Ellena awoke to a hard knock on the door. She opened her blurry tear-puffed eyes and looked towards the door, attempting to say come in but just letting out a solitary squeak.
“Oh for all the God’s sakes Belric, ones half dead and the other’s got no arms, just open the fuckin’ door,” a voice that Ellena unfortunately recognised said.
The door burst open and a relatively small Ent-like creature walked in, covered in wounds himself. It was clearly Gedill, wearing some elegant looking leather armour, which seemed off for a Treechild somehow. Ellena was honestly surprised he had gotten involved enough to be injured.
“Excuse us.” A deep gravely voice called out behind him as a huge figure squeezed through the door.
It was a Bear, but larger than any Bear the ex-farmer had seen. He also wore dark metal armour covered in dents and scratches. The pauldrons on his shoulder were oversized, coming halfway up his face. It must have been Dragonstone, she had only heard rumours of it, but it was a legendary metal that was famed for its near black colour.
He also wielded a warhammer on his shoulder which would have been impossible to lift for even most elite Human knights. A large scar reached from the left side of his chin, over his entire face and ripping through his right ear. Clearly this was an experienced warrior.
Gedill and the Bear walked over to Ellephwen, not even looking in Ellena’s direction. Gedill looked over her and clicked his tongue. The Bear breathed a sigh of relief. “So she does live. Samora truly works wonders.”
“Ha! Sure she lives, but she lost an arm,” Gedill mocked the Dryad, lifting her left side that Ellena had not yet seen, revealing bandages and only half an arm hanging from it.
Ellena squeaked in shock, completely involuntarily drawing the attention of both the male monsters. Gedill scowled at her. “Oh and look. Ellephwens precious adopted brat,” he started walking towards her. “Were you comfortable in here whilst we bled out there?”
A large fist smacked the Treechilds head causing him to stumble forwards and cry out. The giant Bear stepped forwards with a gentle smile. “Pay no attention to what Gedill says, little one, he can’t help but take his frustrations out on someone who can’t fight back,” he paused, shooting a scowl of his own at Gedill. “You’re Ellena correct? My name is Belric.” He bowed his head.
The Treechild stood up brushing dust from his shoulder. He mumbled something about not apologising. Behind where Ellena lay, Samora finally began to stir. “So the Elf stayed here? Good she can treat our wounds then.” Gedill commented.
Samora sat up stretching. “Haven’t slept that well in ag-” She stopped mid sentence, noticing the other two in the room. “Belric, Gedill. What are you doing here?”
Belric glanced at Ellephwen, then chuckled. “Well. We came to see how Ellephwen was.”
“She will live, though I can’t say when she’ll wake up,” Samora placed her arms around Ellena. “And you Ellie? How are you? I imagine you have so many questions, but no one else here can read your thoughts like Ellephwen can. You’ll have to wait until she wakes up, I'm afraid.”
A cold glance washed over Gedill’s eyes. “Or we could just tell her everything right now.”
Samora began to look uncomfortable, her eyes shuffled between Ellena and Ellephwen. “That’s a little…”
“It’s her damn decision, Elf.” the Treechild growled.
At this point Ellena was completely lost, yet she could not tell anyone there. They were apparently hiding something from her and she badly wanted to know what it was.
Now even Belric stepped forwards. “Look Samora, I don’t generally agree with Gedill.”
“Oi!”
“But on this occasion he is right. There’s an old soul in that body and she can make her own decisions. You and Ellephwen have been far too overprotective.”
Old soul? Ellena wasn’t sure she liked that descriptor. She was only a teenager, yeah sure it was over two hundred years ago, but old soul felt a bit cruel. The old souled Mushman looked over at Samora who seemed uneasy.
“Ellie… There’s something you need to know, but Ellephwen and I were going to wait until you were a bit older, but, do you want to know now?”
Ellena knew how she would answer, after all this also involved a heavily injured Ellephwen apparently, she had to know. So, with only a little though, the Mushman nodded her head.
The three others in the room exchanged looks as Samora sighed and stood to her feet. “I’ll get everyone a cup of tea.”
***
The guests had now settled in, Samora Ellena and Gedill sat around the small dining table that they had rarely used, a cup of tea in the Elf and Treechilds hands. Belric sat on the floor, perhaps it would have been cute or funny if it weren’t for the fact that he still sat taller than all of them on their chairs.
Samora drank a sip of her tea as a plume of steam fluttered around her lips and nose. “Where do we begin?”
“From the beginning of course,” Belric replied, watching Ellena through observant eyes.
“To understand what’s truly at stake here and all of our involvement in it, you need to understand how it happened, how King Levias became what he is now,” Belric paused, glancing Gedill's way, who wore a complicated expression, one Ellena had not expected from him. “King Levias was once a powerful, wise and beloved king. He was an Ent, yes, but he had authority over all Monsters on the Central Continent. The first and only Monster to achieve such a feat. Levias brokered peace between us and the Mortal races and everyone prospered under his watchful eyes.” Belric smiled watching Ellena’s eyes, she was confused clearly. If he was so great why had she not heard of him before.
