The Revenant

Salvation

ESKARINA

As I made my way through the woodland, I found myself moving through a series of severed trees,with only their stumps remaining. The more I moved away from the beach, the more empty the forest seemed to become. The more I pressed on,the more apparent the signs of deforestation became.

I saw no life, and yet Nova had told me of how beautiful and lively the wildlife of Elysium was.

Even though he had explained that those were all present back in its heydays, he also explained that after the North invaded, they began to cut the trees down for their sap.

My heart raced in my chest. I couldn't tell if it were because of how long I had been running, or from the sheer stress I felt.

I need to find help. I don't have much time before the high tide sets in again. I need to hurry and find someone so I can help Nova...please...let me find someone...anyone...

My legs ached with fatigue,yet I forced myself to press forward. My progress was brought to a sudden halt. The whizz of an arrow being loosed filled my eardrums, the sound of the bowstring snapping back filled the emptiness which surrounded me.

The arrow stopped me dead in my tracks, a short, determined figure appeared before me,bowstring drawn and arrow nooked,ready to fire. They wore some sort of armour, which resembled several leaves,strewn together and elegantly woven into armour.

Long brown hair concealed my attackers face.

"Whey't aruk durin hal?"

Fuck...

I don't know how to speak elvish!

How was I meant to communicate? Nova hadn't taught me any elvish or any languages, only how to fight. And now this stranger,who could very well be a bandit, held me at bow point. I knew he could talk elvish,but I couldn't...I didn't know the first thing about speaking elvish...

I held my hands up,slowly raising them in surrender whilst my assailant drew back on their bowstring,further increasing the tension in the string.

"I..."

My body was trembling. I was tired. Exhausted. I had been running for so long I'd lost track of time, but I clung to hope that I still had time left to go back and help Nove before the high tide,or before he bled out.

"My name..." I began,pointing to myself in an attempt to translate. "Is Eskarina...I, am not from here. My ship was wrecked,on the shore."

The assailant released the draw on their bow,placing the arrow back in their quiver.

"I can speak Northern. You're a nordling...but you don't seem like someone whose very harmful."

It was a young boys voice. Far younger than myself.

He brushed his hair aside,which revealed a strange set of golden eye's.

"Orion!" A voice came. A girl and another boy appeared,seemingly having the same look as the youngest of the three. The girls armour appeared to be specially tailored to her figure, and her pointy elven ears twitched for a few seconds.

The young boy stood in front of the two, who both had their weapons trained on me.

"She doesn't want to hurt us! She needs help!"

Both of their eye's fell to the boy, seemingly bewildered.

"Eckt le'anel! Wreknish nea'vet!" The boy said.

I wished Nova were with me to translate,yet I did nothing. I simply stood,holding my hands in the air,watching as the two elders of the trio of elves looked at the youngest with a suspicious look in their eye's.