Fate Online: Shadow

Chapter 547: Dark Elves

"Hey, just where did you get that spell that summons a meteorite?"

Storm Moonlight and Ripley immediately walked over to Minerva once they finished sorting out the items they had looted.

Minerva looked at them and smiled, "Why? Do you want to learn it?"

"No, we just want to know where you had gotten that spell from and if you're feeling generous, maybe you can also share the details of the Skill so we can learn it as a preparation for the future" Ripley didn't even try to beat around the bush and quickly stated what it was about in a straightforward manner.

Minerva wasn't bothered, she was already used to this woman's very straightforward personality and she quite liked it, people like her.

"I don't mind sharing the secret with you since your Guild has been quite generous to us lately. Though I never once expected to learn that the leader of such a notorious guild was just living under our noses all along" Minerva said as she can't forget that night after dinner when Michael had divulged his identity to them in the game.

Dylan felt a little betrayed, but his sister was incredibly excited about it.

"I got it from my master actually, she's a…"

Meanwhile, the old general and his small squad of Knights had now returned to the temporary Army Headquarters.

"General, was it really wise for us to abandon her like that?" His adjutant, the knight who had been riding beside him on top of that cliff earlier today, followed him inside the largest tent in the headquarters.

The old general with the help of his adjutant started taking off his armor and replied, "We're not abandoning, but we also can't take her permanently under our wings with the current circumstances. You know how unreasonable those "people" are"

"Those Dark Elves.."

*****

"My master, she's a Dark Elf"

"A Dark Elf? Wait, Elves exist in this game?"

"Did you not once read any books here? Of course, they exist. Your favorite blacksmith is even a Dwarf!"

Minerva casually revealed the origins of her spell, Storm Moonlight wasn't surprised hearing the words "Dark Elf", but Ripley on the other hand was obviously startled looking at the expression on her face.

"Wait, he's a Dwarf? I thought he was suffering from Dwarfism?" Ripley felt like a new world was opening before her.

Slap!

Storm Moonlight facepalmed and said through the gap in her fingers, "You…have you been living under a rock or something? How can you not even know what a Dwarf is?"

"Shut up! I'm an old woman, I know the words, but I have no idea how they were described!" Ripley angrily replied while pointing her finger at her, while Minerva nodded in agreement with her words.

While the two were arguing, unbeknownst to them, there were a pair of eyes watching them intently.

"We were just supposed to follow them and observe them, but I didn't.. I never expected to encounter a human who can use one of our signature spells. I wonder…just where did this human acquire it?" the voice of a woman rang behind a thicket of branches and leaves.

It was humanoid with ash gray skin, pointy ears, and had the right curves on the right places. This creature is armed with a bow on her back and a pair of short swords strapped around her pair of thighs.

A Dark Elf.

"What shall we do now, Captain?" another Dark Elf hiding on a nearby tree softly asked.

"Slight change of plans. Once night falls, we'll infiltrate their group and capture that woman. If she got it from killing one of ours, then we'll dispose of her" the woman called Captain replied, her voice filled with callousness.

"But what if it's the other way around?" another man's voice was heard on a tree on her left.

"Impossible, it's been years since a human was allowed to learn our Spell Arts"

"But there's a precedent like you mentioned, Captain. If we kill her, and the person behind her finds out about this, then our heads will roll" argued the male elf.

"After all, only members who had reached Epic and beyond are the only ones allowed to their own discretion, unlike us" he reasoned, and there was some lingering fear in his voice like he was reminiscing a horrifying experience from the past.

The Elf Captain glared at him, the latter just shrugged his shoulders, and through gritted teeth, the woman replied, "Fine, we'll capture her and interrogate her about where she got it"

"Understood"

Soon, the three Dark Elves disappeared like smoke and the place once again regained its tranquility with the occasional noises from the local faunas, insects and birds.

Dusk.

The battle was already over and the surviving armies and guilds had now converged near the Central Army and started making camp before the sky completely turns dark.

At the campground of Flame Rose Guild, several people are setting up their tents while the rest are preparing for dinner.

"Today was really fruitful, I've now made just enough gold for my sister's tuition and for this month's groceries" an Assassin, a young man around mid to late twenties chatted with his friends while chopping the vegetables for their dinner.

"Man, aren't you such a good brother? Will you even find a partner at this point if you are giving everything you have to your sister?" a Huntress, a woman around the same age as the young man immediately complained when she heard his words.

She seems to be very familiar with him from the way and tone she spoke to him.

"Yes, we only have each other after all"

The same conversation was taking place at the campground, though the context differs between each group, some talked about their families, gossip about the game, or their next adventure after the Expedition is completed.

"Are there any instructions from the Main Army?" Cereal Killer walked over to his girlfriend and softly asked.

Ting! Tang! Tang!

Minerva didn't immediately answer him as she first finished hammering the nail on the ground for their tent.

"None yet, what do you want?" she asked, turning her attention to Cereal Killer.

Cereal Killer smiled and kissed her cheek and whispered, "You wanna get down and dirty tonight?"

Minerva stared at him for a moment before slapping his arm and said, "Behave, you horny old dog. It's in the middle of the afternoon and you're being like this"

"Yeah, but it's night inside the game"

"Shut it, you're lucky that Maverick suddenly died and had taken over the task of you going to Neverwinter"

"Tsk!"