Backstory

Loueras Elvedriel

Deep inside, I wanted to take Ardiel with me. The child has a prowess and a talent for magic and combat that not once in my entire life have I ever seen. In all my three hundred years of life and over a hundred of being an adventurer, I never have witnessed such talent.

Sure, I met quite talented individuals. Once, I even met a human God rank water sword style practitioner. Judging by what I learned about humans, he looked to be in his mid forties. Knowing how short of a lifespan humans had in comparison to elves, it was still very surprising for me to see this individual honing his swordsmanship to such a level, in such a relatively short period of time.

But Ardiel still intrigued me more. Despite him not using any particular technique or style, and just gaining more experience from the basics, he could very well fare against an advanced adult swordsman or mage.

Just at the age of ten, he is as powerful as an advanced rank swordsman or mage. I am just one step ahead of him in magic, a King tier fire mage, and two steps ahead of him in swordsmanship, Sovereign rank of the elven sword style. I could not even imagine myself being as talented as this kid was when I was his age.

So when he approached me, asking me to take him with me, my immediate response would have been yes, but I had to maintain my dignity and maturity. I played hard to get to see his determination, but eventually agreed, to his and my own satisfaction.

What I did not consider was that immediately after he would ask to take his friends. This shocked me, really. I felt like I was wrapped around his finger. What a cunning child.

However I was most certainly against this idea. If taking Ardiel, a talented prodigy with me, was my desire from the start, seeing as he could stand up for himself, I had no intention of holding responsibility for anyone else, nor did I see myself as a babysitter for a bunch of ten year old brats.

Call me weak spirited, but out of fear that I would lose my student's favor, I finally gave in. He assured me that his friends were not pushovers either which I found difficult to believe, but if it was Ardiel's words, who acted like a mature adult in his ten years of age, then perhaps it could be true.

But I only agreed to take them along for a short while, and only on the safest expeditions. Ardiel had the same idea in mind, so it was a relief that there was no need for additional convincing.

Faelar seems like a bright kid, the twins seem to be capable mages from what I heard from Ardiel, Galen is a strong kid, and Tariel is the kind to never lose a smile on her face. Positivity is needed on an adventure, and perhaps taking this group along won't be as horrible of an idea as I initially thought it would be.

Once we left Elvedriel, I gave them a book that I myself used a long time ago to study the human language. That was when I just registered myself in the human adventurer guild. 

I had no interest in politics, nor of my position as royalty. I always felt isolated in the elven forest. Not to say that I hated where I lived, not at all, but I just did not feel free there. The position of nobility felt suffocating, and I wanted to let loose and explore the world, hone my own abilities, rather than attending gatherings full of hypocrites and fakes who flaunted their wealth and power like it was their only redeeming quality.

The fuel in the fire was my affinity for the fire element. By elven nature, it was nearly impossible for us to use it. Hence you would basically never see an elf casting fire, lightning, or light magic. But I had this potential, and it would be wasted if I stayed.

But it was difficult to free myself from these claws. A member of the royal family, leaving the forest and indulging himself in human activities. It was considered preposterous, and unsuitable for an elf. Despite the peace between the elves and humans, tension still existed, and the idea of the two cultures mixing, such as an elf partaking in adventuring, was thought to be absurd within the elven society.

But the young me couldn't care less. I never saw myself as part of nobility, and traditional elven values loosely applied to me. I hated this artificial isolation from the world that our people created. Posing as high and mighty, wise and honorable, superior to others. No more than a charade that we made the whole rest of the world believe in. No more than a mask. The elven nobility was as interwoven with underlying currents just as much as within any other, and who else but a member of royalty would know best? Greed, envy, animosity, were all well hidden from the world, and created an image of the "high elf".

So, I did not care how much I tarnished my reputation, I did not consider it of any value to begin with, so I ran away. Just like a rebellious child running away from home, I escaped the kingdom with my brother's farewells. He knew who I was, and perhaps knew it was only a matter of time before I left, so he did not hold me back, and just wished me the best of luck.

I took a carriage, and made my way to the bordering kingdom of Radiver, and enlisted in their adventurers guild, beginning my career as a "B" rank, and building up from there.

It was then, when I became an adventurer, that I truly felt alive. No longer trapped within the constraints of nobility, but doing whatever I liked, and going wherever I wanted to. Training how much I wanted, and earnestly honing my talents and abilities.

