9 Chapter 9

"He really beat Adrail?! He looks so weak though. Lady Ithana, why do you insist--"

"This man renounced his humanity. Even I could feel the pressure of his words, as well as the subtle change administered by the gods."

Opening his eyes, Ethan was greeted with a message.

'Stage 4, Fin'

He blinked twice and his skills appeared, scrolling straight to Fury.

-Fury Lv. Max Passive Skill

-Your rage and unwavering determination make you faster and tire slower. Condition for use: extreme anger.

-Stage 1: Reduced stamina consumption, increased attack speed.

-Stage 2: Further increase.

-Stage 3: Stamina nearly infinite.

-Stage 4: Detrimental to your health, once your rage subsides all Stamina will be drained. Result: Sleep.

'Hell. No wonder I dropped like a log.'

He rubbed his eyes slowly, a pair of gasps echoing from nearby.

Ithana came into view and reached out to him, her previous hostility completely gone.

"Are you alright? Can you move?"

Ethan sat up, raising his arms and stretching. A soft grunt escaped his throat as he looked around.

"Ithana...did you get hit upside the head or something?"

Her eyes became confused, but a small realization hit her.

"Forgive me. I know I was out of line before, but I wasn't sure what to expect from a human. Your words from before, they have taken effect."

Ethan shrugged. His eyes focusing on a new message.

'Quest Complete - Pass The Trial'

'Reward: Dark Elf Trust Up, Guardianship'

A moment later his eyebrows shot up.

"Taken effect?"

"Yes. In your eyes and hair. What once was black has a unique luster. Your eyes have white pupils as well."

Ethan scratched his head.

"Hmm. Thought something weird happened. I do need to ask something though."

Ithana smiled softly, her eyes curious.

"Why do you all hate humans so much? I know I was asked to learn about the world's history, but I'm clueless right now."

Her smile faded as she shooed away the other dark elf.

"You are an Other. Of course I shouldn't have been blinded by your human heritage when you first came here. Firstly, in your world, do they have wars between races?"

Ethan shook his head. His eyes a little more serious.

"Where I'm from, all we have are humans. Our wars were major land disputes in the past, now they're just countries that don't like each other making horrible things happen to each other. So no, we just have humans being humans."

Ithana lowered her face as she started her history lesson.

"This world had one major war, roughly three hundred years ago. The demon race was attempting a wide spread take over, killing off entire villages and even corrupting a few races into mindless slaves."

"Goblins?"

She simply nodded before continuing.

"All of the other races banded together. Elves, dwarves, fairies, mystics and even humans. Many took place against the massive demon army."

"Mystics?"

"Any form of a animal-human hybrid. From small features such as a simple pair of ears and tail, to sprouting fur across their entire body and the like. Also full crossbreeds. A horse body and human torso for example."

"Ah a centaur. In my world, they're just legends or myths. Although a lot of people from my world would drool at the site of a cute girl with cat ears."

Ithana giggled softly and looked up.

"We have a many of those here, though they'll act just as we did until they see your eyes."

"Ah sorry. Please continue."

She nodded and her eyes seemed to glaze over.

"After many years, we succeeded in our combine efforts to destroy the army bearing down on our troops. We all thought it was over, that we had won, however... that was not so."

Tears streaked down her cheeks, slowly dripping into her lap.

"The humans, who suffered the least out of all of us, turned against each and every other race. The ensuing massacre left then as the single most powerful kingdom, forcing many castles to be abandoned, or to never have a soul leave it once after they were attacked. The dwarves and fairies were attacked until extinction, and we dark elves hide within shadowy forests. We pray that we do not become discovered."

Ethan leaned forward, wiping her tears.

"Two things."

His action came as a shock to her, but she nodded slowly.

"First of all, your reactions, were you there?"

She shook her head.

"A blessing amongst the line of Her priestess's. We have every memory the prior ones possessed. All but the most private of memories. Your second?"

"This guardian business. I'm assuming that you're going on a pilgrimage, but will you be safe? Especially if I wasn't here...?"

"Humans... respect other gods and goddesses. Unlike your world I would assume, so they tend to leave a priestess alone for the most part. Although... memory shows me that they still get attacked or hide out in plain site using magic or disguises."

Ethan looked her dead in the eye, her fear more apparent now than ever.

"I'll do everything in my power to protect you, so I ask that if we ever enter a human settlement, please listen to my orders."

"Thank you, Mr. Other."

He smiled.

"It's Ethan. Ethan Quinn, Ms. Ithana."