The Older Earth

A Duel, A Feast, A Blaster

Madam Hestia swung her hand, and quickly brought end to the red ropes. She conjured vines, stronger than most trees of Manero. They entangled the Dark Elf, quite surprisingly for a few moments. However she freed herself and incanted a curse towards Madam Hestia.

Madam Hestia took out her pearl wand. She pointed it to the elf who went reeling towards the other side of the chamber. Madam Hestia pointed it towards her, and by some invisible force, the elf stayed pinned onto the floor, her face, painted with scars.

"You dare attack me!", she shrieked

"Oh yes I do. You terrible lady, you disgrace your race with your over confidence! Your daftness! My, my... I have little seen such a small mind!"

And with that she threw the Tamirian blade out of the place and they all heard it fall with a thud.

"Go back, you elf or I will send you to the shadow of Lin's Border!"

The elf with one attempt at hexing Madam Hestia , vanished in a puff of red smoke.

Lord Erendir and Lord Seval looked at her in awe.

"Where is my wife then?", said a concerned Lord Erendir

                            ***

Madam Hestia's nomenclature of 'Resistance' became quite popular over the next few days. News spread all over Manero and also over the seas. Over the days, a great many people assembled in Manero. It's halls became busy and full of people. They heard of news of the invasion, and started constituting themselves as the Resisting Assembly.

One day Sir Midrir, was told by Erendir that the people wanted to know the purpose and the objective of their quest.

"And since when have we agreed in the disclosure?"

"Apparently it is your duty as your stay here.."

"Are you in similar opinion?"

"Of course not! A quest becomes a revolution when told to the public.."

"Haha, namely our motive. And I've heard of the so called Resisting Assembly! They know nothing of the messages of the Dark Lands, do they?"

"I'm sure not. They only know of the invasion of a so called 'foreign kingdom' and believe that it is of the same Madam Hestia spoke of. Oh and there is a feast in my halls! I've invited many of the old friends. Please convey this to Seval and Madam Hestia..."

"Oh of course!"

                             ***
The feast of Elves, were as usual of great grandeur and awe. The servants, appareled in gorgeous robes, were carrying plate behind plates of food and mead and unlike the parties of the Mysticas, where people formed groups and sang on high and drunk notes, the elves would gather around a long table and discuss, feast and debate. This community was one of great intellect and the conversations therefore even more so intelligent.

Lord Seval was speaking with a charming red haired lady, the ruler of an old Elvish city Slivandra, whom he seemed to know well. They were debating over the merits and demerits of wands over staffs. Sir Midrir, was showing a young elfling, how to use an elm tree disc. Both the elfling and Sir Midrir seemed much interested in this little game. Madam Hestia however was standing behind a tall Black Willow tree. She, after all, was still a Mystica and some elves still walked past her as if smelling something bad.

Lord Seval quietly implored into Lord Erendir's eye and once again, spoke soundlessly,

"Tonight I will tell you the aim of our quest"

"After multiple times stalling, you give in!"

"I wouldn't call it stalling, but nevertheless. I have had a revelation"

"A revelation, you say? Of the normal variety or a-?"

"If normal means one sourcing from my brain, yes. I think my term with the Books of Biblio are waning. I need to read the last book, the fifth volume. I believe I can obtain fresh insights"

"Ah...A worthy revelation I must say! But how do you feel finishing your time with the Books?"

"Not much-", he said but then seeing a servant floating towards him with a platter of the gold-sea seaweed suddenly got up and looked back at Lord Erendir and said aloud,

"Later"

As he strode back to the Black Willow tree, he thought deeply of what was to come of the quest.

It was then that Madam Hestia tugged his hand

"Seval, hear that sound? It's like the ticking of a fire blaster. The ones they used in the Second Battle..."

"What!?," said an alarmed Lord Seval but as he deepened his sense of sound he heard it too.

Sir Midrir ran towards them, obviously to make them conversant of the sound but seeing the panic stricken looks made him clear that they could hear it too.

"If that is what is what I think it is, we all could be dead within seconds"

And it was simply quick thinking on Lord Seval's part that he gripped Hestia and Midrir's hand with a vice like grip and materialise them into their chamber

Tick

"Our time is limited so grab your most important belongings and hold my hand," he said

Tick

They all used summoning and conjuring charms to place all belongings into a sack and Lord Seval banged his staff and they all out of thin air materialised into the horse stables.

Tick

"Pick a horse each. Try to hold both my staff-", which he held in front them horizontally,"- and your horse simultaneously"

Tick

They did exactly that

Tick

Lord Seval was deeply murmuring an incantation and Sir Midrir conjured a bubble in front of his mouth, and his voice rose very loud such that everyone in Manero could hear him.

Tick

"A blaster has been placed in Manero by an unknown person. It will be futile to prevent it. Please get out of Manero as quickly and far as possible."

Tick

A nervous uproar commenced and people started frantically running

Tick

Lord Seval finished murmuring the incantation when a few many things happened at once.

The uproar was drowned by a large Boom that echoed through the city, Trees lit ablaze as people started melting through the Earth. Lord Seval cried "Aputis", and they disappeared. Lord Erendir pulled off a magnificent enchantment and was able to salvage a large number of people. And a voice rang through Manero, not from the ground but from the skies.

It said,"The last battalion has fallen..."