Chapter 10: Forsaken

After a whole night of hardcore sex, spending the day on horseback was the last thing Noah, Valia, and Elisandra wanted. Still, if they didn’t make it back to Sylphtoria before nightfall, the elves would assume the worst and send an army to find the queen, so they had to tough it out.

Before leaving, they took their time in the purification pool to cleanse their bodies, clothes, and the blanket. They didn’t want the sharp-nosed elves wondering why the trio smelled suspiciously like cum. Sitting in the pool, washing herself with a cloth, Elisandra was a bit depressed. She wanted to enjoy wearing Noah’s scent a bit longer, but it was time to return to her role as queen.

They arrived at Sylphtoria late in the afternoon, with every elf gathering to bid their beloved ruler welcome. Aithorn and Lour stood at the head of Elisandra’s guards, and they all got down on one knee as she approached.

“Welcome back, Your Majesty. We hope your communion with the spirits has been rewarding,” said Aithorn.

“Very rewarding, Leuca. We know where Valon is hiding, but that is not a conversation to be had now. My companions and I are famished and exhausted.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. Allow us to escort you back to the palace.”

Before departing, she turned to Noah and Valia. “Lord Noah, Lady Valia, your company on this trip made all the difference in the world. I sincerely thank you.”

Noah bowed and kissed her hand. “The pleasure was ours.”

She flashed them a smile with a hidden message only they could read. If not for their shared fatigue, she’d pull them both up to her room for another night of nonstop sensuality. They returned the smile and then separated. As the queen returned to the palace, Noah and Valia stretched, glad to be off their horses.

“Now that we’re back, I’m sure you remember that I have to punish you,” said Valia.

“Are you still going on about that? You had just as much fun as I did, and you know it.”

Valia ignored him and started walking. “I want you to cook me a big dinner, a very big dinner. And you know what? Enough fruits and vegetables. I’m in the mood for some meat.”

Noah sighed with a smile and followed her. “Yes, dear.”

“Kisara Island, the site of a great elven city, and an even greater tragedy for the elven race,” said Elisandra, pointing to a map of the coastal waters near the Anorvan Forest. Noah, Valia, Aithorn, and Lour were standing with her in the palace, gathered around a table covered with books and scrolls.

“What happened there?” Noah asked.

“We don’t know for sure,” said Elisandra, “as all the former inhabitants died, and what info we do have comes from scouts who went to investigate, with few making it back alive. What we do know is this: centuries ago, this was a thriving metropolis, an image of the splendor of the elves, until an earthquake struck and reshaped the undersea landscape and ocean currents.

Though the inhabitants survived and managed to rebuild, they were cut them off from the outside world. Jutting rocks and savage waters smashed all ships trying to get in or out. Only those with the greatest magic were able to traverse the churning sea and return to the mainland, just a fraction of those who tried desperately to escape.

After that, monsters took over the island. These were not the typical animals you are used to seeing, like wolves and bears, nor were they native to the island. Instead, these were great hulking behemoths, the kind that swallow adventurers whole without even needing to chew. The elves were wiped out, their lives taken either by the monsters or the sea.”

“So the monster-spawning circles changed. I know this can happen in response to shifts in the climate and ecosystem, but I’ve never heard of such a drastic occurrence before.”

In this world, plants and animals not born through traditional biological reproduction were produced through magic, as though rolling off an assembly line. Though the specimens created seemed mainly identical to each other, there appeared to be some hidden mechanism that continuously altered their DNA, just enough to ensure genetic diversity. This prevented species—and the profession of hunting them—from dying out. Noah had been studying the magic used for these circles and had yet to determine if they were manmade or a natural function of the world. He could mimic it with his magic, but didn’t fully understand how it worked.

“The sea currents later shifted again, allowing for travel to and from the island, but it was too late, the population had been wiped out,” said Aithorn. “Ever since then, Kisara Island has been regarded as a place of death. Adventurers, the bravest and most foolish, have tried landing there in search of elvish relics and treasures, but the island eats them alive.”

“Valon must truly have lost his mind to be holed up there,” Lour said.

