The Adopted Human-Elves: by Nick Venom (the gingerbread man read aloud .TXT) 📕

launched itself at Five, plunging itself close to his heart. However, the fatal throwing knives missed their targets, piercing nonfatal parts of his body and taking him down temporarily. A collective gasp then erupted from the elves.

Light emitted above Five, illuminating Xoa and discarding her skill. “Five!” Roxy shouted. Her affinity matched with the light attribute, allowing her to use it. Roxy and Lexiss were training during the fight, causing their late arrival. 

“Roxy, use your Light Slash!” Lexiss shouted as they sprinted towards the fight.

“Roger,” Roxy muttered as she began her chant, activating Light Slash. She threw the slashes of light at the Rockshins, taking multiple people down. Lexiss joined the fight, barreling arrows of lights at them.

The elves surrounded the Rockshins and charged them together. Xoa intended on escaping the encirclement, but Roxy put a stop to the plan quickly. She activated her earth attribute and built a small half-wall around their prisoners. Now with her forces cut in half and trapped, Xoa decided to cut her losses. “We surrender!” She declared, raising her arms in the air 

The village roared in celebration, taking their prisoners to a makeshift jail. Meanwhile, the unconscious bodies of every Rockshin and elf were taken to a makeshift hospital. Five was also transported to the makeshift hospital. He remained unconscious, his movement being restricted by a coma. Nobody knew when he was expected to wake up. For the moment, they could only wait for something to happen, biding their time until he wakes up or their next enemy arrives. Fortunately, one arrived sooner than expected.

 

TBC…

Episode Four "Treaty"

Five was knocked unconscious by Xoa and remained unconscious, even after two days. His heartbeat remained steady while his brain continued to process his thoughts. However, his eyes never opened, instead, remaining cold, almost dead. 

Roxy had arrived too late to save Five, leading to his fallen state. He looked to be on the edge of life and death. 

Roxy had stayed with him for the night at the makeshift hospital, carefully watching him over until Lexiss forced her to rest. She had used up a lot of mana during the battle, resulting in her nearly collapsed state. She would follow Five in his near-death state if she hadn’t rested.

The next morning, Roxy rushed over to the hospital but was dragged away by Lexiss to the makeshift prison holding the Rockshins. 

Waiting for them was Menzo and Elas. Elas looked at Roxy with worry. He motioned for her to follow him. She nodded, waving a temporary bye to Lexiss. They then distanced themselves away from the prison, standing under a single tree.

“How have you been?” He asked her.

“I’ve… I’ve been fine,” She hesitantly responded.

“Fine? Are you sure?” He asked. He looked at her. “I’ve lived through centuries and have seen my children prosper and expand their horizons. What a beautiful sight.” He looked up at the tree. He plucked a leaf and placed it on the wind, drifting away slowly. “However, I’ve seen my fair share of misery. One such case was two siblings that were overprotective of each other and spent every moment with each other. As they grew up, they continued to stay close to each other, but that beautiful time would soon be out of their reach.” He plucked another leaf and brought it to his eye, squinting to analyze it.

“The sister started developing a love for her older brother but didn’t have enough confidence to tell him of this. Her inability to express herself allowed her older brother to find a love of his own, marrying and leaving this village. She maintained a cheerful atmosphere around us and whenever her brother came around. Her brother believed that she was doing good, but how wrong he was-” He placed the leaf in his palm. “-she committed suicide the day before he came over to visit. There he read her diary, learning of her love and hatred of him. She loved him but hated how he went and found himself a wife. The brother was struck with heavy depression, eventually, committing suicide himself.” He crushed the leaf in his palm, grinding it before letting it fly alongside the wind.

“You’re saying that we’ll both be destroyed if our true feelings aren’t exposed?” She asked. 

He nodded his head. “You understand quickly.” He then walked away from the tree, leaving Roxy to herself. She looked up at the tree, gawking at its beauty. 

“What should I do?” She asked, half-asking the tree, half-asking herself. She was at a loss for words. 

 

 

***

 

 

Menzo and Elas went first, walking up to the cell holding Xoa. She looked up at them, with a smug smile, and remarked loudly “Where’s the kid? Dead?” She then howled in laughter. Roxy hadn’t arrived yet, so no fury could approach Xoa for her remarks.

