414 Remember Who Taught You How to Fight
They all passed through the portal, leading into a random forest part. Arthur did not live in the area where the elves lived, so he had no idea where he was, and not even the three female elves knew for sure.
Speaking of them, it was time to part ways after they all got out of the Dark Forest. Not a sad departure, as no one got too attached, and their meeting was just a big coincidence.
“It’s a good thing me and Jake are linked after he sold his soul. I can use the mark to find his location,” thought Arthur, gazing at the surrounding area, trying to find the right direction, but no matter where he looked, everything was just foreign to him.
After accepting his fate of being lost, Arthur used the mark he had placed on Jake, sending him a message, briefly explaining what had happened and what he found out about the elves.
Arthur was expecting an answer from Jake, but it did not happen. But, of course, that could only mean something was blocking his mark usage.
“He is in danger! At least the tracker is working, and I now know where that elven tribe is.”
The wind made Arthur’s long hair and red mantle move with it as he flew above the greenery beyond, feeling the breeze and hearing all the animals do their unique sounds, creating that atmosphere of being out in the wild, not knowing what to expect.
With the help of the mark Jake had, finding him turned out to be an easy task, but of course, he was still far, and it would take Arthur one day to reach his location.
“How should I proceed with this? Rescue him and Agatha and get out, or confront the leader personally?”
The leader of that tribe was a rank-three mage, and although he and Arthur had the same level of power, Arthur believed he would get the upper hand and win against the elf.
But what if there were others behind this? What if there was a rank-four mage? Arthur did not know everything behind this act of dark magic. He barely knew anything rather than the fact they were doing it.
There were too many variables, and Arthur would have to take a risk. One thing that relaxed his mind was that if everything went completely wrong, it was just an avatar, and his main body would still be safe.
But that thought was slowly drifting away, and now Arthur cared a lot more about his new body; losing it would be painful.
“I need to think like this is my only life,” he thought.
Still, in the end, he would do anything to help Jake, the first to become his ‘servant’ after selling his soul. Why? Well, not because he was kind-hearted, but because he had a reputation to keep!
Why would others sell their souls in exchange for things if Arthur did not even protect those who had to serve him for eternity? It was a thing of honor to him at that point.
So with that thought in mind, Arthur flew toward the elven tribe he had first arrived, one that was not expecting his return…
~~~~
A young man wearing the typical armor of the elven guards rushed into the tribe’s chief house and said, “Chief, someone is out there wielding a crimson-red spear and plate armor! Could it be a mercenary looking for trouble?”
When that guard appeared out of nowhere, the chief was chilling, eating some fruits, and having fun with his woman.
“What? A warrior?” he asked, visibly displeased by the situation, both the arrival of a mysterious person and the fact that the guard interrupted him.
“There’s more to it. I can’t tell you why, but the man who showed up looked familiar!”
“Someone you know?”
The curiosity took the best of the elven leader, and he stopped everything he was doing and went outside to meet the ‘mysterious warrior with a spear and plate armor.’
He walked toward the village’s entrance, and before he arrived there, many other elves looked at Arthur with surprised faces. Some remembered him from some days ago, and almost all did not know why their leader tossed him into the Dark Forest anyway.
“If the leader did it, it must have a good reason.”
p-A- n-d-A-n-0-v-e-1、(c)om That was their thought, and little did they know their leader was not someone good.
The moment the leader’s eye laid on Arthur, he could not believe it! He had personally ordered them to toss Arthur inside the Dark Forest; no one ever escaped that place!
“You! How? How are you here?” the chief yelled, and the veins of his forehead popped off!
Arthur escaping was something that questioned his authority in the tribe.
“Our leader cannot even lock a prisoner?”
If the others started having those types of thoughts, then eventually, others would try to use that to fight for the position of tribe’s leader, and that was not what he wanted.
With a deep stare at the leader, Arthur said, “surprised to see me here? I also thought those elves doing their black magic, and blood rituals would kill in there. A good thing I am a tough person, right?”
Whisperings started around the tribe, and most wondered what Arthur was talking about.
“Black magic?”
Although most of them did not know or did not have evidence about black magic, they knew something was off sometimes with their leader’s decision, but they did not question it and tried their best to believe it was the right choice.
But now that someone was there, questioning their loyalty, then they had other thoughts in mind. What if their leader was truly doing something evil beneath their noses? Elves were a kind race and never considered doing black magic.
That went against everything the elves believed, and an accusation like that was harsh.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Did you go insane while inside that forest? Speaking of which, I shall take you to it again!” the elven leader said, sweat dripping down his forehead.
Arthur could see that, as well as the others around him. Their leader was nervous when Arthur touched that subject, meaning it could be true! The leader only had the final word when the others still believed in him, but the moment their trust was broken and the entire tribe was at risk, they would do their things.
So, one of the oldest elves, respected by everyone and the advisor of previous leaders, said, “what this young man is saying should be investigated. Violence will not happen; he must stay in our village to help with the investigations. If something as evil as black magic is found, the current leader, Ardreth Prestris, will be imprisoned.”
More whispers and the leader was angrier than ever.
“What are you talking about? I am saying what will happen here, not you, old man. Your time is long passed!”
The older elf who just spoke went silent, and he looked at the tribe leader and yelled, “yes, I am old and retired, but that does not mean I cannot kick your ass, boy. Remember who taught you how to fight!”
Then a powerful aura spread around the area, one close to rank-four. When the leader felt that, he tossed away the thought of picking up a fight, and now was more worried on how to escape the dry situation he was in…