Return of the Fallen Volume 9 Chapter 7
As soon as Grek mentioned leaving, the village chief grew nervous.
“Wait, you’re planning on leaving now? Isn’t that too abrupt…I mean, shouldn’t you at least wait. This lord from the south may know your true identity Grek but that doesn’t mean he’d be willing to act on it so quickly. Wouldn’t it make more sense that this man gathers his forces first before he launches an assault on you? You should confirm things first and plan your next move. If you just leave the great forest won’t that put you more in danger. You’d be exposed to the world and more of your enemies could learn of your presence.”
Grek eyed the chief up and down. Chela as well gave the chief an odd look.
“Old man, you’ve never cared for us. Even if my mother was like a sister to you, you’ve never been so overly concerned. Why now? Are you going to shield us if the lord from the south sends more warriors, more knights? None of the elves of this forest have ever stuck their necks out for outsiders and in their eyes, that’s what my husband has always been. If we remain here for much longer, I can’t be sure that the others wouldn’t simply shut their doors and bury their heads in the sand as we get killed.”
“They wouldn’t go that far!”
The chief argued but only for a moment as he knew what he just said wasn’t true.
“No, your right. My people have grown over-reliant on the Great forest protection. They are not fighters like Grek nor are they as dependable as you Chela. Your right, Grek is an outsider. The forest will protect us as best we can, and it might even help protect Zephris and Alta since they have elven blood running through their veins but Grek will be all on his own.”
The chief looked at Grek and felt some regret.
“Grek, I’m sorry we elves…No, never mind. I can’t say much and it doesn’t matter but at the very least I can help you with supplies and send you on your way.”
Grek and the old chief then shook hands and the chief quickly left to go and gather supplies as quickly as possible. At the same time, Chela and Grek made the kids grab a few things and the four rushed to the edge of the village. On the way, there were many hidden eyes watching from inside the comfort and safety of their homes. These elves truly had grown accustomed to peace and protection, none dared to even say goodbye.
“Father, what about Master? Shouldn’t I at least say something? For us to just leave without notice, Master would be upset.”
“Right now none of that matters. Your master would understand under these circumstances.”
The chief met them at the edge of the village in only a few minutes. In his hand he carried a small brown box with lines of gold etched into it. The box was only the size of a small fruit and could fit neatly in one’s hand.
As soon as Chela saw it, she grew surprised.
“A storage box!”
The chief stuffed it into her hands.
“Yes, this is my treasure and for you and your family’s sake, I gift it to you.”
Chela was filled with emotion. She didn’t expect this kind of gesture, not from this man.
Alta kept tugging on the end of her mother’s shirt.
“Mama what’s that box for, tell me.”
Chela showed the box to Alta and told her.
“This is an incredibly rare item. It’s called an item box. Within it contains the power of space. Even though it’s this small in my hand, the space inside is much bigger.”
The chief confirmed it.
“Yes, there is barely a handful of those on the entire Feya continent. The space inside of this box is equivalent to the size of a regular cart and inside I’ve filled it with supplies and enough silver. After you’ve gotten far away, the silver should pay your way to any place across the lands.”
Alta and Zephris looked at the box as if it were the greatest treasure in the world.
“Mister chief is really giving something so precious to mama?”
“Yes, for Chela, I would give my life. This small box is nothing in comparison.”
Chela’s eyes started to water but she quickly pinched her own cheek and dried her eyes.
“Thank you.”
The chief nodded.
Alta reached for the item box.
“Mama show me how it works. I want to see what’s inside.”
The moment she said this, the chief grew frantic.
“NO!… Inside are important supplies and right now you all have no time. You’ve already been delayed for far too long. Quickly go!”
Chela and Grek found the chief’s behavior a little odd but he was right, now was not the time. At the same time, Zephris smelled something familiar coming from the small item box. At the same time, he couldn’t quite identify it. It was like there were several smells mixed together. Zephris had an incredible memory and had trouble forgetting anything once he took it in. So for this smell to stump him, it left him confused.
“BOY SNAP OUT OF IT AND COME ALONG!”
Grek’s loud voice brought Zephris back to reality and he pushed the useless thoughts to the back of his mind. Grek’s grabbed Zephris by the arm and pushed him forward. He then gently lifted his daughter into his embrace and carried her.
“Let move!”
Without another thought, the four left the village. The chief watched them with saddened eyes.
(Please forgive me.)
Making their way through the dark forest they all moved with great agility. The forest after all was like their own backyard and they knew exactly where everything was. Not only could they move without difficulty, but Chela, Alta, and Zephris could also all see in the dark making moving through this place all that much easier.
Grek on the other hand could not see in such an environment but he didn’t need to. Relying simply on his sense of hearing, he could tell exactly where everything was within a few hundred feet of him.
Every once in a while, Grek would draw his large red crescent-shaped blade from his waist and with one hand he would slash at something in the darkness.
*Guk*
*Thud*
The sound of something being split in half or cut into two echoed out next to their ears followed by something heavy landing on the ground nearby. Even though they knew the forest like the back of their hand, it did not mean there was no danger. Many beasts roamed the great forest and although the forest offered protection for elves, it also offered that same protection for beasts. So when an elf and a beast confronted one another, the forest did not interfere and allowed nature to take its course. One would kill the other and vice versa, that’s just how things went.
So when this family of four came trouncing through the forest late into the evening, many hungry beasts found this to be a grand opportunity. What they never would have expected was that instead of them doing the killing, it was instead one of the prey that countered them. The moment they went to pounce on the human adult male, Grek would swing his blade. The forest would then try and protect the beast from the outsider. Many thick vines would spring up and grow instantaneously.
Some would gather around Grek’s feet and entangle him to try and trip and slow him, while other vines would directly enter the path of his sword to try and protect the attacking beasts. Grek though could not be stopped in such a way. His feet would stomp down hard and the ground would tremble and split beneath his feet. The vines trying to pull him down were destroyed with utter ease. Just like the vines around his feet, the ones trying to block his sword were even less of a threat.
Grek’s blade would split the vines thicker than a tree as if they were made of softened butter. Right after his blade went through the vines, it carried through with a great force and divided any beasts in its path as if he were cutting the air. He did this while carrying Alta and swinging a sword singlehandedly. This forest dared to block him, then he would not hesitate to obliterate everything in his way.
Eventually, the forest understood that it could not block Grek in any way shape, or form and reluctantly allowed him to cut down any beasts that attacked him. The forest now did nothing to protect the foolish ones who dared attack the monster raging in its gut.
Because of this Grek and everyone else moved faster without obstruction from the forest. As the morning sun began to rise and reveal the world around them, Grek and his family had made it out of the eastern side of the forest. This though would not be celebrated as waiting in front of them was a large army.
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