( Kingdom of An-Diva 2 )

Looking at the huge tree in the middle of the kingdom, its trunk is as thick and tall as a skyscraper, while its leaves stretch and fade into the sky. Its roots are construed near the tree to make smaller duplicates of the bark, hollowed out to make luxurious housing, while the streets bustle with street vendors and shops lined along the road, serving hundreds of people, most with the striking similarity of white hair and pointy ears. Carts are pulled through the street by large reptilian creatures with large dorsal fins lined on their spines.

They rush past the group as Elijah asks in awe, "What the hell is this place?"

"The capital of elven civilization and what many consider the centerpiece of the world," the masked figure states while walking into the crowd of people.

The group quickly follows the figure.

"Wait wait wait wait, did you just say elven like elves, the race like in the stories?" Lola asks.

"Precisely."

"Excuse my doubt but elves!? I mean..." Luke says doubtfully before the masked figure cuts in.

"You just figured out that magic is real, I'm assuming that you ran into Abaddon and witnessed his deep-sea creatures, and you have been teleported into a new world that is not Earth, but you draw the line at elves?" The masked figure asks.

"...good point."

"Okay but if this is the center of elven civilization then why are you here?" Elijah says.

The figure stops in the middle of the road and asks, "What are you talking about?"

"I mean you're clearly not an elf."

"And how would you know?" The figure says as they turn toward Elijah.

"Looking around, all the elves have white hair, while yours is black."

"That doesn't prove anything; I could have just dyed it."

"Well, what about your ears? Your hood would point out where your ears would be."

The figure stays silent for a moment before they start to laugh. "Hahaha not bad, at least you're somewhat observant. Now that we're in the walls, I guess I don't need the disguise anyway." The figure says before taking off their hood to reveal a white woman with a pair of old air force goggles. In one of the lenses shows a scar spanning her forehead. She lifts her neck to reveal a piece of parchment with signs and writings that resemble the ones on the wall but notably different that has a blue glow to it. She then rips it off and as she does, the blue glow fades away. "Ah man, I always hate how those things feel on my skin. The name's Jere," she says with a higher-pitched voice that still resembles her old one.

The group stands there in disbelief.

"That is... not what I expected," Luke exclaims.

Jere chuckles a bit before turning around and continuing to walk away.

"Wait a minute. Now that we all know who each other is, could you tell us where we're going?" Lola questions frantically.

"Hm, fine, we're heading to an inn," Jere responds.

"An inn?" Luke questions.

"Now, if you don't mind me asking, why are we going to an inn instead of maybe a hospital?" Cecil asks, confused.

"First, these people don't have hospitals; they have things called healing wards which are inaccessible without proper identification, and second, I know something that can help your friend with considerably less loss of his eyeballs and/or money," Jere says as she turns to a smaller corner street left of the main street.

Elijah looks over to the other side of Makoa to look at Luke. When he does, he is met with a shrug of his shoulders before they continue to follow Jere. After a couple more twists and turns around the kingdom, they end up in a long shoulder with an alley.

"We've been walking for almost 10 minutes; how much longer are we?" Elijah asks slightly annoyed.

"We actually just arrived," Jere replies as they walk out of the alley to reveal an inn that has two floors: the ground floor which doubles as a pub, and the second floor which is where the beds are. They see a small sign above a door that illuminates the words 'Old Rock Inn.' A large woven garbage can stands beside the door on the right as a hatch reminiscent of a bomb shelter lays on the left.

"Home sweet home," Jere whispers to herself.

"Why are we at the back of the inn? Wouldn't it have been easier to go in through the front?" Elijah asks.

"Yes, but the imperial guard has been on high alert ever since King Jharym Melisander attempted assassination a month ago. The only reason he lived was because his daughter Estaria put him in suspended animation with her evocation magic," Jere says while walking to the door.

"The king almost got assassinated!? No wonder they're not letting people into the gates," Luke comments as they follow in suit.

"Yeah, and now in his stead, the first son Giilvas takes the throne until they find a way to save his father, and let's just say he never really agreed with his father in letting humans into An-diva in the first place," Jere explains as she opens the door to the inn. Jere puts her hand on a rune right to the door, and as it glows yellow, the crystals on the ceiling start to illuminate the room. The door leads to a kitchen area with a rudimentary oven and sink; all the wooden countertops shine like they just got cleaned. Walking a little further, they walk around a wall that, on the other side, carries a large selection of wines, beer, whiskeys, and spirits, and on the other side of the bar counter is a large area filled with wooden tables and seats.

"Alright, lay him out on one of the tables while I go get who I need to get," Jere says.

As she says that, they lay him on a long wooden table before Lola asks, "Who? I thought you said you had something that could help him."

"I don't have anything that can help him, but my associate does."

A collective disappointment falls over the group's face after Jere says this.

"Don't worry, I'll be gone for five minutes, so stay put," Jere says as she walks out the front two doors.

After a couple of seconds, Elijah looks at Luke and says, "You look around for anything suspicious on the second floor; come back in three minutes. Me and Cecil will do the same down here, while Lola watches our backs and Makoa."

"Got it," Luke responds as he quietly makes his way to the staircase, while Elijah and Cecil make to the kitchen area. When they make it to the kitchen area, they look around in cabinets and drawers for anything weird about the building before Elijah says, "I'm sorry."

Cecil pauses for a minute and asks, "What for?"

"You were right; I made a decision that put us in danger, and I did it without consulting anyone, and I was wrong for that. I promise to do better and consult with the team first on big decisions. Will you please forgive me?" Elijah says sincerely.

"... not until you take me out," Cecil says.

Elijah chuckles and says, "Deal."

They look through a couple more pots and pans before they hear a scream from upstairs, "Holy shit." As Elijah and Cecil hear this, they also hear Lola's footsteps running up the stairs to check on him.

"Cecil, stay and watch Makoa. I'll go and check on Luke and Lola," Elijah commands as he darts out of the kitchen and runs up the stairs at top speed. When he gets to the top of the staircase, he sees a long line of doors with a red carpet lining the hallway, and a single door open at the end of the hall. Elijah speeds to the end of the hallway and looks into the door, asking in concern, "Luke, are you okay...?"

When he looks into the door, Elijah is hit with an immediate wave of confusion.

"Wha... huh?"