Tyler Kimball - Lessgently
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Pallesia - Chapter 174: NAME TBD.
🕑 Added 2024-10-06 23:44:10 +0000 UTCIf you think a good chapter title, go ahead and leave a comment. :) Slightly shorter chapter as I couldn't find a decent stopping point.
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After being trapped for a measly ten minutes, Lee’s anger and panic had faded. In its place, rational thought began to take over.
The first thing Lee did once he finished raging in his prison was inspect the walls surrounding him. Each block of stone was covered in enchantments, their subtle glow the only lightsource within the cuboid room. While Lee had dipped his toes into enchanting, he was still far from an expert, or even a novice. The first thing that sprang into his mind was knowing that the items that could be enchanted needed to be of sufficient quality to hold the mana within.
Running his hands against the large cinder block-esque stones gave away nothing of their make, but to be able to enchant stones was a feat in and of itself. He could have never enchanted a simple stone, well crafted or not.
Another thing that was of note was the shimmering quality of the enchantments. The glyphs themselves seemed to slowly scroll across the walls. It didn’t make them harder to read, but it wasn’t something he expected in the least.
Nullify.
Siphon Area.
Strengthening.
Repair.
The immediate thought, and the one that was obviously taken into account in the making of this prison, was to etch over the glyphs themselves to disable them. It wasn’t like Lee was missing his tools. He still had his skills to rely on, just not any of his magic. But, the slowly moving glyphs didn’t have any anchor points he could see. If he had to guess, the glyphs themselves were on the opposite side—Mashed up against the wall to prevent tampering.
Since destroying the ruins were out of the equation, he sorted through his Hidden Cache, scrambling to find anything that could help in his escape. With the nearly limitless space he had available to him at this point he really should have stocked up and hordes every item he came across. He had papers, money, trash enchantments, his drop of life potions, furs, mattresses, clothes, food… Looking back to the papers in his mind, he grabbed the copy scroll he had been using to converse with the military.
Quickly, he went to write out his predicament… and realized his method of writing, the spell Darken, had been taken away from him. Frustrated, Lee tossed the scroll aside and covered his face with his hands as he knelt on the cold hard stone.
He had no means to escape—not by himself, anyways. He could last days and days in here by his lonesome, that wasn’t in question, but relying on Em… the only person who he trusted that actually knew where he went… Well, she was either going to be the best person for the task, or the worst. There would be no in between.
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Em watched as the wagon before her slowed to a stop, the driver oozing fear and terror as he flicked his eyes towards her. Scuttling forward, Em went to the back of the wagon, then ripped the back-flap wide open with a grin.
Inside, two gray humanoids, Dark Elves, bore holes into her form. “Hello, friends of Lee. I am Emthraxiatus Mertalicus Sepheroxus, former watcher of the tower of Breye and stalwart defender of the realm—Brood Mother of the Metallic Vanguard. You may refer to me as Em. I have been tasked with greeting you and not starting trouble.”
The woman with one of the longest braids she’s ever seen, palmed the grips of her weapons… two long sickle blades judging by their appearance. Em stared unblinkingly into her chilling gaze, her grin stretching wide in anticipation for the eventual battle to come.
“What manner of creature are you?” The man, who was one of the tallest humanoids she’d ever seen said. He had an arrow knocked in his bow but lowered toward the ground.
“Arachne. Now, might I suggest leaving this wagon before our eventual duel? I already owe Lee quite a bit of money and don’t wish to go further into debt for destroying a wagon.” She backed up, giving enough room for the two individuals to leave.
Surprisingly, both stayed put. A faint, nearly imperceptible tint of fear wafted towards her… but, the fear wasn’t of her. She narrowed her eyes. “Come! Let our battle be glorious! Lee said you wouldn’t like me, and I am here to prove my mettle!”
The man scoffed, then lowered his large brimmed and pointed hat over his eyes. “Maybe later. Neia, now is not the time to blow off steam. She’s obviously not monstrous and is a friend of Lee. First impressions, and all of that…”
The woman, Neia… that name was familiar, hopped out of the wagon, a hand held up to keep her hat in place. She tilted her head upwards, matching Em’s gaze. “I’ll put you in your place later. It’s been a long journey. Where is Lee?”
