Revelations – Chapter 102: First Impressions

Jikoh's muscles strained against the magic that held him in place as he tried to move. He eyed the pair of Elves again. The taller one, the same one that had spoken before, was looking at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

He would have protested her intervention, but every part of him was screaming at him to run away, that the woman that held him with her magic was dangerous. His [Identify Threat] skill returned nothing either, something that had never happened before.

“Why, exactly, are you trying to fight one another?“ she asked, her ever-shifting eyes briefly lingering on every member of what used to be his party.

“They are traitors,” he hissed, the Elf’s voice somehow seeming to echo in his mind. “They protect the thief!”

“And what did he steal?“

Jikoh remained quiet at the question; it was not his place to talk about the royal signet the thief had taken. Tiko would have to speak about that. It had been her duty to protect it.

“I did not permit him to touch the property of Fel’Erreyth,” the woman snapped, her eyes never leaving the thief. “If I do not punish him, the guards will. Your interference with justice will only draw the ire of his majesty!”

The tall Elf titled her head slightly at Tiko’s outburst, glancing at her companion who nodded after a moment. Telepathy? Jikoh thought with growing trepidation. He redoubled his efforts to get free of the magical grip that held him in place, even though he knew he could not.

“And why is he not allowed?” the other Elf asked, her voice not brimming with power as the other’s did. “It’s just a ring.”

The taller one waved her hand lazily, the signet ring they had been trying to retrieve appearing between her fingers. “Is it this one?“ she asked, inspecting it.

“Yes!” Tiko exclaimed, trying to turn towards the Elf. “Give it to me at once! You’re withholding property from a Royal Messenger!”

Jikoh would sigh if he could. He already knew Tiko’s next words. She would tell the Elves they were subject to Fel’Erryth’s laws, even though it was painfully obvious they were not from Procul. The way the taller one spoke and conducted herself fit almost perfectly with what he knew of the Elven Elders. Someone they did not want to upset, if true.

The woman merely shrugged and tossed the ring towards Tiko, who caught it as the magic that held them vanished.

“The cowering one was not the one who had it,“ she said, gesturing towards the only member of his former party who was not only unable to move but also floating a little ways off the ground. “Your friend there was.“

“What?” Jikoh asked, looking at the still frozen figure of Ilo. “Why?”

“How should I know?“ the tall Elf asked, her voice growing closer until she stepped past him and grabbed Ilo out of the air. “I merely stopped you from potentially killing each other over a silly ring.“

She effortlessly held the bulky Dragonkin aloft with one arm, looking him up and down as if searching for something only she could see. After a moment longer, she unceremoniously dropped him with no sign of having found what she had been looking for.

The other Elf had followed her companion and now looked at his group with an apologetic smile. “Perhaps we should introduce ourselves?” she asked, inclining her head towards the taller Elf. “This is Aperio, [Elder of the Moons], and I am Caethya Martinek, her disciple.”

“Your kind has no power in the realms of Fel’Erreyth,” Tiko said, glaring at the Elder and her Disciple.

Jikoh took a couple steps back, separating himself from the group. He might have thought the woman was an Elder, and she might have been introduced as one, but something about her still felt off.

That both of them could teleport was not remarkable, high levelled people usually had one or two skills that bent the rules of the words a little to allow them to move faster. But the way the taller Elf just forced her will on the world unsettled the Dragonkin.

Her name, too, reminded him of something. Jikoh was sure he had heard of ‘Aperio’ before, that it had been talked about in hushed voices when they went to get Tiko from Fel’Erreyth’s court.

“Your ruler is the reason I am here,“ Aperio said, the displeasure obvious in her voice. “Well, part of it, at least.” She paused briefly before she took a few steps to stand next to her disciple. “Would it not be appropriate to return the favour and introduce yourselves?“

Jikoh remained quiet, his eyes shifting between his former party and the two Elves. His instincts were to run, get as far away from this monster as he could, but he somehow knew that any attempt would be futile.

“My name is Jikoh,” he said after a few more breaths, his eyes fixed on Aperio. He was sure that a wrong answer would mean his end; that the woman was just waiting for an excuse to kill them all. “A simple Adventurer.”

There was no reaction to his words. Aperio merely held her unblinking gaze on him a little longer before she returned her attention to the others. Jikoh took another step back as he noticed something that he had not picked up on before.