“It does have its merits,” said Noah. “No one would dare look for him. He already has Uther on his tail, and he’s made enemies of Sylphtoria, and probably several other countries as well. For all we know, he’s acquired a relic that wards off monsters. In which case, Kisara Island is the perfect hideout for the most wanted man in the world.”

“Your Majesty, did the spirits confirm if he was even still alive?” Lour asked.

“They couldn’t have found him if he wasn’t. We’re just lucky he’s set up his base in elven territory.”

“We know he’s alive and we know where he is. We’ll take the time we need to prepare, but otherwise, all the other details are irrelevant,” said Valia, her voice hollowed by determination.

“I agree,” said Noah. “The only way we’re going to see Valon is to go to where he is. It’s not a matter of choice, simply a fact. Give me a day to get ready, and let’s form a team to go ashore and set off with as many weapons, tools, and supplies as we can carry.”

Lour pointed to a coastal town on the edge of the Anorvan Forest. “You can ride here, to Pulindar, and get a ship that will take you to Kisara Island.”

“Excuse me, Your Majesty,” said Aithorn, unable to meet her gaze, “I think it would be best if Lord Noah were the lead this team, rather than myself.”

Elisandra gave a soft sigh. “I understand, Leuca. Noah, do you have any objections?”

“None, Your Majesty.”

“Good, then let’s begin planning.”

A party was assembled, consisting of Noah, Valia, Aithorn, and a dozen elven soldiers, with the addition of two healers. Picking the right number of recruits was the first challenge. If Kisara Island were as dangerous as the stories claimed, there would be inevitable losses. A small group would lower their chances of success but lessen the blow to Sylphtoria, while a large group would give them more combat strength, but at greater risk to the elven race. But, as Noah and Valia made clear, there was no point in having second thoughts. All they could do was prepare themselves for the conflict ahead.

Noah spent yet another day hunched over a desk, runecrafting and performing alchemy to create everything they would need. At the same time, Valia gathered all the info she could on Kisara Island, scouring ancient legends and tomes. It was still early in the morning when the group assembled on the forest floor, prepping their horses for travel. Elisandra and Lour were there to see them off, the queen’s beauty lessened by the look of fear on her face.

“We will return the stolen relics, Your Majesty, I swear it,” said Aithorn, bowing before her.

Elisandra placed her hand on his shoulder. “Just come back alive, I’ll be happy with that.”

She then approached Noah and Valia. “You as well. Promise you’ll come back to me, both of you.”

“We will, Your Majesty,” Noah replied.

Then, to the shock of everyone, Elisandra wrapped her arms around Noah and gave him a deep, passionate kiss. All the elves stared with their mouths hanging open, unable to process the sight before them. Valia simply rolled her eyes, only to fall prey to the queen’s lips. “Like I said, both of you,” she whispered when she finally pulled away.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Valia stammered. While under the influence, going down on the queen had been second nature to her, but when sober, a simple kiss left her reeling. Of course, the fact that everyone was watching them didn’t help.

Noah felt a hand grip his shoulder like a vice. “What exactly happened between the three of you at the Lunar Temple?” Aithorn asked with a familiar icy tone.

Noah pried his hand off and stepped to the side. “We had a thorough heart-to-heart conversation and came to an understanding. However, the things we discussed are private.”

“That’s enough, Leuca. You wanted Noah to lead this mission, so you will give him the respect he deserves and follow his orders. As for the rest of you, this man saved my life and the lives of countless other elves. If not for him, Sylphtoria would be on the path to ruin. More than that, he is a man who has been recognized by the spirits of nature as one of their own, and earned their favor. To go against him is to turn your back on the spirits. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” they replied begrudgingly.

“Now, shall we get a move on? We’re wasting daylight,” said Noah. Everyone glared as Noah and Valia took their mounts. “Hopefully, we’ll live long enough to make it to the coast,” he muttered to her.

“Oh, they’ll only kill you. I bet they like me more than ever.”

They rode off from Sylphtoria, but as soon as they were beyond the outskirts, all the elves circled Noah. “I’ll ask you again: What happened between you and the queen?” Aithorn growled.