“This was years ago, long before your time, and at this point King Levias was already ancient, over 200,000 years old in fact. The weight of the world was already damaging his mind and body, in fact he was close to announcing his retirement from the throne, pushing his eldest Alveri forwards as his heir. He created the Council of Ents to help protect his authority and throne until the child Alveri came of appropriate age. At Alveri’s coming of age ceremony, this is where everything went wrong.”
At this point, even Gedill looked away, they all wore the same solemn look. This was clearly an event for the ages. Ellena watched Belric with great anticipation, she was hooked on this tale now. It was one of those stories that was so far from anything she had experienced it seemed fanciful, but it was entirely true.
Belric took a few more sips of tea, far more gently than one would expect. “At the coming of age ceremony, Alveri was assassinated, right in front of the already crumbling King Levias… We all tried to stop him, we all attempted in some way to bring him out of his rage and we all failed,” he looked into his cup, seeing memories through the surface of the tea. “It was a massacre. Broken, Levias killed everyone and everything in his path. His new dark and merciless aura drew many a cruel and evil Monster towards him, creating a mindless army built for nothing but misery.”
Behind him the Treechild gritted his teeth. “Those that loved the King gathered everyone they could find through tears and despair. Just like what happened a few days ago, only far more desperate. Even with the greatest of every race we could at most only slow him down. We had no hope of winning, our army of legends fell one by one. A great Dwarf King, a famed Demon Necromancer, no one could stop him, all we could do was pray for a miracle.”
A miracle must have occurred, given the fact that they all stood before her, as did the continent. It was strange to Ellena that this was the first she had ever heard of this, but then it felt somehow familiar at the same time.
“Then it happened.” At this point, Belric shuddered, almost dropping his drink. The other two looked traumatised. “Not some miracle, but something cruel. King Levias had a unique skill, simply called Cataclysm.”
He looked up at Ellena, finally shaking his attention from the tea. “Did you know, little miss, that 2000 years ago this continent we call Central was double the size it is now?”
The implications were enough. Ellena didn’t need to hear more for a terrifying shiver to ripple through her entire body. A single skill that could wipe out half of the continent. It was beyond even the Krakens Tsunami, something beyond the mortal realm.
Belric nodded, watching the Mushmans expression. “A single use of a single ability. Levias was truly on par with the Gods.”
“This event led to our only chance. Even the great King Levias could not use such power unaffected. It weakened him, just enough for the Council of Ents to prepare a sealing ceremony. We had no idea how long he would be sealed for, but the Council of the Ents gave all the survivors a warning and a task. To prepare for when he awakens. The mortal races agreed to keep his existence a secret, we all feared what they would do if they found out. Try and use his power, or even attempt to finish him only to awaken him. Generations of short lives dilute the true danger of any threat.”
“That brings us to ten years ago. Some of the Elven elders came to the Council of Ents that they felt Levias stirring again,” Gedill had taken over the explanation. “They said it would take a few more decades for it to awaken. Half the agents of the council are spread out across all three continents because we weren’t expecting the fucking party so early,” he cursed.
The large Bear frowned at Gedill, who quietened down at his stare. “The reason he awakened so early was due to the interference of the Human noble closest to the mountain in which we sealed Levias. They were mining for ore and found his tomb. Ellephwens warding halted their progress, but they ignored her pleas and dug deeper. He apparently believed she was simply hiding treasure from him.”
“Peh. Humans, arrogant bastards.”
“The Queen was far more sympathetic, Lord Gedill. She listened to Ellephwen,” Samora joined in through gritted teeth.
The angry little tree growled. “Then why did they keep going?”
Samora looked away. “B-Beca-”
“Because humans are arrogant bastards,” he spat out a nearby window. “Got what they deserved the lot of them.”
Once again, a large clawed hand slapped Gedill around the back of his head. “Perhaps the lord did Gedill, but the peasants under him, the village that once stood at the base of that mountain, what did they do? Besides, was it not a Monsters greed that caused this entire mess?” He turned away from the muttering Treechild back to Ellena.
On one hand, Ellena was grateful for Samor and Belric for sticking up for Humans. She had still spent most of her time alive as one, so to hear them slandered so hurt, but at the same time, she could not entirely disagree with Gedill. Which hurt even more.
“The point is Ellena, Levias awoke before we were ready. Individually, each of us are far stronger now than we were back then, but we had not a speck of dust on the numbers we held back then. So, how did we win?”
Ellena frowned, then shrugged. It seemed impossible then, perhaps they received divine assistance or something. What else could have saved them.
“We didn’t, we lost miserably,” Gedill replied looked to the ground, standing with a clenched fist.
The panic grew in Ellena’s chest just as quickly as it vanished. Of course, this great terrifying God like being should have scared her to her very core, but the fact of the matter was, he had at least stopped his rampage, and those fighting him had returned alive.
