Elven Legacy

Chapter 112

Viper

Sunyi's sake, this fucking uniform. Itchy in all the wrong places.

Are there really right places for it to be itchy, though?

Also, white and silver really weren't her colors. But it made Imxi happy, and sometimes you had to do what you had to do.

But I mean, who picks white clothing for warriors?

Viper did know the reason, she'd asked Juna once. Apparently it was a proud display of their confidence that enemies wouldn't come close enough to make them bleed. Plus, Juna thought it set off their black marks nicely.

Which was great and all, except they hadn't even fought yet and her pants were already dirty just from the dust stirred off the road. Viper shifted impatiently in her stupid white boots, and beside her, Berserker prowled about with a similar sentiment. Neither of them appreciated being up so early.

She looked up at the cause for such a premature rising, the four galloping horses and their riders, and White Fang adjusted himself over her shoulders with the motion. As for Black Kiss, he remained as a tattoo on the back of her neck, for now. She didn't like to use him in battle. Someone could've stepped on him by accident. Sky was flying above them in ominous circles along with the other airborne demons.

Jaden and his friends left their horses a good twenty yards off. Two of them seemed to argue for a moment, then they came the rest of the way on foot. Viper stepped forward with calculated slowness, aware of Blood Eyes and Juna flanking her a little behind. Her Azurian being the best, it had been decided she would do the talking.

Viper could feel restless apprehension behind her, as tangible as a steady rush of wind against her back. And it wasn't just Juna and Blood Eyes. All the Demon Blessed in Chyulin had heard the rumors by now. They were a tight-knit community, and they knew the empress was planning something epic.

But as Jaden and the others approached, closing the distance between the mismatched groups, the disinterest on Viper's face was only partway crafted. Even after meeting the Demon Queen, even after the inspiring conversations with Imxi, Viper still wasn't convinced.

It all sounded too good to be true, too fucking convenient, and Viper's instinct was to protect herself by not believing in it too solidly. She was just here to do her job. Imxi wanted this shiny little stone, so Viper would get it for her. End of story.

Give me a break. You want your slice of that sweet immortality pie. Who wouldn't?

Anyway, the king of Fellera seemed in much better shape than the last time she'd seen him. Though to be fair that was easy, since he'd been unconscious and bleeding back then. Guilt stabbed her at the thought, but she held it in check.

Nothing personal, remember?

Jaden was the only Felleran-looking one. His friends all had darker skin and hair. Two of them looked Laethi like herself, and the youngest was clearly Nimisian. They stopped about ten yards away. The wind ebbed at the same time, as if it too wanted to see what would happen next.

Viper breathed in the clean air, fresh off the vineyards and fields that blanketed the roiling hills around them.

She locked eyes with Jaden and quirked a smile in the charged silence. Berserker stopped his pointless roaming and sat beside her, his big ears slightly lowered. He knew they weren't here to play nice.

"Came for a rematch?" She tilted her head to the right, so that Jaden and the others could see the shamshir's hilt protruding over her snake's white scales.