“The same thing that happened between me and the queen, Leuca,” Valia shot back. “Any problem you have with Noah, you have with me as well.”

“If a filthy bastard like you laid his hands on Her Majesty, I’ll—!” one of the elf warriors shouted.

“You’ll do what?” Noah challenged. “Tell me something, what is the queen to all of you?” Noah asked.

“She is the light!”

“Our leader!”

“Grace personified!”

“The foundation of Sylphtoria!”

“A holy being!”

Their answers were as he expected. “Well to me, she is Elisandra, a woman with hopes, dreams, fears, and desires, a woman who can make her own decisions and seek her own happiness without your approval. She’s not a figurehead meant to look pretty on the throne. If you condemn Valia and I for fulfilling her needs, then you condemn her for having them. I did nothing to seduce to deceive her. It’s a simple fact that she feels affection towards me, and I am fond of her. If you don’t like that, then too bad. You have no say in the matter.”

“You all heard the queen. You owe Noah your lives and your loyalty. If any of you so much as look at the back of his neck a second longer than you need to, I’ll cut you down,” Valia warned.

“When we get back to Sylphtoria, if any of you want to take a swing at me, go right ahead. Until then, you’re just going to have to suck it up. Where we’re going, you aren’t in any position to be turning down help or killing allies. Let’s move out.”

Though Noah could understand the queen’s desire for one last kiss before he and Valia left, her act of affection had done more harm than good. Once more, the elves all looked at him with disdain. He didn’t mind the harsh stares or cold shoulder, but there were plenty of ways to kill him and make it look like an accident, especially once they reached the island.

After three days of riding, they arrived at the port town of Pulindar, on the southern coast of the Anorvan Forest. The sun began to set, casting its light upon towers of gleaming stone and houses of living trees. Noah gazed at the elven architecture with wide eyes and a genuine smile. Word had been sent ahead of them to prepare a vessel for departure, and a white ship sat in the harbor, waiting for them. Like their homes, the elves crafted their vessels by shaping trees with magic. Even the sails were made of a leafy material.

“Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate; And though I oft have passed them by, A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun.”

“What was that?” Valia asked, standing beside Noah.

“Nothing, just something from a famous story.”

They approached the dock and dismounted from their horses, going to meet the elves loading the last of the supplies. “Greetings, Lord Aithorn. I must say, your timing is almost unfair. The tides are just about to reach their peak, but the sun forbids you,” said one man, shaking Aithorn’s hand.

“Thank you, Samil. It’s good to see you. The hour of departure has passed, so we’ll wait until tomorrow.”

The man noticed Noah’s green mantle and rounded ears. “Greetings, My Lord,” he said with some confusion.

“A fine evening to you, sir,” replied Noah.

“This is Lord Noah. He saved the queen from an assassin and averted a plague in Sylphtoria,” said Aithorn.

“I was told that you were sailing towards Kisara Island. That hardly seems a place to send someone Sylphtoria is so indebted to.”

“Thank you for your concern, but the queen and I share the same goal, and that is where it resides. The danger is of no importance, not as long as success remains a possibility.”

Here on the coast, the elves’ worship of both the spirits of nature and the elemental gods was more balanced, and they were not as stringent on vegetarian cuisine. The local church gave Noah’s group shelter for the night, and after days on horseback, they got to sleep in real beds and enjoy hot bowls of delicious fish stew for dinner. It was a luxury they had to savor, as it was unlikely they would all come back alive from Kisara Island.

Noah and Valia were able to share a bed, and, thanks to his noise-canceling device, enjoyed their usual intense intimacy without alerting anyone. Loud sex in a church with their companions so close would cause an understandable amount of ire.

Even after depositing his vitality between Valia’s legs, Noah remained awake, staring at the magic circle for his curse, projected onto the ceiling. The spirits had left an enchantment on his palm that would let him see the circle whenever he wished, and he had spent countless hours scrutinizing it since the night at the Lunar Temple. Yet, after all that time, it remained a mystery. Though he recognized most of the runes, their order left it largely incomprehensible.

“Noah, come on, that’s enough for one night,” Valia mumbled, stretching her arm across his chest.

