cunning as hell. Probably shaped by the harsh land. What was I doing at ten?
Yushin followed Allen's path, pondering. The kid seemed a native. Intel from locals would help. He'd buy info from dark elves with their rations.
Sabnack had four retainers: Ghost Knight, Evil Spirit Knight, Black Monster, Corpse Puppeteer.
Leading Sabnack's detachment from southern Liberia into the unexplored zone was the lich called the Corpse Puppeteer. Glowing red eyes, skeletal frame. Flashy mage robes and golden crown—fancier than his master Sabnack. The lich walked a dark cave with demons, meeting their contact.
"Salamanca's Evil Dragon, I bring my master's command."
No sooner had the lich spoken than massive eyes opened in the cave's shadows. Chilling golden orbs blinked at the bony lich.
Cordova... my old friend. Even bonier after a short absence. Hard service to your master, I see.
The demons behind the lich snickered at the dragon's words. The lich whirled, hand outstretched. Black lightning erased the laughing demons from existence.
After ashing two subordinates, Lich Cordova spoke again to check progress. He gleefully told the Evil Dragon of Salamanca that the day to crush the Liberia Elf Kingdom had arrived.
Truly long overdue... No word, I thought you'd forgotten me.
"How could we forget? Lord Sabnack has awaited only this day. To exterminate the vile elves who invaded our domain."
Sabnack had gnashed his teeth through centuries, honing power after humiliating defeat to El Seed. Leading forces from the southern continent, he struck southern Libria Peninsula, regrouped at Granata, and aimed for the capital.
This passage is ready. We await the opposite one. First time opening so vast and long-range. Unprecedented, even worldwide.
"Relieved it's prepared. The elf kingdom falls soon... Slaughter every elf on Libria Peninsula, cross the mountains, butcher the continent's humans too."
Quite excited, friend. Seeing you happy cheers me.
At the lich's brutality, Salamanca's Evil Dragon smiled and polymorphed. Ashen-haired human beauty—but wrinkles crept in, turning her haggard. A dragon clan's punishment for breaking rules: Curse of Ugliness, denying beauty even in polymorph. Plus, she bore the Curse of Impurity, blocking most mana in her dragon heart.
"Damn Dragon Lord—watch and see. I'll prove I was right. Rot as impotent spectators in your precious covenant. I'll forge my own world."
Disgusted by dragons' rigid ways, she'd joined the Demon King Army. Sabnack accepted her as a rule-breaker turned evil dragon. Though dropped from the four retainers now, she'd once terrorized as one under Sabnack's rule of Libria Peninsula. Her second peak in the army halted by El Seed—joining Sabnack against her, she took a mortal wound, hiding centuries to recover.
"Salamanca's Evil Dragon, I trust your skill, but first, show the ritual seals you placed."
"Fine."
The dragon extended a hand. Surging ashen mana formed a systematic map of the terrain: northern peaks, southern swamps, eastern valleys, western falls. Four central axes for the massive ritual hummed from each direction.
Upon activation, the axes would force all monsters in range into the ritual, teleporting them to registered coordinates.
"We'll ravage the loathsome elves' capital first."
Coordinates: Maherith skies. Wyverns over Maherith dropped elf heads; riding demons calculated and relayed to Lich Cordova, who passed to the dragon—completing the ritual's final stroke.
Thousands of monsters dwelled between axes. Lich and dragon aimed to rain them on Maherith.
"I'll control gravity magic. Safe landing essential for those falling beasts to hit Maherith Palace intact."
United, dragon and lich targeted Maherith Palace.