"I'm sure you've noticed, but elves aren't supposed to be living in such a place. We are quiet, reserved, and have a more enriching environment. But we, the elves of the camp, are different. Back in Roxiao, our homeland, we are considered outcasts, different from the other elves around us."
Isla continued,
"We were weaker, smaller and outnumbered, but we were also blessed with the ability to create The Olf. A special egg that grants elves immortality and unparalleled power. It took about 700 years for us to perfect the one true Olf, we would become stronger as a result of this. When one of us tried to harness the power of the Olf egg, they were consumed by it, although powerful, it no longer had a soul, a demon elf we called them".
Lumin listened.
"It was then we realized our souls were simply too weak to control the power of the Olf, we needed help, we lacked the security to protect the Olf ourselves. That was when we ran into the forest elves, they gave us a place to stay and promised to protect the egg."
Isla stood up, dusting her body.
"Well go on, don't just stop when I'm already curious to know what happened."
Isla chuckled, "You know I'm not allowed to tell anyone about this, right?".
"You'll be fine, I'll protect you. Besides, it's just you and I here."
Isla sighed, "So persistent," she pressed her finger on her cheeks, "Everything was going fine, at least until the forest elves got a new alpha, he was ruthless and selfish. He demanded we hand the Olf over to his people, obviously we refused, but he didn't like our response very much. He started a war with our people, against the forest elves we didn't stand a chance. A lot of us died, some of us managed to escape with the Olf, but the forest elves are still on to us, searching everywhere, and somehow, they are able to find us if we stay in a particular place for too long, so, we've been moving around the country a lot".
Lumin sighed internally.
'So basically, they are on the run from these forest elf people? Why not just stand and fight to the very end? It doesn't seem like they have any other plan than to run, which would explain why the other elf was so adamant about not leaving the cave'.
"So you see, even if I were to run from here, I'd be getting hunted by the forest elves. I've only been able to survive this long because I stayed with the group." Isla said with a sad smile, although she tried to hide it.
Lumin, using his tentacles, claimed the small box, and then pointed at her -
"Yeah, but still, why would you want to run from the people keeping you save? If anything you should be grateful, I understand the depression in being trapped, but still…"
Lumin suddenly remembered, though it was a short conversation, he recalled when the elf boy told Isla about her brother getting killed by the alpha soon.
"Oh…".
Isla played off quickly, picking the Blop and raising it towards her head level.
"Our alpha is just as brutal. He kills those who step out of line, and the rest of us… we're too afraid to fight back. But even saying that, I hate myself for being so scared, I'm weak, there's really nothing I can do."
She lowered the Blop a bit, the sadness on her face getting more evident.
'I can't really put my finger on it, but I feel like I've been in a similar situation. Controlled, feeling trapped. Sigh, still, I can't just decide to help her, for all I know, she could be lying, even though I sense no threat from her, deceit is still a dangerous asset'.
"If your Alpha is brutal, why not just pick a new one?" Asked Lumin.
"That would require a male being able to defeat him, and so far, every male who has tried has lost so badly." Isla replied, gently settling back on the ground.
"I see..."
[Would you like me to make a suggestion?]
'If it involves me somehow putting myself in a position where I have to help her, then I refuse.'
[Understood.]
'Just say it!'
[Outcast Elves Hierarchy can work in your favor. They are weak, and their strength can only be gauged amongst themselves. If you were to defeat their alpha, the group would need to decide on a new alpha, and since you're not an elf, you can rule, but they can also choose to follow you.]
'How can I rule if I can't even be their alpha?'.
[The skill subordinate in your arsenal is a good tool for that. You could also utilize your advanced Mimicry.]
'I mean, now that I think about it. If I do kill the alpha, I could easily do the same for the rest to make them loyal, but do I truly want to risk this?'.
Lumin looked up at the girl.
His eyes moved towards her cleavage.
Before he could say a word, a loud voice echoed from outside.
"What the hell do you mean you can't find it?!!!"
The sound of an angry man was followed by a loud bump!
Sounds of footsteps echoed.
Isla picked the Blop up from the ground with haste before sprinting outside.
The moment she opened the curtains, she spotted one of her friends, Melfi, on the ground, her right cheeks bruised.
Everyone gathered around, about six female elves and four male. One male stood out, he was dressed in a full body leaf unlike the rest.
This male elf had a huge masculine build, had no hair on his head, one could easily mistake him for an ogre.
He was the alpha elf.
He stood in front of Melfi, and picked her up by the hair. Melfi struggled, twitching in pain with her eyes closed, but she didn't try to fight back.
"You annoying little prick!!! Didn't I make it clear not to ever do that shit again to me!!!" The male elf yelled angrily, looking directly at her.
Lumin noticed something -
While the female elves who watched could barely look at the scene without feeling guilty or bad, the male elves seemed excited, almost glad… they were simply enjoying the sight.