Stealing Light and Rising Darkness

Chapter 3

Ethra, the first co-founded colony between the humans and elves. The humans wanted it as a farming colony but were unaware of the vast amounts of Verillium deposited in the mountains. Thankfully the humans stay away from the mountains due to the high density of lightning storms and their ships can't take a hit. The transport landed on a circular pad with small shrubs at the perimeter. I stepped out as soon as the rear hatch lowered and just my luck, got struck by lightning causing my hair to stand on end.

"Hahaha!" I heard a man laughing as he trudged up the ramp to the landing pad. "I can't tell you how many times that happens. I keep telling them, put lighting rods around the landing pads, but they don't listen." he said, trying to gain some semblance of control over his laughter.

"Well, thankfully my barriers took the brunt of the hit." I said, attempting to smooth my hair back down. "My father asked I look into something, so care to share?" I asked, picking up my sword were it had fell when I got hit.

"Oh, you're Princess Iyrena." he gasped, and about bowed when I stopped him.

"Don't, I'm here as an Ethereal Knight, not a princess." I stated, causing the poor boy to try a salute.

"Well we asked you to come investigate some ruins we ran into while digging a new tunnel, you'll also find some mercenaries called the Blood Ravens keeping people out."

"Mercenaries?"

"Yea, some human that was visiting suggested it, turns out she's with the mercs."

Odd, why would a human, regardless of circumstances, be visiting the mines or our part of the colony. Not to mention it seems far too covenant that this human was able to get the elves to hire her and these Blood Ravens. I walked in silence contemplating these change in events. I had assumed that this would be a solo job, which would have let me go all out if necessary. Hopefully these mercs won't get in my way, or get killed in there. As we approached the mine entrance I noticed a fiery haired girl holding some sort of tablet. She seems quite focused on it, but didn't have any problem noticing our approach, considering elves are generally quite light footed.

"Guess you still got quite a bit of magic in ya to be throwing off my sensors like this." the girl said, looking up and giving a salute.

"Sensors?" I asked, returning the salute.

"Seismic sensors to ensure that the ruins connected to the mines don't come down on top of us."

"I may be able to reinforce the tunnels"

"No need, sensors are capable of projecting small magnetic fields and hold back the rocks. Well, follow me."

Well, not having magic may not have been as much of a hindrance to humans as I thought. As we traveled deeper into the mines I felt an ever growing arcane presence, perhaps some form of ethereal reactor still working? What unnerved me most was the constant feeling of being watched by something, couple that with small clicks like some sort of giant insect. The girl didn't seem to notice, either that or she didn't really mind. As expected the tunnel that linked the ruins to the mine was still rather jagged and sharp. The ruin entrance was swarming with Blood Ravens, humans, elves, and several other races. A largely built orc with deep green skin and a bald head approached.

"I'm Captain Goragesh, I assume our tech expert has introduced herself?" the orc said.

"Oh, I'm Privet First Class Angelica Oswell Grace." the girl said, turning quite the shade of red.

"Knight Commander Iyrena Empyrean." I introduced myself, making sure to keep an eye on the orc. I'm fine with orc right up until they go into their rage, basically a really big and destructive tantrum. "So far we've been unable to open these damnable doors." he explained, gesturing to the large metallic doors that looked like a gate more so than anything else. "Our mages have tried to open them, but their magic fails them, some have even lost it."

"I'll give it a try." I said, summoning my magic and creating plated of black armor and a helm. I approached a small podium surrounded by several mages chanting their magic into it, causing a slight glow but nothing more.

"Stand aside!" Captain Goragesh ordered, breaking the mage's concentration.

Once the mage had backed off I stepped forward, placing my hand on the podium and channeling my own magic into it. Suddenly the world around me went pitch black, as if light never existed.

"So, at long last a mortal finds it's way to this dark place." a loud, deep voice rang out. I spun around, or at least I thing I did, trying to find the source of the voice. "Such dark magic for a child of light, or perhaps you are darker than you appear." the voice mused, seeming to get closer. Suddenly large glowing red lines and eye came into being.

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to stay calm.

"That does not concern you pesky mortal!" the voice roared as the red lined moved to display it's rage. "Your mind and body are mine!"

With that the lines jumped towards me, but roared in pain as it touched me. My barriers probably harm it.

"Leave her be!" another voice commanded as red lines formed a dragon like being behind me. "She is not yours to take." the new voice continued sounding far more caring and fatherly, as if I were it's own. More than likely out of fear the first being disappeared. Shortly after the dragon behind me changed into an elf with some form of paint taking the place of the lines. "How did you come here, Iyrena?" he asked, his voice changing from loud and deep to well more of an elf's voice.

"A podium outside some ruins, I channeled my magic into it." I explained, trying not to give everything out.

"Well, when you see your mother ask her this, In what dark can light live, she'll know what it means." he said.

"The hell does that mean?" I asked watching the world around me return to normal.

"What does what mean?" Angelica asked, peeking over my shoulder.

"Nothing, lets go." I said looking up to see the doors wide open. My mother has a lot of answers to give when I get back to Terra.