Belric smiled. “You calmed down quickly there little miss. Catch on fast do you? I don’t know if you have any theories in that conical head of yours, but its quite simple really. The Council of Ents had had a thousand years to think of an emergency solution, even if it was only temporary. Our job was simply to delay Levias until they were ready.” His eyes almost seemed to water, just recalling whatever happened.
“Every member of the Council bar one made a great sacrifice yesterday, they combined their magic to freeze Levias in a time bubble, alongside themselves. They’re holding him back for as long as they can, in hope that we can be ready when their spell fails.”
Gedill chuckled. “You’re probably thinking the one that stayed behind was a coward or something huh?”
That thought did not in fact even cross the Mushmans mind.
“If you ask me, that bastard has it the worst. Watching her closest companions frozen in time. Anyway, she stayed behind to oversee this monumental task, we no longer have the luxury of a definite date, so the rest of the remaining agents have been sent out. Only a handful of the strongest remain here just in case.”
Gedill looked over to Belric who scratched his broad neck. “Now all that finally brings us to where you come in, Ellena.”
Ellena, who had simply been listening and gaining various anxieties and deep dread, woke up from her mental state with a start. Where exactly did she come in here?
“It’s a well established fact that the Reincarnated have incredible growth compared to others. Most will end up a great figure in history, heroes, villains, wizards warriors, everyone in the world will know the name of at least one. So that is the task given to Gedill and his team, including me. To find all Reincarnators that will fight for us.”
Ellena realised what that meant, she wished she had a finger so that she could point to herself dumbfounded.
Gedill snickered. “Thats right. And you know what’s even rarer than a Reincarnator? A Reincarnator reborn as a Monster. Ellephwen may have told you that you’re the first she’s met. You aren’t, she just didn’t know.”
“They are rare though, little Miss,” Belric took back over the conversation. “Very rare. I have met nine in three thousand years, four of which led the vanguard against Levias originally. If they had more time to prepare, they may have become his equal.”
“So,” Gedill started walking right up to Ellena, with Samora leaping off the edge of the bed to come to her side. “Our task for you is simple and one that is hard to refuse given that you’ve been living all comfy in our forest. Go out, become powerful and return with a force strong enough to stop the great King once and for all.”
“This is why I didn’t want to tell her, that is far too much pressure on Ellie! She was a normal girl in her past life, she wasn’t built for this!” Samora cried, hugging Ellena’s body, but in truth, despite all that and despite the very clear and well warned danger, Ellena had already made up her mind.
In the background, the giant Bear smiled, and lifted Gedill out of the way to get a closer look at Ellena. “Oh? It seems as though little Ellie may disagree with you, Samora. I don’t need to read her mind to understand what that look means.” He reached out a large hand and patted her head, each claw large enough to practically skewer her if he wanted.
Samora turned Ellena to her. “Ellena, are you sure? This isn’t your fight. You don’t have to do it.”
“Elf. Whether you like it or not, this is everyone's fight,” Gedill interjected.
Though she was loath to agree with Gedill twice, Ellena couldn’t help it, because in this situation he was entirely correct. This was a Monster whose very existence now threatened the entire continent. This fight was for every single living being willing to fight and that certainly included her.
Belric finished his tea, and placed in gently on the table. He nudged the Treechild. “Come Gedill, we need rest as much as Ellephwen does. Besides, there’s a lot for Ellena to unpack,” he took hold of the humongous hammer that had been laid against the wall floor-to-cieling and nodded at the ex-Human. “It was an absolute pleasure little Miss. I just wish we could have met in better circumstances.”
“Keep that foolish Dryad alive, Samora,” Gedill snapped before disappearing out of the doorway.
It shut with a quiet thud leaving just Ellena and Samora once more. She wore a pleading expression. “Please Ellie. We’ll likely have at least a few years before anything happens, so please think about it more. You are too young to throw your life away. Talk to Ellephwen when she awakens, she will tell you the same.”
Ellena understood that Samora said this with compassion, but she had already made up her mind as soon as she had heard. A part of it was the slowly growing battle junkie in her, another was the sense of duty she didn’t know she had. The last part, well, she didn’t really know what it was. She just felt like she had to, like she was compelled to. A duty that for some reason, she didn’t hate.
Changed a few things here and there, aspects I don't like as much now that I'm older. Also trying to hint at little things here and there. Hope you all enjoyed! Also book one is going to be far longer than I intended. Do you know we're still on chapter 5 of Daily Diary? I haven't come across anything I wanted to skip yet. Maybe i should have skipped a bunch of Ellephwens lessons a lot of it could have simply come up in conversation when relavent later down the line, but book one was always meant to primarily be a bit of a dungeon crawler and that's taken up most of the chapters. Maybe i'll try and streamline some of it. We'll see, book one is looking to be almost 40 chapters at this rate. Not the end of the world ofc.