The Guide of Argos

Chapter 11

<<IIeo POV>>

Ileo found herself in a cave and drew out her bow, shooting two arrows into the bear's chest and heart respectably, killing it. 

Ileo ran through the forest, determined to get to Antersdam to figure out the rest of Argos' past. She walked for a long time when she realized she was lost.
"Get out of here,"a gruff voice warned. Suddenly, three knives were thrown right next to her abdomen, causing her to scatter. In her confusion, she accidentally went in the wrong direction and moved in the direction of Ch'ara, the elven capital. She instead ran further into the forest to try to escape her assailant. She lost him in the wilderness when she suddenly stopped, finding a dead end.
Ileo drew her bow out,ready to confront the mysterious figure as sweat rolled down her cheeks.

A  crossbow shot at her through the forest as the leaves crunched under her soles. She dodged the bolts and drew her knives out as she heard some rustling in a nearby oak tree.Instinctively, she threw both knives at her opponent, who immediately screamed out in pain.She hesitantly approached the person, who screamed so loud, all the birds nearby fled, their wings flickering through the once-quiet ambiance. Once she approached the person however, it turned out to be a bounty hunter. His body looks bloody, however she could still hear the occasional gasp of air.

As she retrieved the knives however, she let out a gasp as she finally realized  who wanted her dead: a goblin terrorist organization called the Marauders. She figured as much from the logo on his cape but she is still very confused on his motivation. 'For Lunarix's sake, why do people want to kill me so much' she thought,as as a large frown appeared onto her face. Surprisingly, the goblin rose from his previous predicament and rose towards her, his bloodstained chain armor rattling as he walked. Instead of attacking her however, he mocked her instead "Hey Elfie! Go back to the forests and stop invading our lands."She held in her anger and walked by, realizing that she was no longer in friendly territory. She was in Esteros, the largest Goblin settlement, boasting a population of half a million, their lands have been ravaged by constant war.

She ran as fast as she could, away from the approaching legion, when her eyes locked with that of a goblin about her age. IIeo grabbed out her bow, threatening to shoot, when the figure took off their hood revealing a female goblin about her age. IIeo gasped in shock, but the goblin put a finger to her mouth as she began to see the unknown figure. It was the Princess of the land, Ryuga. The Goblin Princess brought IIeo into the Royal Palace. Spikes adorned the black and grey Gothic castle as many guards lined the outer wall, wielding long spears and axes while donning heavy plated armor, all in a hostile position towards the" intruder" only to be dismissed with a wave of the princess' hand.

Ryuga told her all about the goblin's traditions and their way of life before leading IIeo to  a room filled with a huge tree and a map of the continent they live on, Mestin. Suddenly Ryuga's eyes turned white as she started to speak in an unknown language, with runes displayed all around her. Shortly afterwards the princess collapsed to her knees, she felt dizzy from the blood loss requested of this ritual.

She spoke with a raspy, quiet voice into IIeo's ear:"War is brewing between Esteros and Ch'ara. You must broker peace." She waited a while to make sure the Elf is still there and then finally instructed" You must present the gift to the High King of the Elves as a parley. He'll know the Ancient Law between our two nations, when Elves and Goblins are one. We must stand together against the Dark God or else we will perish. "Shortly afterwards Ryuga became unconscious. IIeo called for a medic, however the medics could only shook their heads in dismay as they told her about the princess' condition. Ryuga was affected by Eternal Bliss, dropped down by dark forces and can only be cured with the total destruction of Argos, who cursed her in the name of Esthos, god of time.

IIeo looked at the map, realizing that Ch'ara cannot be reached via rail from Esteros. She panicked realizing that she'll have to make the journey by horseback. Not wanting the King, Ragluk III, a paranoid and inexperienced sovereign to find out, she left the princess' body right where it is and quickly got out of the palace towards Uttar's Wrath, the city's slum, where Ryuga told her to find the Ithyis clan, who would help her as a basis of friendship between the 2 nations by allowing her to take the Shadow Road, which helps reduce the distance by 1/2 the time and is under tight control by the clan for logistical purposes. 

The slum is made out of paved roads filled with garbage strewn all over with unkempt houses lining the street. She went towards their headquarters, which was a large, very ordinary looking stone obelisk. When she arrived at the obelisk she said the sacred words, which opened the front of the pedestal revealing a young  male goblin dressed in an assassin's outfit wielding a dagger. Though apprehensive at first, he calmed down when IIeo presented the tree sapling, which calms him down. "So, I assume that my half sister sent you to parley with the High King?" he said with a slightly sour tone." Wait? Half sister?" IIeo asked. The assassin sharpened his blade while responding to IIeo' s question. "Yes. For better or for worse, I am related to the princess on my father's side so we still maintain a fair amount of autonomy but Father dosen't care about me at all so he left me with them. Nothing but a group of inexperienced rouges. "His tone was envious and for a second, he seems to have a murderous glare in his eye. "Anyways, my name is Ertos and I, as the clan leader will take you to Ch'ara on behalf of my sister.

IIeo and Ertos silently went to the slum's general store, which was really broken down and unorganized. Ertos made a hand signal for her to wait where she is. Though really confused, she decided to follow his command. After what seems like an eternity, she saw the young goblin get out of the store with the goods in hand. She asked:" Why did you ask me to wait?" Ertos sighed and explained:" The shop owner is extremely racist towards elves due to what happened to his family 100 years ago during the 4th invasion." IIeo nodded her head, her mind still focused on the road ahead. Suddenly, she felt her shoulder has been hit by something heavy. Her eyes narrowed as she figured out the culprit." Ertos stop that" she yelled." Sorry" he replied" had to get your attention somehow." IIeo cleared her vision and saw some supplies lying around. There were coils of rope, food enough to last for days, and a horse drawn wagon. IIeo raised an eyebrow, wondering how did the goblin get the supplies at such a run down shop but decided not to question it and got into the wagon, ready to depart.