Chapter 56

They walked ahead, the smell of vanilla stronger with each step. The most eerie bit was the lack of sound up ahead and when they finally reached the entrance, Hector was first to enter the large clearing.

Followed by him was Adam and Alexis, the latter of which paused and looked behind her with a frown. It was for a split second, because she thought she heard a grunt a ways off but she was wrong and continued. She hoped she was anyway.

"It seems we have visitors", came a low thrum of a voice, deep and amused. A voice fit for a villain.

Alexis searched for where the voice came from, her eyes landed on a man, not quite human and not quite a magical creature. His face was full varicose veins, his eye colour was indistinguishable under a strong sheen of green that covered it. His long hair thrown over his shoulder in one giant dread lock, clearly not intentional and he sat atop a boulder as if it were his throne.

'What the hell is he?' She thought, Hector soon answered.

"You're a stray", Hector said, Alexis suddenly recalled the first time she met Emilia and realised that the hideous man in the rock was once an elf.

He didn't seem to take note of Hector as his eyes drew to Alexis, he smiled a long hideous smile, flashing black teeth at her. The look in his eyes sent shiver down her spine.

"Goblins! Don't tell me you didn't welcome my guests. Serve them, and be gentle!"At his command, hundreds, if not thousands of goblins appeared beside him, as if they had been hiding behind the boulder this entire time.

They lashed at them instantly, Adam summoned lightning, paralysing which ever one he could and Hector burned them. It was going well, until one of the goblins returned flame magic. And then they all did, suddenly hell was loose.

Goblins wielding every magic possible attacked them and Alexis, who once stood idly to the side, jumped into action. Splashing water, throwing boulders, electric currents which reacted well with the water and even making little tornadoes, something she had no experience in but handled well enough.

She didn't realise the show she put on, the stray who watched her grinned wider and wider until he clapped his hands and the goblins stopped their movements. He continued to clap.

Alexis stopped staring at the goblins in confusion and turned to the source of claps. She realised she was making eye contact with the stray who managed to elegantly jump off the boulder, standing a few metres away from her.

"That was a beautiful show of skills. I haven't met such a talented fairy before", he commented, Alexis stepped back with a frown.

"Human", she corrected. His face twisted in disgust.

"What a shame", he clicked his tongue, "then I ought to kill you" and just like that he sprinted at the alarmed girl.

Hector and Adam tried to intervene, but the goblins seemed to start attacking again. Alexis was left to fight for her life.

She made a wall to block him, but she was too slow and suffered a blow to the side. She turned to where he last was and he disappeared again, this time reappearing where she wasn't looking and kicking her hard in her arm.

"Argh!"

"Too slow". Came his taunting voice.

Another kick to her side.

She realised if she wanted to fight this guy she had to do what she did with Emilia. Hyper awareness mana. It was the most draining magic possible since it involves enhancing all your senses but she had no choice.

When she finally had enough and activated it she caught the stray by surprise when she caught his incoming fist. He laughed dodging her returned punch with ease.

"This is getting fun isn't it?" He giggled.

And then it got faster, much faster. Alexis failed to keep up at his array of attacks suffering blows and sending none back. She finally understood what Agathus meant when he said elves were more physically gifted, because this was- this was just ridiculous!

All too suddenly it stopped, her hair was yanked up from the back as she felt a cold breath by her neck. She gasped realising she got caught.

She tried sending a current towards him, but her hands were twisted and turned as his voice spoke.

"You'll die if you continue to use more mana. I put a magic draining spell on anyone who trespassed this cave and you lasting this long was completely unanticipated, but I'll spare you. Your friends over there will die if they continue like that", Alexis' gaze shot to Hector and Adam who seemed to be relying on their physical abilities more than their magic right now.

"D-Don't! Please don't kill them!" She felt her heart beat increase with feat at their possible death. Tears crowding her eyes.

'This is my fault! They're going to die because of me'-.

"I will. I'll let them go, but I'll need some compensation".

"A-Anything".

"I heard a rumour", he chuckled, "a rumour that some powerful mage will come along and help the current emperor rule with everyones support", Alexis eyes shook at his words. "If I recall that mage can perform multiple magic types at once and even"-

His words suddenly stopped, something spilt over Alexis shoulder, it was warm and seemed to pour in large amounts. She turned her head towards the elf and stared directly at the edge of a long sword piercing through his neck.

The liquid was blood.

Alexis yelped as the body fell down, and turned in shock at the reveal of a familiar beefy man, his face was red and sweaty as he gave her a sheepish grin.

"Thought you might need some help", he said.

"I-I- Tha-Thank you!" She said, her body still trembling.

She didn't rest and turned to Hector and Adam only to see them lying down in a heap of ashes. Ashes, ashes were all over the floor. Not a single goblin in sight. Just ashes…

"Where did all the goblins go?"…

"It seems like the goblins were just a cover up for a stray", the Crotina boy answered while Alexis ran to Hector and Adam.

"Hector! Adam!" She choked out as she reached them. Her throat burned with unshed tears. "Wake up!"

"We're fine" came Adams cranky voice, "our bodies are recuperating now that the nasty mana draining spell is off".

"When did you guys notice it?" she asked, with furrowed brows and glistening eyes.

"The moment we stepped in the cave" answered Hector, hoarsely.

"Oh"…

Among their useless chatter, David Crotina walked to the dead body of the stray and noticed a strange pattern on his neck. A circle, with a straight line piercing through it tattooed in black in ink. It was familiar. He had seen this before. His fingers traced it and he realised it wasn't an ordinary tattoo.

It was a spell.

A shadow magic spell.

"Alexis come over here!" David called.

Alexis who had just finished ugly crying turned to him. She sniffled

"Yes. One minute" she shakily spoke as she wobbled over to where he sat, his eyes still analysing the dead body as his hands felt for a heart beat.

"He's still breathing", he commented.

"He has a knife through his neck, how could he be breathing?" Alexis stared at the elf with a new profound fear.

"I need you to heal him".

"What? No way!"

"I don't think he was in his right mind when he was doing this", David said, not at all disturbed by her expressive refusal.

"What does that mean?"

"He was under the influence of a shadow magic spell".

Alexis was well aware of what that meant. Her jaw slackened at the reasoning.

"S-So he wasn't actually aware…"

"That's right".

Alexis sighed for a second, more of a shocked one than an exhausted one and reached for his damaged neck. The sword had long been pulled out and a normal person would be dead now. But he was an elf.

She healed him easily, the ripped veins and arteries merging back together down to the thinnest of capillaries. Soon it was as if he had never been stabbed.

'Amazing' thought David as he stared at the girl who seemed to not even concentrate while performing such a tedious task.

She noticed the glowing mark on his neck, the dark familiar mist around it made it easy for her to understand what it was. She channeled her own dark magic into it overpowering the small spell and lifting it.

The varicose veins faded leaving beautiful blemish free skin behind. The tangled hair untangled displaying gorgeous silver locks. It was kind of like a flash of light had blinded them all to suddenly.

'An elf's beauty could be like that' she recalled her first meeting with Emilia and gave an amused smile when she noticed the startled face of David.

The man who lay before them, fluttered his long silver lashed, revealing amethyst eyes as he glanced at their faces one by one. He furrowed his brows in evident confusion.

"Who? – where?" He sprung up, backing away from Alexis and David.

He seemed to have no recollection of what just happened. Alexis threw David a glance which he returned with a serious frown.

He hadn't expected this supposedly fun adventure to become so serious and mysterious. There was more to this than any of them could've imagined.

And that mark. That was something he didn't think he'd see again.