"This place has gotten lively as ever," I grumble to myself while holding a cup of water amidst the elves partying inside the inn. I am the type of person who enjoys celebrating, especially on occasions. However, they may have gone too far about this gathering, as I discern them chugging down a bucket of ale, non-stop since early morning.
Even Bill, the grumpy old hag, joins the fray and xertz a freshly made brew brought by the Elven soldiers. The scent fills the room with the alcoholic beverage that even the children have gotten intoxicated.
"It sure is," Natalia, the sick girl from before, shuffles beside me, grabbing a glass of an amethyst liquid or booze.
My hand involuntarily swipes her punch, not letting her grab hold of that beverage she's having. I mean, look at her! She is still young, petite, and has a baby face that every girl in my generation would feast their eyes on! Not to mention the guys that would want to court her out of boredom and curiosity!
"I will never let that happen!" I close my eyes and drown myself from my world. "What a cruel world that we live in."
"Are you thinking of something indecent about me just now?"
"No." I deceitfully answered while pouring the beer over the waste bin.
My eyes ogle upon her father, Elanor, getting along with the rest of the guests inside the cramped tavern, still mindlessly chugging their jars as a means of competition. Elanor is in the losing lane, with his eyes staring upwards, soon to give up. However, Beatrice, who is also a part of the tournament, was the leading member that could take the grand prize for their friendly battle. Eventually, just like what I had predicted, Elanor drops to the floor, unconscious, and gets dragged by Delwyn with the rest of the servicemen.
"By the way," I said, avoiding my reckless and embarrassing demeanour earlier while pointing at the more ignominious being in front of us. "That's your dad, right?"
"Don't you ever talk about it," Natalia scowls at me as she sips a glass of water as a replacement for the alcohol that I took from her a while back. I can see the leer in her eyes, cursing me from behind, wishing that she had been drunk tonight under the glistening moonlight.
"Are you sure you are fine?" I turn over to her side with her face yet again sinking on the floor, not wanting to reveal her figure.
"No," She quickly responds, squirming back from where she had come from and slowly making her way upstairs.
"I did not mean that," I grabbed her by the shoulder and gently picked her up, meeting her face close against mine. "Do you feel anything funny that troubles you?"
After a few seconds, Natalia hurriedly averts her gaze and runs towards the stairs, back to her silent room. For a second, I swear I saw her face turned into a pinkish, bright red. Does she have a fever of some sort?
'I will never know,' I told myself while returning to my room and calling it a night.
The crows of the morning rooster arouse me from my bed, greeting me for a brand new day if it was not from the early knocking on my front door.
"Lake, are you awake?"
A feminine voice intervenes in my daydreaming as she continues to call out for my name. I would not mind her actions because of her admirable beauty, but doing this often would pinch my nerves in a panic.
"Coming," I answered, not wanting to be rude at the princess of the Elven Kingdom.
"That'll be perfect! I will meet you downstairs for our love-err, breakfast!" She eagerly replies- almost stumbling with her words-clear from the energetic jogs creaking from the wooden stairs. It had not been long since I cured Natalia of her curse.
'Heck, the event happened yesterday, for crying out loud!' I blurted while swiftly preparing my goblin cloth and staggered downstairs.
The Leef family greets me in the dining room with diverse menus prepared at the table. There are innumerable green, red, and yellow hues lined up in the dishes, mostly full of vegetables and fruits for the classic Elven gourmet.
I do not mind the meal readied in front of me. All that matters is that the food must satisfy my hunger for the rest of the morning!
"Have a seat, dear." Beatrice pulls up the wooden chair right beside Natalia, excitedly waiting for me to sit down.
"Thank you,"
I stride my way towards the chair and seat comfortably with the rest of the Elven family. It almost feels like I belong to their kin, undiscriminating me for being a goblin.
In a split second, I notice Natalia covers her face with her hands, hiding minuscule pieces of crumbs and spices from the same seasonings used in the meals. Despite her efforts, the sprinkle of leftover ingredients sticks on her cheeks, complimenting her smile carved on her face. The moment that I rest my bottom on the flat surface of the board, I motion Natalia to rub her fingers on her face, particularly on her lips.
Natalia's eyes widened in surprise after feeling a solid matter glued between her lips, making her twitch out from her position, shaking the entire board.
All three of us shift our eyes to the nonplussed and sheepish Natalia, deliberately returning to her stony chair. Elanor glances at each person-elves and goblin seated at the table and allows us to consume the food.
I took the first bite of the appealing leaves compiled with the tomato-like fruit mixed with some sliced onions in a ligneous deep bowl. My hands immediately reach out for the peach sauce that resembles the thousand island salad dressing back in my world. Looking intently at the side dish, I almost missed the grains of half-cooked rice mixed with the golden corns as my side-dish, which broadened my eyes for a brief second.
"It tastes good!" My voice involuntarily escapes while I gobble my plate within seconds after Beatrice had served it hot in front of me. I have no regards for what these elves would think of me. After all, it has been a long time since I ate a decent meal.
_____________________________________________
"On your left, kid!"
"King Elanor, please be gentle,"
Today was the day that the kid, Miguel, will have to prove himself about his untapped power. Two days have already passed since Natalia's situation, leaving us approximately three weeks to prepare everything we can about the monster raid. That's not all we need to watch out for. We must also consider the neighbouring Kingdom wanting to take advantage of our problems, with the war drawing being overdue.
Having these thoughts in mind, all of us must heighten our capabilities and enhance our arcane output to defend ourselves and protect our loved ones. The villagers should survive this catastrophe and the soldiers in the front line.
"You need to keep casting your spells, Miguel."
"I will try,"
Miguel's footwork is akin to a squirrel, always on the move in front of constant danger. The arrows discharged by the elf rains above the sky, shooting at random places where Miguel has to dodge away. The kid needs to conjure arcane magic continuously to attack the vulnerable Elanor. This lesson right now is essential for him to learn today is prioritising whether to defend, attack and do these steps simultaneously during battle.
These challenges are not enough for a youngster like him to handle as he got sniped by a twig-like arrow on his back, disrupting his balance and eventually falling on the soil. Miguel's face lands first, followed by the gust of wind fired by his drooping hand, aimed at the wandering civilian on the west.
My body jolts in that exact direction and destroys the raging twister at a familiar girl dressed in white cotton robes, hiding her long pointed ears. Much to my surprise, our eyes abruptly meet after almost getting hit by the aimless, speedy spell.
The young lad runs towards us and hastily bows his head to apologise for his uncouth behaviour. Knowing Natalia's personality, she easily forgives the boy and brushes off his curly hair, all messed up during the sprint he did.
"So, this is where you train with my father, Lake?" Natalia surveys the field and perceives the molten crust of land and dampened soil. After five days exhausting days, the plain became disastrous, sene enough to look like a battlefield.
"Natalia, what did I tell you about not leaving your room?"
"But, dad, I have nothing to do!" Natalia retorts.
"You have books you can read,"
"But I read them already?"
"When?" Elanor becomes doubtful about her words, wondering whether he should believe everything that her daughter says.
"Here. I just need to prove it to you then."
Natalia shifts her head back to her bag made of bamboo and hardened branches as she takes out five distinct files of old literature from her sack.
"Chapter 1, spell efficiency, Chapter 2, double casting spell technique-that I already know about it, and the story goes on," She throws out the scriptures on the ground, coincidentally opening the pages she had promptly mentioned. Upon scrutinising the pages, Elanor confirms that she indeed summarised the whole concept of the same sheet she had told us about.
"Then what brings you here, my lovely daughter of mine?"
"I want to have a match against Lake!"