“Sorry, did the light wake you?”

“Yeah, now close your eyes and go to sleep.”

“I can’t help myself. Do you know how long I’ve wanted this? To finally see the reason for my continued existence? I’ve spent so many restless nights staring at the ceiling just like this, pondering what I am, trying to imagine the answers. I’ve explored every faith, used every form of science, taken every drug imaginable, all to finally have the answers before me, and now ... I can’t even read them.”

“All the more reason for you to stop torturing yourself. If you can’t read it, then continuing to stare isn’t going to change anything.”

“If Valon can’t help me make sense of this, then who possibly can?”

“He can and he will, but if you don’t get enough rest, you’ll get yourself killed before we ever reach him. We’re going to spend two days on a boat with nothing to do. Use that time for study, and use this time to sleep.”

“Then I’ll just sleep on the boat.”

Valia cupped his cheek and forced his eyes to meet hers. “Noah, don’t do this to yourself. You have all the time in the world.”

Noah sighed and closed his hand, canceling the projection. “That’s what scares me,” he said as Valia snuggled up against him.

They set sail the next morning, heading southeast. Though the elves in Noah’s group lived within the heart of the forest, they were all old enough to have learned how to operate these vessels. The elven ship sliced through the water like a razorblade, gliding so smoothly that no wave could rock it. The sky was clear, and the smell of the ocean breeze was cleansing. Noah sat at the bow, enjoying the sun with his eyes towards the horizon.

“What is it?” Valia asked, amused by the smile on his face.

“I’m sailing across the wild sea with a dozen elves, about to fight my way through an army of monsters in the ruins of a lost civilization. You have no idea how many people would give their lives to be on this adventure with us.”

On the dawn of the third day, Kisara Island was in view, only for the ship to change course, turning towards the north. Before Noah could ask why, he saw them, sunken wrecks below the crystal waters, impaled on great stone teeth. It was an undersea graveyard with ships made by men and elves. Though the island was now accessible to the outside, their boat couldn’t simply approach from any angle.

“Aithorn, do you know a safe landing point?” Noah asked.

“According to legend, there is a peninsula on the northwestern side, free of rocks,” he replied, manning the rudder. “We have to circle around and aim there. However, it is not simply rocks we have to worry about. The waters surrounding the island are full of predators.”

Noah took out a spyglass Hoapfa made for him after the succubus incident. He peered through and scanned the island. It was mountainous and blanketed with dense jungle, but he could see some signs of the once-great elf city. Stone towers broke free of the vegetation, and there were temples and other buildings that had yet to give way to time. Moreover, he saw great walls rippling from the island’s center, likely constructed to try and contain the monster surge, but most had crumbled away.

A jarring impact knocked Noah onto his back, caused by the boat being hammered from the side, with the shadow of some great behemoth visible in the waters. Though Noah fell, the elves retained their balance and stayed upright. Frankly, it would have disappointed him if they had fallen over as easily as he had.

A great pair of jaws broke from the ocean surface, ten feet long, with teeth like daggers, and it snapped ferociously at anyone within reach. The elves wasted no time, drawing their bows and riddling the ocean behemoth’s head with arrows. It retreated below the surface, leaving the ship painted with its blood.

They sailed toward the island’s northern tip, only to be attacked once more. This time, massive tentacles reached out and latched onto the ship with spike-lined suction cups that shredded the wood. They were like undulating tree trunks of muscle and rubbery flesh, seizing one of the elves and lifting him into the air as though he was weightless. Despite its strength, it could not withstand a slash from Noah. He severed the appendage, dropping the elf back onto the deck while the others hacked away at the tentacles holding the ship. Like its predecessor, the invertebrate was sent scurrying back into the depths with a trail of blood left in its wake.

“Nice job,” said Valia. “If you hadn’t done that in one slash, I would never have endured the shame as your swordsmanship teacher.”

“Its flesh was so tough, I almost didn’t make it.”

Noah looked around at the other elves. They mainly ignored him throughout this trip, but after saving one of their own, their expressions softened. They continued sailing, soon spotting the peninsula, but that wasn’t all.