Em deflated, sprawling her limbs out and crashing her weight onto the ground. A surge of dust billowing out from the force. With a pout, she answered. “Went to the lord’s place for some meeting. Had to do with the dragon slaying quest we are on.”
Neia nodded once, then did a double take. “Dragon slaying? There’s a fucking dragon here?!”
Em waved off the comment. “Yeah. We’re going to kill it because it’s the leader of the healers or something. I don’t know much other than that… I leave the thinking to Lee. Anyways, welcome to Thexis. Want to see my cats?”
“Ruven, get out of the damn wagon. You have a hat.” Neia growled towards the man.
Ruven gingerly hopped out of the wagon, fear oozing outwards at… the sun?
Em stood, not quite towering over the seven foot tall Dark Elf, but still dwarfing his size. “Why are you afraid of the sun?” She asked bluntly, tilting her head quizzically.
Ruven bristled as he held a deathgrip on his pointy black hat. “I am not afraid of the sun. I dislike the sun. It is blinding to my sensitive eyes.”
Em scuttled forward, invading his personal space as she loomed over him. “Hide in my shadow. I assume you have a form of sun sensitivity? Your kind lives underground, right?”
Neia and Ruven both shared a glance. “Yes… Normal lights are fine, but the sun itself is an issue.” Neia answered, then trudged over to stand in Em’s shadow. “Take us to Lee’s hospital. We can wait for him there.”
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“This was a fucking stupid plan.” Jeremy spat, anger apparent as he paced back and forth in front of his father.
“Watch your tone with me boy. We did what was necessary.” Jeremiah rebuked nonchalantly but firm as he scanned the papers on the table before him.
“What are we going to do? Just keep him locked away? We can’t open the door to even feed him!” Jeremy sat down roughly into a cushioned chair in his fathers office. He cradled his head in his hands as he sulked.
“Then he starves. The only people who know he’s here are oathsworn to us, and the Arachne. If he lived till the end of this dragon business—which is the king and queen giving up—then we can let him go so long as he doesn’t pose a threat to us any longer.” Jeremiah lowered the paper in front of him, then stared down his son. “Even if the Aracne learns of his imprisonment and tries to free him, she will fail. She isn’t the first Arachne we’ve had to deal with.”
Still with his head in his hands, Jeremy replied, “The highest level fighter we have in the entire city—not counting the general’s hand—is Knight Thalison, and he would get squashed by Em… Father, you haven’t seen her in action. She’s not some wild, bloodthirsty, mindless beast. She’s a powerhouse with rational thought.”
“Then it’s a good thing she doesn’t know, nor will know, about his imprisonment.” Jeremiah stood and walked over towards Jeremy, stepping behind the seat and placing his hands on his son’s shoulders. “It is done. It’s over.”
Jeremy sighed then leaned his head back to stare up at his father. “What about the Dark Elves?”
The lord blinked, his grip loosening. “What dark elves?”
Father and son stared at one another in awkward silence. Jeremy tensed. “Lee was at the gates waiting for his Dark Elven friends when I found him. Today was the day they were due to arrive.”
“...” Jeremiah released his comforting grip and walked back to his chair. “I was never notified about Dark Elves, Jeremy. Who told you this?”
The sinking feeling in his gut dropped to a low he never guessed possible. “Lee did… Nobody told you? The Lord?”
Jeremiah wracked his fingers atop his wooden table as he idly stared out the window nearby. “No. This is a complication. What do you know of these elves?”
Jeremi straightened. “Not much, only that they’re friends and one of them is the one who taught him magic. So, they know an expert tier of magic.”
Jeremiah slowly turned his gaze away from the window to stare into Jeremy’s eyes. “Contact Dendros… tell him we have a gift.”
Comments
Forerunner For The Worst Of Mankind
GET OUT
rrrig756
TYFTC, for a chapter name maybe Panic? Or Change of Plans?
Wintermelody
Thanks for the Chapter
