"Foul creature, prepare to die!" I was damn sure I didn't need a repetition to understand, my ears were working quite fine.
However, that I was looking just like a daemon even now when so full of energy part of a totally different circulatory system than abyssal creatures were choking on remained incomprehensible.
They were even shorter fused than the paladins back in the day. Therefore... if the youth turned out the same, I was in for a nasty beating.
"Enough with that," I muttered. Hell had just unfurled in front of my inner eyes. And turning to the high elf, I asked: "Why so unfriendly? For the records, I'm no daemon."
"A daemon? What are you wasting time for, Alf? Less talking, more shooting." Just like in the past, nobody bothered to listen.
"For the last time, I'm the leader here! You're doing what I say, when I say!" "Bah, clear violation of duties. Just have to ask dad and you're so dead."
The problem wasn't even me either. "Well then. Don't want to impose on your quarrel. I'm off." The youth was sleeping, courtesy of my lesson on magic.
I rather wanted her to keep doing just that. "Silky pants!" "Peasant!!" Their shouting increased a notch.
The first arrow let loose my way but the aim was off by miles. As it impacted the third tree to my left, I even began wondering if these were truly high elves.
But that was not all I thought about. The youth had woken up due to all this noise, her big eyes teary and lips trembling.
These were the shortest moments of sleep she ever got, I was sure of that. "Again, I'm the leader here, Niall. Don't act on your own lest I report you. Even your dad cannot help you!"
"Then do just that and we shall see!" What angered me the most was that they didn't even deign to look my way as they continued to shoot phantoms only they could see.
Or couldn't, who knew for sure? Yet worse than that was another finding. Namely, the apparent heir to a powerful family shrieked in a tone so shrill I was wondering if he lacked something quite essential.
"There's a youth here." "Niall." "Oi, do you listen? I said there's a youth here." "Alf!" "WAaaaAAAaaaAHHhhHHhhhHHH~."
I angrily massaged my temples with both hands before hastily tending to the youth as my soul hurt like hell, coming to terms with the obvious conclusion that blood will flow this day.
However, since I wasn't quite sure what to tell my old acquaintance I was going to meet eventually, I had to keep calm. Even though they never looked at me properly...
"Shut the fucking trap up you ugly thing." I came to a sudden halt, my caressing hand frozen which only upset the youth even more. The pain intensified.
I hummed and buzzed a miserable tune. Yet even all the efforts in the world didn't change the fact I simply wasn't much of a bard. Had never been.
There it was again. My reason gone and brain fried... for a second. "What. Was. That?" Nobody answered so I thundered off the place, angry to the utmost while trying to keep myself in check.
Bang! Right then I had to take a leap sideways, narrowly escaping an arrow. "Hahh... The gate towards heaven is open to all. Why must you poke a hole into the ground, leading to hell straight?"
In a flash I realised something. The Great Consciousness' warnings now made sense. And thanks to that, I was prepared yet again.
I hid behind the nearest trunk, hearing a couple of arrows impacting it with force. Delving deep within my perception, I read all the minuscule signs available to me and came to a conclusion.
"Seven archers, one berzerker and two mages. This will be over soon, just bear with me for now. Alright, mate?"
She... gave me the stink eye? Under shock was it that I cast my own spell, "[Darkness' Grace I]." What I perceived changed and I once more felt closely entangled with the dark element.
Due to my recent increase in power, mystical patterns lit up all over my body. Not that any elf saw this as I hid behind the trunk.
Testing the waters hesitantly, I was happy to find that more tricks were available to me now, one of which I intended to make ample use of.
"[Shadow Step I]." And so I travelled right behind a shooting ranger. The elf turned her head in surprise, almost fainting due to what she saw.
Gallant as I was, I immediately helped. One jab with the unwieldy grater and she totally ungracefully fell down the branch like a sack of potatoes.
"Nine to go..." While I was still muttering, I cast the spell yet again. My targets were the mages standing close together that had been squeaking long incantations since a while ago.
They didn't even notice anything before fainting. From that spot I had a great overview of the so-called battlefield.
For some odd reason, the berzerker was standing still while the archers were mistreating the poor trunk with terrible gusto.
"Goodness... and what if I escaped? This is no drill... The bunch has no practical experience and no common sense either."
Even the youth I partially addressed kept silent all of a sudden, ogling the clowns with interest instead. Moments later, I went to work yet again.
Three more had to faint before the rest found out that something couldn't be right. The volley of arrows had decreased too much for them to *not* notice the strangeness.
I surprised one more victim with the spell before I was encircled by the remaining two archers and one berzerker.
"Boh!" I brazenly laughed into their gawking faces. The elves answered with their bows, shooting as fast and as strong as their tender fingers allowed them to.
The berzerker came running up on me, possibly intent on squashing me between his armour and the trunk behind me.
Yet the poor creature was bound to experience first-hand what crashing into a mountainside must feel like. My weight was... special.
"What an idiot," the wretch didn't even need help from the grater as the male spat blood and fainted on the spot.
"F-foul creature—" I'd had enough. I didn't bother with any spell, merely charging up the branch the two gawking idiots were standing on like sitting ducks.
Much too late they remembered that they were in possession of other weaponry. Waving about their ornamental weapons didn't do them any good.
They went to sleep soon after. Now I just had to wake up one elf, send her back as a messenger to Elfriede and case closed. "Though... how do you dissolve this weak poison again?" I groaned.