Chapter 238: Questions (1/2)

The way back was quiet, Ilea avoiding any knights she saw moving through her sphere, few even noticing her blink by. At least they didn’t pursue far, otherwise she would’ve probably been losing more limbs from the kingsguard she had engaged. Soon she found herself on the rose field again, exiting the dungeon into the cathedral at the very top of it.

The elf was cutting into the corpse, all the armor was lying carefully distributed on the ground. To think this is the safe haven instead of the boss encounter. Ilea thought as she watched the cloaked elven curse mage experiment with a human corpse in a desolated and massive Gothic cathedral. “Hey, I’m back. Found some things that might interest you.” She said, sitting down on one of the benches near him.

The elf held up a finger, continuing to cut before he stuffed his hand into the corpse. Three seconds later he ripped something out and showed her a shriveled heart, smiling with blood on his face.

Ilea smiled back from under her helmet, “Congratulations on dinner.”

The elf threw the heart her way and sneered, “Dinner. Look at it, corrupted. It’s not human anymore.”

“What does that mean?” Ilea asked, looking the heart over in her hand. It looked just like what she imagined a several hundred or thousand year old heart from a resurrected corpse would look like.

He shook his head, “It means that they are corrupted and no longer human. What is there not to understand human?”

Ilea gave up and summoned the two books. “Found these although I can’t read them.” His eyes opened wide, the blade he had used dropped onto the ground without care as he held out his hands, moving closer to her. “Mate, you’ve got blood on your fingers.”

He blinked, as if woken from a trance, “Oh yes. I was just…,” He said, summoning a piece of cloth that he used to clean himself. “How is it in there?”

“Old, most of it is dust, rotting or just missing. I’ve found some skeletons but not the amount a destroyed city should contain. There’s knights in there called Knights of the Rose and the dungeon itself is called Tremor.” Ilea started but he interrupted her, summoning a small book and starting to write into it.

“Slow down.”

Ilea told him about all she had found so far, which wasn’t a lot but he seemed more than happy about it. His tongue constantly licked over his teeth as he wrote everything down with a creepy smile. “Why are you constantly licking your lips? Your smile looks creepy too, can you not relax a little?”

The elf just looked at her and closed his book, “Human, you are asking a wolf to stop hunting. Was that all you have found so far?”

Ilea nodded, “Pretty much.”

“For the price of a leg I suppose?” He asked, accepting the two books and starting to look them over.

Ilea eyed him but didn’t comment on the leg, “Can you read the language?”

He opened the books and nodded, “This city was a part of the Rhyvor kingdom. There’s plenty of relics and dungeons in the area but I believe this was the capital. I’ve spent years in the past learning this language.”

“Why?”

“Why? I believe it is the capital because well, it’s the most vast of those I’ve found so far. And you speak of a palace like cathedral. As to why I’ve spent years learning this language, well it’s rare to have books survive this long. A good thing humans tend to store things with runes against decay in place. A peculiar notion.” He answered, murmuring the last sentence.

Ilea raised an eyebrows, “How so? Is it not understandable that one stores things in a safe place?”

The elf closed the book before he carefully put both of them on the table, “Peculiar because your very race expires so easily and quickly.” He said with a smile.

“You motherfucker.” She said but couldn’t help appreciate his bluntness.

He didn’t seem to care about the insult, instead sitting down with one of the books. “You have honored the trade.”

“Good, then why do you attack and kill humans. I heard there was a war a decade or two ago and half a year ago you slaughtered thousands by invading cities in the west.” Ilea asked, taking out her notebook and pen, opening it at the page with a big ‘Elves’ written at the top.

He thought about it for a moment before he answered, “I do not know of a war. We tend to send out our young to train, into different terrains and areas but fighting humans is rarely profitable for their strength. Perhaps they had encroached into the forest but I cannot say for sure.”

“What do you mean encroached into the forest? These cities have been standing there for years if not decades or longer. Why now?” Ilea asked, writing down what he said.

“I do not know. It is not for me to decide on matters such as these. As much as I understand you have lost many, why are you concerned about elves? Are you not constantly at war with your own, where many more die and suffer?” The elf asked, moving a little forward on his chair.

Ilea thought about it and couldn’t deny that of course humans were the main danger to themselves, “It’s not about numbers. We know humans, know why and how they fight. Elves? No idea, other than that each of you is as capable as some of the most powerful humans.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Ilea thought but shrugged it off.

“The unknown. I understand.” He wrote something down and looked at her, “I cannot tell you why your cities were eradicated, only that I, perhaps, would have chosen differently. As I said, it is not for me to know nor to decide.”

“For whom is it then? Who do you serve? Another race? Some god or just a more powerful elf? What kind of government do you have?” He looked at her and closed his notebook.

“I might answer more of your questions depending on the contents of those books. For now I consider my duty, fulfilled.” The elf said.

“Are you not afraid this knowledge might help humanity fight you?” Ilea asked as a way of provoking him.

He looked at her and blinked his eyes, “I applaud your power but as you have stated, you are one in many. Should you manage to set your differences aside to face a common enemy, I will be surprised at the very least. Although I reckon the respect I would foster for humanity would quickly shatter upon your slaughter in the forests of old.”

She had gotten more than she expected. So he would respect us for actually trying? If there’s only a couple thousand elves and I think there’s more then I doubt we’d have much success so he’s got me there. He went back to reading and Ilea didn’t further pry. His answer had been final, his views clear. Arrogant he may be but so were humans and Ilea had a feeling his sense of superiority wasn’t exactly an illusion.

In a world where people had a number over their heads it was simple to quantify military power, “What’s the book about?”

“I have merely started with the first paragraph. Would you like a translation to Standard?” The elf asked, not looking up from the book.

Ilea shrugged, “I mean if you’re a historian I would assume you want to share the knowledge. As far as I know you’re the last person alive to read their language so it might be helpful.”