Since only a few dozen elves and drows were staying in this village, the area wasn't that big. They build round straw and wood houses on the trees, accessible by folded ladders. Sen reckoned that it would've been a pretty piece of fantastic scenery had it not been ruined by the blazing flames that ate at the trees and made its way towards the straw houses, quickly lighting them on fire.
On one side, he could see a big house carved into a gigantic tree where people were ferociously fighting. Leonas and Risa quickly joined the battle against the armored humans who wore much better and sturdier armor than the crude iron and wooden ones the other side wore.
Sen was in no hurry to help them. He first decided to probe their attitude first before making a decision. Now since he knows the humans' disgusting attitude towards non-humans, he would need to start taking precautions if he wants to live peacefully.
As Sen was observing the fight, he noticed that Leonas was using a thin sword to fight, like the one they used back to earth in fencing sport, a rapier. With one step he nimbly dodges his opponent's attack and with another, he trusts the silver rapier in the heart.
Risa the elf, on the other hand, was more brutal in the fighting compared to Leonas who fought elegantly and with a refined style. She fought with two daggers as she made use of her speed. Dashing from one soldier to the other, she blindly slashed at whoever was in front of her.
The two's fighting style came as a surprise to Sen since he thought that considering both the elves' personality and the drows', the latter would be the ones to fight brutally while the former fought elegantly.
Although he was no expert in battle, he somehow felt that these human soldiers were just cannon fodders sent to die.
The other elves and dwarfs supported the two by firing arrows and acting as vanguards. But what made Sen Furrow his brows was that there was no presence of the chief Leonas talked about, nor was there a mage's presence from the other camp.
Using his enhanced vision once again. He saw what was happening far away in the forest. It was a male shape and it was currently talking to a group of people. Sen accurately felt that this group of about ten were much stronger than Leonas and Risa while he also felt nothing of the chief they talked about.
On this side, the strongest he felt was the faint presence inside the treehouse. It was diminishing at a rapid rate.
The first battle ended under the tight defense of the elf Risa and the drow Leonas, but more are still coming their way. The mage still has the captured elves and drows but still persisting and forfeiting the lives of his soldiers.
'Perhaps there's something he wants to acquire that is in this place?' Sen wondered when his train of thought was interrupted by Leonas, "Shika! Why haven't entered to give the stone to the elder yet?" he said with a frown before sighing, "Sorry Shika, that must've been traumatizing. I shouldn't have yelled at you"
He wanted to pat 'Shika's' head but Sen quickly dodged and nodded, "Then let's go big brother Leonas".
Risa joined them and the three-headed towards the house after Leonas ordered someone to prepare for the next fight and collect weapons from the dead bodies.
The moment the three entered the tree-carved house, the elven elderly whose face was full of wrinkles opened his eyes.
Sen was surprised. Considering that elves lived for nearly two hundred years, this man was either that age or close to it since his leathery face was covered in wrinkles while his skin is so thin you could see the outline of his skull. Anyway, it was surprising he lived this long taking in the fact that elves were greatly desired as slaves…and food.
"Great grandfather!" Risa cried and went to the bed of the elderly elf. But the latter did not speak to her nor give her a glance. Instead, his full attention was on Shika, or rather the stone pendant on her neck.
Sen suddenly felt something probing inside his soul. It was harmless and mild. He could've repelled it easily, but he still wasn't in control of his mental energy and was concerned he would kill the old elf with a sliver of his life remaining.
The elder sat up and sighed before speaking to Sen in a weak voice, "is little Shika dead?"
His question shocked everyone in the room as they looked at the drowish girl in front of them who remained unfazed by the question.
Sen knew the old man had already figured out he was just impersonating Shika after he felt him probing his mind which he allowed. "Yes," he answered blandly.
"Can I know your name?"
"It's Sen…no last name"
The conversation baffled the other two in the room as Leonas stuttered, "Elder what are you guys talking about. This right here is Shi-"his words were not finished as 'Shika' suddenly started morphing into another creature he's never seen before.
The elf and the drow were both startled as they drew their weapons shakily.
���The both of you stand down!" the elder roared which caused him to spit a few drops of blood.
"Elder!"
"Grandpa!"
The two held the elder and helped him back on the bed. Risa got him a wooden cup filled with a green substance which he drank in one mouthful.
"You can't speak that way to our savior" the elder spoke weakly. But Sen just smiled mockingly.
"What makes you so sure that I will help your people old man?"
Elder Souma pointed a wrinkly finger towards the pendant Sen is wearing "that!" he said. 'That is called a calling stone, but hundreds of years ago, it was called the red stone of fate"
"Elder Souma, what happened to Shika? Is she really dead?" Leonas asked. Shika was someone who he saw as his own people, plus she was cute and shy, which made her easily lovable.
"I'm afraid she's gone. The fate stone operates as such, once the carrier serves its purpose, it dies in a stroke of fate to allow the destined person to find the-"
His words were interrupted by the sudden tightness around his throat, he opened his eyes and saw that he was suspended in the air by Sen's hand that clawed around his neck with eyes as gloomy as the night.
Sen normally would not act like, but even with the Fanalis memories partially sealed in his mind, some still seeped through the cracks and altered his personality.
"So you willingly gave up your own people just to fulfill some stupid fate? Do you believe that I can murder your entire village right now and here?" he bluffed to test the old elf.
"Es…esteemed one…you misunderstand!" the elder struggled to speak while Risa and Leonas were frozen in place, unable to move a single finger as sweat trickled down their backs.
Sen sensed there was more to the story, so he released the old elf.
"Thank you esteemed one" the elder coughed and spoke, "Shika…the carrier was not a living being. The stone was passed down through my family. Every generation would shed a piece of itself and from that piece, a body would be created. This said body is not living, but just like a golem with no emotions, just behaviors. Even the insides of the carrier's body were not the same as any living being, made purely out of energy."