“Noah, do you see that over there?” Aithorn asked, pointing to the shore. Noah scanned the sandy beach, spotting a ship run aground.

“An adventurer ship?” Valia pondered.

“It doesn’t look like it’s been there long. Let’s check it out.”

They landed further down the beach, and Noah and the team went over to investigate. As suspected, it had landed recently, and its mooring line was wrapped around a boulder. It was a decent-sized craft, larger than what Noah and the elves had used.

“Ahoy! Is there anyone aboard?” Noah shouted. There was no response, so Noah called out again. The wind then shifted, sending the smell of blood wafting over. He and all the elves rested their hands on their swords and cautiously approached.

Once they reached the craft, one of the elves, Fourn, banged on the hull and then put his ear to the wood. “I don’t hear any movement inside, sir.”

“Saul,” Aithorn said, raising his chin to another elf with dark hair.

Saul nodded and jumped up onto the deck of the ship like a mantis. “I see blood and scratch marks. Someone tried to put up a fight and lost.”

Noah and the other elves came aboard and started looking around. The elves strained their ears to pick up the sound of anything below deck and only entered the darkness with the assurance they were alone. Noah led them, holding a ball of light to illuminate the ship’s interior. It was a paladin spell, but like all magic, Noah could only mimic its visual effects.

There were signs of human habitation, but they lay buried under the wreckage caused by some unknown creature. Whatever it was, it had smashed open every crate and barrel that once held food. He could see the marks on the floor from its claws. There were other marks that interested him, something heavy enough to crack the wooden planks and leave scorch marks.

They searched the ship from top to bottom and then moved back up onto the deck. “This blood is at least a day old. I’d say a little under thirty men were on this boat when it arrived, but only four were killed on it,” said Noah.

“Likely a party left behind to guard the ship. That was a very poor mistake,” said Valia.

“The two of you are going to want to see this,” said Aithorn, standing by the steering wheel.

Noah and Valia walked over, with Noah spotting more cracks in the deck with heavy footprints burned into the wood. They reached the steering wheel, where Aithorn examined a handprint on the nearby railing. It wasn’t a print so much as a burn mark. The hand was huge, almost inhumanely so.

“Gradius,” Noah muttered.

“No, that’s impossible. How would he even know to come here?” Valia asked.

“Someone had to have told him Valon was here, maybe that we would be here as well.”

“Are you suspecting someone in the royal court?” asked Aithorn.

“A succubus was able to get all the way into the queen’s bedroom and attack her. There is no telling who else might have infiltrated Sylphtoria. We don’t even know if it was an elf who did it.”

“Hold on a second,” said Valia, “you’re assuming that whoever knows Valon is here learned it the same time we did, but if that were so, there is no way Gradius and his knights could have beaten us here.”

“She’s right. They would have needed a few days’ head start to arrive here, meaning whoever told Gradius about this place knew it before we did.”

“But then that begs the question,” said Noah, “who knows that Valon is here, and why would they send Gradius? Perhaps someone in Colbrand used magic to figure out his location?”

“Regardless, if Gradius gets to Valon before we do, it’ll be trouble,” said Valia.

“Joining forces with his team would boost our chances of survival, and we can prevent him from killing Valon.”

“Trust me, you don’t know Gradius the way we do,” said Aithorn. “He’s a madman, a demon. He’ll turn this entire island to ash to hunt you and Valon down, and he won’t take you alive. Without a royal pardon from the king, he will never stop.”

“I don’t suppose you two would be up to killing him? If not, our only option is to find Valon before he does.”

“Do you either of you have a means of finding him?”

“Valia,” Noah said.

She held out her hand, and a large needle appeared over her palm, conjured from her knight ring. It was etched with runes, with the opposing ends wrapped with strands of silver hair. “My hair is on one end of the needle, and Valon’s is on the other. If I pour my mana into this, the needle will point to us both, at least, according to Noah.”

“The needle tracks your magical and biological signature, which is barely distinguishable between the two of you.” Noah turned back to Aithorn. “I’m not sure of the range, so we’re going to try it here, at the top of that mountain, the ruins of the old palace, and everywhere in between.”