Perhaps that is why when I met Ardiel, did I feel a connection with him. Someone who does what they love to do, bettering themselves, and being free, is something I have always longed for. Maybe that connection, and my love for adventuring and a free life, is why I not only accepted his plea to take him along, but his friends as well. Living a free life was a soft spot in my heart, and despite being against the idea, I could not restrain anyone from experiencing the world. If I was to reject him, it definitely would have left a bad taste in my mouth, as I would have become the exact thing I swore to never associate myself with ever again.

When Ardiel begged me, it felt like he knew that I would agree. Like he was for some unknown reason, one hundred percent certain that he would succeed in persuading me. It was an eerie feeling, and I am still confused about why he had that gaze and confidence, but perhaps this is just the workings of fate, or some other higher power?

***

As I drove the wagon, chatting with Faelar and Ardiel, and seeing the lively glow in the eyes of these children, it reminded me of myself when I was a child.

The excitement of adventure, of diving headfirst into the unknown. Of honing your abilities, testing yourself, seeing what you are capable of doing. There is nothing more exciting about exploring the world, and exploring your own self, seeing just what you amount to.

'I see…maybe taking them along is a good idea after all.'

The more members of elven society let themselves out into the world, the better.

As I thought this, driving the wagon along the valley river, I spotted a dot in the distance, on the same path we were on. After some time, I noticed that it, too, was a wagon. And it was approaching us.

As we neared each other, I saw that it was a wagon, with four human men, dressed in linen pants and shirts, and two wearing some kind of leather vests as well. One had a ponytail, the rest had their hair cut short. One of them had a scar across the left side of his face, making him use only his right eye.

Faelar and Ardiel next to me were wide eyed and their jaws dropped. Well, it makes sense, seeing that they saw humans for the first time in their lives.

"Hey look! Humans! Humans are approaching us!" Ardiel shouted back to his friends, all of whom sprung up immediately and stared agape at the approaching wagon.

I halted the horses, and so did the human driver with the ponytail when our wagons met each other.

"Well I'll be damned, an elf! Oh wait no, a lot of elves! Out of their precious forest?"

"Good afternoon to you." I replied.

The man blinked a couple of times before he grinned.

"Hahahaha! Who do we have here? An elf who knows the human language? Well afternoon to you too!" 

He made a shallow nod with his head. The other men in the wagon copied the gesture. All of them were armed with swords, sheathed at their sides. In their wagon I spotted nets, empty bags, bags of provisions, and a few other things.

"Adventurers I assume?" I asked the driver.

"Heh, sure are! Name's Ren, back there are Sam, Coal, and our mage, Hart. So, where ya headin elf? Not all the time do I get to see one show his ass out of his forest! HAHAHAHAHA."

Ignoring his rude remark I introduced myself.

"My name is Loueras. Behind me are my companions. We are making our way to an adventurer guild."

"You gotta be shittin me! An elf adventurer, with more elven brats who want to be adventurers!? Oi, Coal, ye ever seen one before?"

"Nah man, never. I heard of one before, but not this one I am sure."

"So what ya saying is that there's more of em? Well shit, the world changing so fast I can't seem to keep up." Ren sighed.

"Are the four of you heading in the direction of Elvedriel?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh um…nah, just some business in that direction."

I eyed him cautiously before continuing.

"Well then, have a good day gentlemen." I said, snapping the reins and encouraging the horses to move.

"Good day to ya too sir!"

Our wagons went our separate directions. For some time I could still hear the laughs and loud talking of the humans we left behind. Our wagon stayed silent however, the kids still in shock from seeing their first ever humans.

They exchanged some gossip on the way, but it was quiet and muffled. None of them talked like they did before for the whole time until we made camp for the night. I guess the shock of seeing humans was still deeply engraved in their minds.

'I wonder what would happen when we visit the first human town.' I smiled as I thought to myself.

"Alright the lot of you. Finish your food and head to sleep right away. I will make sure of it. We will rise early tomorrow."

They all did as they were told, and after finishing their dinner and washing up before bed, they were all asleep after about half an hour.

I would be the one keeping watch. During my time as an adventurer, I mastered the skill to sleep, while being aware of my surroundings. It was necessary so that you won't allow anyone or anything to creep up on you while you are asleep.

One hour passed, then two. The fire had almost died out, only the hot coals still glistening orange in the dark night. It was a nice, warm night. The sound of the river like a natural lullaby was doing its best to put me to sleep, and the leaves of the nearby trees rustled from time to time in the warm breeze.

Just then, I heard a branch cracking behind me.