She doesn't breathe, he thought with shock, and his hand wandered as subtly as he could to a potion that hung on his belt. Undead?

The smaller Elf, Caethya if he recalled correctly, was blinking and breathing as someone who was alive should. She also did not look off to him, unlike Aperio.

Aside from her freakishly tall stature, there were other things he had not taken immediate notice of that stood out now that he looked more closely. The woman had either spent an ungodly amount of time pursuing strength without the System’s help, or was using magic to alter her appearance.

He deemed the latter much more likely, as it would explain the lack of any imperfections on her skin. Elves aged slower, yes, but so did his kind, and he knew that the ravages of time left little marks on everyone. Even Fel’Erreyth had them.

Before the others of his former group could speak, a few quiet words that he immediately regretted escaped his mouth. “What are you?”

A prayer from Caethya telling her she should have let her do the talking was the first thing that reached Aperio after the Dragonkin had asked his question.

What gave it away? she thought to herself, relaying the question to her disciple.

“An Elf,“ she replied in the meantime, fixing her gaze on the one that called himself Jikoh. It was a lie, kind of, but it was the simplest answer to come up with at the moment. Maybe I should just tell people I’m a Primordial Elf? I am one, after all.

It was perhaps also easier to explain, as she could show them her [Status] and they could see that it said ‘Primordial (Elf)’. That it only meant she looked like an Elf was not something they needed to know. Can mortals even show their [Status] to someone else?

The mortals remained silent, the one named Jikoh taking another step back despite her not having done anything. Rude. Caethya had given her a long list of things she needed to fix; one of which was that she would have to have some imperfections on her form.

Her disciple had suggested a complete makeover, but she had also clarified that she neither wanted that for herself nor truly thought Aperio would drastically alter her appearance. Right she is. A few minor changes might be doable, but Aperio would rather bear the attention and doubts than to change anything major.

It was, perhaps, a mistake to stick with what she had made — a more mortal appearance would further her goal of living amongst them — but she wanted to live life, not play charades. Either they accept me as me, or they don’t.

“Anything else you wish to ask?“ Aperio inquired, promising Caethya she would do the talking next time with a mental message. And remember to breathe, blink, and not break the laws of the world by walking…

“Why are you here?” the perpetually angry woman asked. “What do you want from his majesty?”

Tiko Tellheim | [Messenger of Fel’Erreyth] | Level: 127

“He might know the location of something that has been stolen from me,“ she replied, dismissing the System notification her magic had yielded. “Perhaps I will also inform him of your manners, Miss Tellheim.“

While the mortals remained quiet at her words, Aperio could hear a quiet sigh from Caethya, her disciple obviously not happy with her magic usage. The All-Mother tilted her head lightly, asking why her use of [Identify] would have been wrong. Ferio had told her it was a skill mortals used, after all.

“You make an awful mortal,” Caethya whispered as she passed her Goddess to stand between her and the group. “Just let me talk, okay?”

Aperio sighed but gave a slight nod in reply nonetheless. Her disciple taking over was a good thing, if she was honest with herself. She would have been at a loss for what to do next. The longer she talked with them, the more she felt like not doing exactly that. I hope that doesn’t happen with other mortals…

Her experience with them had been… limited. Caethya is probably right, Aperio thought as she looked at her disciple and the group of mortals. No magic the next time.

Jikoh had distanced himself from everyone, including his group, but was now moving slowly towards her again. "What are you," he asked again, quietly enough so that only Aperio could hear him.

“An Elf,“ she replied, shifting her gaze onto him. She briefly considered her next words. Revealing her true nature was not an option, but neither did she want to lie outright. “Unlike others you have met or heard about, however.“

“Yes,” he replied. “Normal Elves breathe.”

Aperio waved her hand dismissively after a moment, having first tried to shrug her wings before she realised there were currently gone. “It is no longer necessary past a certain level.“

She knew that her words were not a lie, as Caethya had said she could survive in space for a while and she was below four hundred. What level is an Elder even supposed to be? A thousand?

The question was mentally filed away, added to the pile of questions she had in her mind, before she turned to face the man more fully. She tried her best to ignore the bit of twisty joy she got from towering over him before she asked a question of her own.