Lexiss entered the prison, activating a skill. She pointed the skill towards Xoa, threatening her. Xoa quieted down, allowing the negotiations to begin.

“I want to make a deal between our tribes,” Elas started. 

“A deal?” Xoa mocked in a tone resembling Elas’. He ignored her childish remark.

“I do not need captives nor do I wish to slaughter the rest of you. Instead, I want to create a peace treaty between us. We both have witnessed enough war and blood.”

Xoa chuckled slightly. “I’ll need permission from the rest of the tribe. I can’t do that from here.”

“We’ll send one of your men to act as the messenger.” Menzo chimed in.

“Fine, then let Brine go.” She said, motioning for a frail female teenage beastkin to stand up. Brine followed orders and took the message back to their village. 

Moments after Brine left, Xoa remarked, “what happens if we don’t play along with your peace treaty?” 

“Then we’ll slaughter you all. It would be enough punishment for what you did to Five.” Elas said, his eyes glaring at Xoa. She shuddered. 

“I doubt you could. I have assassins who hold the same abilities as I do. The same thing that happened to that kid will happen to you all.” She threatened. She then began laughing point-blank at Elas. 

Lexiss sensed a familiar presence, ignoring it. She understood the intention.

Xoa’s deranged laughter was cut short as her body collapsed limply. Roxy had shown up from behind her, chopping her in the neck, knocking her unconscious. 

“Anybody else have something to say?” She asked the other Rockshins. Nobody spoke up, keeping quiet.

“Tomorrow, we’ll meet with the Rockshins and force them to sign a peace treaty! Our safety will be ensured!” He announced in front of the Rockshins, guards, Menzo, Roxy, and Lexiss. They all cheered for their new future, except for the Rockshins. 

 

 

***

 

 

Early the next morning, Elas and his group met with the leaders of the Rockshin tribe. Miso, a black wolf beastkin---the representative from the Rockshin tribe---approached Elas first. 

“You want a peace treaty in exchange for the captives you have?” She asked. 

Elas nodded his head. “We’ll need you to sign a peace treaty that doesn’t allow you to harm our land or ourselves. Also, if there is any conflict on our territory, then you are to help us and vice-versa.” He explained.

“That’s all?” She asked, expecting drastic and cruel rules. “If that’s everything, then we’ll accept.” Elas nodded, handing her the peace treaty paperwork, ensuring they had a written agreement. 

She finished signing it, handing it back to him. “Now it’s time for us to take our leave,” She signaled for her people to begin retreating home after taking their friends back. She turned around to face her people, to announce their plans, when a rogue arrow penetrated her stomach, dropping her to the ground.

“Let’s see what we got? Elves, beastkins, and even a human girl. They’ll all sell well in Asher.” A bandit remarked, poking his head out from behind a tree. His comrades arrived soon, surrounding the Rockshins 

“We’re allies now. We must uphold our part of the deal!” Elas declared, his group roared in agreement. 

Menzo and the other able-body elves unleashed a fury of near-accurate arrows at the bandits. This cut the bandits in half quickly with little resistance.

Meanwhile, Roxy tore the arrow out of  Miso’s stomach before casting Light Heal on her. Her blood began to replenish itself as her skin reformed. The wound was closing.

The bandits realized that they were outnumbered and would be overwhelmed, choosing to retreat. They fled into the sea of trees.

Xoa, who watched with glaring eyes, was untied and given her weapon back. She smirked smugly as she picked Miso up, sitting her down on the grass. She then appointed one of the Rockshins as her bodyguard before motivating her men to fight.

“Well,  I guess this makes the treaty legitimate. We’ll leave you alone… for now.” She told Elas before rushing into the forest to clean up the bandits. 

Elas turned to his group and smiled. “Today, we have won.”

 

 

***

 

 

“Darkness controls you. You won’t make it out of her unscathed. Allow me to fuse with you, granting the most heavenly dreams you could have,” A low garbled voice muttered. “I won’t be leaving until you permit me. Until then, I’ll wait for the day you wish to leave this situation and rejoin reality.” The voice then went silent, a slight clicking sound being emitted in the abyss Five’s consciousness was trapped in. He was gone.

Imprint

Publication Date: 08-09-2019

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