Great Elders

The sun shines brightly, and the bird chirps are music to the ears; the sea of forests is a haven for magical creatures and alven kind alike. Inside it is a city whose buildings were built around the trees and sometimes over it; it resembles a harmonious balance between alven kind and nature, but it's not for people afraid of heights and bugs.

"Finally Alfheim, we've been gone for a long time, but this city's beauty is timeless," said the dwarf man who's enjoying the view. "It still the same old alfheim; go get the spriteling while i find a spare set of clothes for him" the dwarf woman replied.

Snoring like there's no tomorrow, Sarion slept comfortably for the first time, but that was about to be ruined when the dwarf man picks him up from the bed. "What the?!?" Sarion awoke, surprised that his face was almost down on the ground.

"Rise and Shine Spriteling, Aldora wants to see you i think she has a spare set of clothes for you" said the dwarf man. "Aldora?" Asked Sarion.

"Oh, I almost forgot I am Radgroum, and my wife who treated you is Aldora; she'll introduce herself again later now off you go now" said Radgroum. Sarion went into the living room where he saw Aldora digging into a gilded chest.

"Where is it...let see, not this one" Aldora said while digging through some stuff in the chest. "Uhmm....excuse me?" Sarion said shyly.

"Oh! little spriteling come here and change into these" Aldora said while holding a white tunic with leather pants. "Uhmm...isn't this too much? i mean, you already helped me so much" said Sarion.

"Oh, don't mind it, deary, these are leftover from our last trade you see, there are very few children being born, so this will not sell it would suit you better if you have it" said Aldora.

"But—" before he could say anymore, Aldora drag him into a divider covered with cloths on each side.

Sarion changed into the clothes provided, and he looked like a normal kid from the region; after that, Aldora handed him a pair of mocassins. "Oh deary, you look handsome; the clothes i gave you suit you well" said Aldora.

Sarion, embarrassed by his old shabby-looking clothes, thanked Aldora for giving him a new set of clothes for him to wear. "Aww...Don't mind it deary now prepare yourself as we are going someplace special" Aldora said smiling.

"Where?" Sarion asked with a curious face. "You'll know when we get there here; eat this, so you won't be weak when we arrive there" Aldora answered.

After an hour, Radgroum entered the living room. "You guys ready?" Radgroum asked holding a small gilded black chest. "Yes honey, Please be careful with that" Aldora replied.

"Hahaha! Don't worry; this thing is safe with me" Radgroum replied. The three jumped down the boar, and immediately Sarion was mesmerized by the view of the city from below. "Amazing right?" Radgroum asked.

"Don't worry once you reached the treetop; you'll be seeing a better view of how large the city is" Radgroum said. "Now, Now let's not go offtopic from our business today" Aldora intervened.

As they passed by shops and buildings, Radgroum took the liberty of showing Sarion where to go and buy things he needed. "Pretty much all shop here have varieties of products that caravans go through like ours; one thing most shop and this city lacks are craftsmen because there's no ore to mine here, so basically no supply of materials" Radgroum explained.

"Isn't that dangerous no craftsmen means no supply of weapons for the soldiers and people?" Asked Sarion. "Don't worry, Dwarrion is nearby; it supplies pretty much all alven cities of weapons and armors" Radgroum replied.

"Oh, i forgot to buy something, Radgroum; why don't you two go on ahead without me" Aldora said. "Is it, or are you just avoiding that place?" Radgroum asked. Aldora immediately left without answering the question, so the two just went on without her.

"Ah, here we are, the Grand Tree Palace" Radgroum announced. Sarion was curious about their purpose there and wanted to ask Radgroum but Palace Guards immediately surrounded them.

"Halt State your business here" The Guard captain announced while pointing a spear at them. Radgroum immediately took out the same necklace Aldora has and showed it to the guards. The guards immediately lowered their guard and escort them to a circular hall with large seats on a circular pattern mounted to the wall.

Moments after entering, a group of cloak hooded people entered and sat on the seats. Radgroum kneeled in the middle and showed the black chest. "What is inside that chest i can feel it is absorbing a large amount of anima?" a cloak hooded person asked.

"It is a forest dragon egg, Elder it was entrusted to us by one of the drakon tribes," Radgroum replied. Whispers immediately echoed in the room as no one has seen a forest dragon in years because orcs hunted them down to extinction. "Silence!" One of the elders shouted who particularly stand out from the rest because of his gold-gilded cloak.

"Some of you may disagree with me, but raising this dragon will bolster our army in the coming fights or would rather see our homes burned by those barbaric orcs" The elder announced. Whispers again begin to echo in the room; after much deliberation, the elders agreed that it would in their best interest to raise the dragon.

"Oh, and one more thing we found this spriteling weak and wounded near the coast; he is foreign to our ways and does not know his lineage" Radgroum announced. "What! Guards escort this spriteling to the blood chamber" the elders commanded.

"Maybe we can find some answers about his lineage there and elders, this meeting is adjourned" the gold-gilded elder ordered. The elders left, and the one elder who was wearing the gold-gilded cloak approached Radgroum and Sarion. "I am Aterion the great elder, Let's go this way young one, and Radgroum, please leave that chest to the guards"

"Elder Aterion, Why haven't i heard of this blood chamber?" Radgroum asked. "This place is Sacred, and only a few people know it" The elder who was playing with his long beard answered. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a dead-end hall Radgroum, and Sarion immediately became confused.

"Umm...Elder, this is an empty hall" Radgroum said. "Is it?" the elder asked while touching the wall. A magic circle appeared after touching the wall, and an invisible door popped out, which shocked and amazed the two.

"Now After you, Gentlemen" The elder said and opened the door.