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DES (Devil/Elf Story) Prologue
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The
wind slapped his face and stung his eyes, forcing him to squint them.
The sky was cloudy and the air moist. It felt like a storm was hiding
over the hill. However, the storm he was worried about was the one
he’d have to face when it came his turn to report. He could already
feel his insides tossing about. Soon, a call came from the Mahir’s
giant tent. “Troop
645, representative of 645! Step forward!” He sucked in his breath and
walked as tall as his 4’ could manage. A somewhat taller warrior stood
at the entrance, looking over him. “You’re
the leader of 645.” The man seemed skeptical. “That’s
me.” He tried to keep an indifferent tone. The man looked skeptical.
“I shouldn’t have to explain myself. Are you going to show me in or
not?” The
man shrugged and opened the canvas flap. He
was inside, and sitting five feet in front of him was the Mahir. Before
he could fully take his surroundings, the nearby assistant spoke. “State
your name for his lord, the Mahir.” He
was taken aback, but he tried not to let it show. “Shadowstar.” The
tensed right there. The assistant eyed him, and Mahir actually put his
eyes on him. “The
records say that 645 is captained by Rockfell and Saber. Where is
Rockfell?” “Captain
Rockfell was killed in battle three weeks ago.” He realized he’d
raised his voice. Not wanting to make things worse, he continued. “During
a standard raid on a human village, a group of non-locals joined the
fray and killed both Captain Rockfell and his second, Saber. The raid
ended in failure and the troop retreated. Not long after, the troop had
a vote and appointed the raid supervisor as temporary captain.” There
was a pause, during which the Mahir looked away. He seemed to be paying
attention to something else. The assistant tapped his foot impatiently. “Get
on with the rest of the report!” “Huh?”
Shadowstar jumped, distracted by the Mahir’s distraction. “Sir!
Nothing unusual happened before that point.” “Nothing,
in a 7 year period?” “Not
really. We traveled, we raided, we had petty disputes. What’s to
report?” The assistant didn’t seem amused. Shadowstar got the notion
he was irritable from listening to reports all day. “Something unusual
happened after their deaths, though… sir.” “Mention
it sooner, then!” Yep, defiantly irritable. Shadowstar
took in a deep breath, feeling a little more relaxed. “The non-locals
I mentioned weren’t human. They were elves. After we retreated, they
went through and finished the job for us. No, they weren’t even
raiding. They just turned the town upside down and left. They didn’t
even wait for us to fully leave before starting.” The assistant cocked
an eyebrow at this. “We got kind of curious what they were doing, so a
few of us followed them south.” The
assistant gave a stern expression. “If you had time to chase elves
around, why didn’t you send a messenger to report the deaths of
Rockfell and Saber?” “We
survived 7 years without reporting the deaths of subordinates. Why send
a messenger for the captain’s when we were three weeks from
Homecoming.” The assistant seemed ready to strike him. He opened his
mouth to shout, but was cut off by another voice. “What
kind of elves where they?” Both
people looked over. Before they realized it, the Mahir had taken great
interest in their conversation. Shadowstar was amazed; the Mahir had
asked him a question. “They
were dark elves.” He replied softly. Mahir nodded for him to continue.
“We followed them until “The
elf was in league with them?” The assistant questioned, now equally
confused. “No,
sir. The elf was apparently a victim too, just like the human village.
Sounds like they did more then look around his house though. If you’d
like to question him, he’s with the rest of the troop.” “You
brought an elf with you?” The assistant had that impatient look again.
“Of all the inept-“ “You
brought him with you.” Mahir repeated, though more amused than
outraged. “Would you have him for a member of your own?” Shadowstar
felt his chest tighten. This was it. The Mahir was going to kill him for
being stupid. “Yes, sir.” He said with resolve that surprised even
him. “By now, I’d have nothing else for him. He’s as good as one
of the men.” He stood in silence, waiting… “Sir,”
The assistant said, sucking in breath. “What shall we do with this
one.” The Mahir closed his eyes and they waited. Finally,
a sound, a chuckle. Mahir laughed. The assistant released his breath and
Shadowstar paled. He could have sworn his heart stopped and fell through
his feet. “Keep
your position.” Mahir said. “And your elf. I have a new assignment
for your troop.” Shadowstar
exhaled vocally. “Sir!” Mahir
continued, unfazed by their reactions. “These dark elves are raiding
all over the continent. You’re not the first to report seeing them.” “Though
the first to run off and follow them.” The assistant added. Mahir
seemed to have a fierce look, like he was readying to watch a lamb in a
lion pit. Shadowstars stomach leapt and his chest tightened again.
“645 is hereby assigned to the tracking and studying of dark elves.
Figure out what they’re up to. Send a report every in three and half
years.” “Sir!” “And,
Shadowstar,” Shadowstar held in his breath. “You better have
something ‘worth reporting’ next time.” “Yes,
sir.” He exhaled. Mahir nodded to the assistant, who waved. “Call
in the next troop!”
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