“Why is Tiko so upset about a signet ring? And why would the other guy even want it?“ From what she knew of those rings, they only worked for the person to whom it was linked. Stealing one only got you a very recognisable ring of questionable value. Perhaps the Empire had special ones?

“How do you know her name?” Jikoh countered, the tension he had been under having seemingly vanished.

Aperio folded her arms in front of her chest. “[Identify]. A simple skill that lets me know a person's name, title, and level.“

She had not actually used a skill, but the result was the same so it did not really matter, and she doubted the mortal in front of her would be able to call her bluff by having the skill themselves.

“Tiko takes her job very seriously,” he said after a while, the information Aperio offered apparently enough for him to speak on the matter. “Even if Ilo cannot do anything with the ring, its loss might mean the loss of Tiko's job, as well as the Title it gives.”

Jikoh scratched the back of his head as he eyed the man in question, who was currently talking to Caethya. “As for why he would want one? I have no idea.”

“And why are you so talkative suddenly?“ Aperio asked, tilting her head slightly. “You looked like you wished to be anywhere but here just a little while ago.“

“I don’t know?” he replied, his scales glimmering in shades of red as he tilted his head like the All-Mother had. “I… I just wanted to know what you are.”

Aperio narrowed her eyes at his words. Is this what Ferio meant when she said people will know who I am? Or did he change because I did not want him to run off?

Neither prospect was good in her eyes, but if she truly influenced people by offhandedly thinking about what she did not want them to do, her goal of living amongst the mortals would be all but impossible.

“Approaching the one that effortlessly disabled your party because you assume she is not what she claims to be seems like a good way to lose your head.“

“But I didn’t,” he said, as if that was justification enough.

“No, you did not,“ she agreed, her eyes flicking back to Caethya and the other mortals.

Her disciple had a talent in dealing with them that she lacked. Perhaps I am too intimidating? Aperio thought, looking down at herself. Caethya had made it clear that she would need to change a little about her looks, but Aperio was not sure how much that would help.

She could probably give herself some small imperfections that would make her look more normal, but she would likely not make herself smaller or rid herself of her fit physique. Aperio knew it would draw attention, but she had spent a lifetime being forced to look as others wanted — something she was not keen on repeating just to fit in.

A small flex of her mental muscles almost teleported her next to her disciple before the All-Mother realised what she was about to do and released the grip on her magic, instead taking the few steps she needed to close the distance.

Gently, she placed her hand on Caethya’s shoulder, a mental query asking her if they could continue onwards. The way Jikoh behaved was weirding her out, and she would be thrilled if they could leave.

Her disciple gave her a light nod, telling Aperio that they should probably take the mortals with them. The All-Mother scrunched her eyebrows at that. She would be lying if she said she had not looked forward to spending a bit of time with Caethya alone, but she understood why her disciple would make such a suggestion.

A sigh escaped her, the air somehow flowing from her lungs though she still had not bothered to breathe. “You are right,“ she said. “If we leave them alone, they will probably be at each other’s throats again.“

“And what gives you the right to command us?” Tiko asked, her hand closing around the hilt of her sword.

Aperio merely raised an eyebrow in reply. “Nothing. But, I believe Ilo would be quite happy to travel with us so he will not get beaten to death.“

The man in question was quick to nod, moving himself behind Aperio. I guess I make for excellent cover?

“I think we should stick with them too,” Jikoh said. “I have no desire to fight any of you.”

The two leather-clad mortals followed suit shortly thereafter, nodding their assent and moving to stand with Jikoh and Ilo. The man that had previously been the accused also joined them, a very brief touch of Aperio’s magic flowing through him to make sure he was okay. Should have done that sooner…

The scaled woman looked at them for a while longer before she huffed and turned away, walking down the road towards the city Aperio knew was in the distance.

“I hope most people here are not like her,“ Aperio said, moving to follow the woman with steps she hoped would not tire their new companions. If they are, I might have to postpone my mortal training.

Nobody answered her question, but the All-Mother did not truly care either, not when Caethya fell into step beside her and a bit of her magic danced around Aperio.

A small smile spread across her lips as she responded in kind, letting a minuscule amount of her mana flow around Caethya. The longer she spent with the Elf the more certain she became that what she felt in the back of her mind was not something that had spawned out of a life of loneliness but, perhaps, something more.

GamingWolf

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