Valia laid the needle on her palm and channeled her mana into it. The end with her hair began to glow and stuck to her skin like she was magnetic, but no matter which direction she turned, the needle lay still on her palm, meaning it wasn’t detecting Valon.

“If it doesn’t work, I have other ideas,” Noah added.

They returned to their own ship and unloaded all of their gear. Most of it was arrows, soon to be needed, for as soon as they set out into the jungle, they were attacked. The carnivorous megafauna had a giant head with snapping jaws like an alligator, but a disproportionately small body reminiscent of a rhino. It charged towards the group, somehow able to lift its humungous skull and run with its stubby legs.

The elves scattered and unleashed a storm of arrows from all sides, but it endured the wounds and aimed for Noah. He jumped behind a fallen tree, thick enough, he hoped, to serve as a valid barricade. The beast grabbed the trunk with its colossal jaws, lifted it into the air, and crushed it like a parchment scroll. While its head was raised, Noah slit its throat with a well-aimed strike. The beast bled out and collapsed, and the elves retrieved their arrows.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to flavor country,” Noah muttered as he collected a piece of its hide.

“Let’s get out of here before the blood attracts something,” said Valia.

No sooner had the words been spoken than they heard a chorus if monstrous squeals. They saw their new opponents circling them, staying behind the trees. It was a pack of wild boars, each one the size of a horse, with tusks that could punch through steel armor. One broke away from the group, charging towards Noah and the elves. A stream of arrows was shot with deadly aim, but though they struck the boar between the eyes, they were all deflected by its tough skull.

Valia sprinted towards it and jumped into the air, narrowly dodging its swinging tusks. Flying overhead, she slashed the back of its neck, ending its life. As soon as she touched the ground, another boar was upon her. A spear, thrown by one of the elves, buried itself in the beast’s ribs and threw it off balance. Wounded, it was easy prey for Valia. The remaining boars closed in, squealing in fury and forcing Noah and the elves up into the trees. Perched safely among the branches, they rained arrows down on the boars, wiping them out. Only when all was quiet did they descend.

“Everyone, work fast and let’s get out of here.”

As with the last beast, the elves collected their arrows, as it was evident that they’d need every last bolt. Likewise, Noah went around collecting samples, adding the species to his summoning collection. He initially could only copy organisms summoned by magic, but he had altered the formula to clone whatever creature he wished, as long as his mana was sufficient. The problem was that this method didn’t copy clothing and items, so even if he could impersonate someone this way, it would only be convincing at the scene of an orgy.

As soon as they were ready, they set off into the jungle. Their trek was intense, exacerbated by the heat, humidity, and insects. They used plant-based repellents to ward off stings and bites, but could not fully drive off the creepy-crawlies. Flying scorpions would zip past their faces, centipedes larger than their belts would crawl over their feet, and mosquitos the size of hummingbirds would buzz in their ears.

Even worse were the incessant monster attacks. Outside this island, finding a summoning circle was a rare occurrence, but here, there was always one within view. Creatures, big and small, would materialize out of thin air at different speeds and jump into the food chain. It seemed like every ten minutes or so, something would lunge at them from the underbrush or the canopy, and the size of the group did little to sway their attackers. The jungle was overflowing with vicious predators, whether they had scales, hair, or feathers.

It was slow going, and the slightest mistake was fatal. This island made the dungeon crab from Clive look like a goblin den, but unlike before, Noah was leading a competent party. The elves could sense any monster coming their way, and the few foes that survived their deadly arrows were met with cold steel.

Despite the violence, Kisara Island was truly amazing. It was a tragic beauty, the once-mighty elvish civilization completely fallen to nature, but beautiful nonetheless. Vines hung over every wall, moss blanketed stone streets, and trees grew out of brick buildings and houses like potted plants.

There seemed to be no distinction between the raw jungle and the ruins. It was as if the whole stone island was carved into a city, then a blanket of vegetation laid atop it. Every boulder was a statue, every hill and mountain had a staircase, and even the tallest cliffs and deepest ravines were made of brick and carved stone. The jungle was quite healthy, a universe of vibrant green, and the animals were more than abundant.