Dragon Realm
Episode 41

Something dark and faint formed in a corner of the distant room. It was behind the guarding creature, so only Cabe was aware of its presence. However, he did not pay much attention to it; crystal demanded and received most of his consciousness.

From within that ignored darkness, which came from eternity itself, laughter emanated. It was low, almost beyond the hearing of any creature. Nevertheless, Quel who stood shuddered and glanced. It did not turn into darkness.

But Shade did.

"Who laughs ..." His eyes were fixed on a place that had hitherto been invisible. Madrac cursed, glanced at Cabe, and started gesturing.

In one moment, it seemed that the power of all hell had been unleashed. The laughter suddenly became extremely high, cutting through most of the other sounds. The hooded witch, alerted by her far-reaching senses, unleashes her spell. It was not aimed at Cabe; instead, strength was thrown into the darkness. The two forces meet, fighting for control. It was just a short battle. Darkness swallowed Shade's powerful spell as if it contained nothing.

Through the darkness came a creature as dark and sinister as his home. Large nails carve grooves into the rocky floor. Ice blue eyes glared at those in sight. Wild mane shakes small particles of loose ebony night. His mouth was framed with a growl, revealing teeth that were extremely sharp and very unlike horses.

Darkhorse jumped towards Shade.

Quel tried to block the rampaging form, but all that was achieved was that the armored monster disappeared into the void that was Darkhorse. The slender shape of the horse does not even slow down. Warlock and the immortal are locked in battle.

Cabe is jolted from his fascination for the crystal by the appearance of his unnatural friend. He stood up, ignoring the sudden loss of his bond. He only knew that there was an incredible danger where two such powerful forces met.

Darkhorse kicked the mage with his front foot. What will break the mountain only drives the shadow magician. Shade rebalanced and threw a number of sharp black spears at the horse. Somehow the creature maneuvered around them, attacking its opponent directly as he did so.

“Kabi! A talaq! Talak is your goal! Go!"

Eternal words were not spoken, but rather came from Cabe's own mind. As if a puppet, his body moved swiftly towards the entrance to this room; behind him, he could hear the howls and explosions of power being released. He had no desire to wait for the result.

Neglected in this case was a crystal that was still buried deep within his chest. That has changed. The light had changed color, and the jewel was now as blue as the daytime sky and was also pulsing. Cabe did not notice it, but the more he exerted himself, the more the gem pulsed.

Whether it was magic or perhaps a hidden feeling, something made Cabe duck. A large four-eyed axe pierced into the rock as high as his head. Quel who was holding him shouted furiously and pulled his weapon up to swing it again.

Cabe can barely roll over as the armadillo-like horror tries once again to separate his head from the rest of his body, while inside the bedroom, the battle of the giants is still ongoing. The hapless young witch now finds herself competing with a falling rock as well as her deadly enemy.

In desperation, he extended his left hand towards Quel. Simultaneously, incomprehensible words flowed from his mouth. The tip of his finger is shining. The color matches that of the crystal.

Quel stepped back for a better swing, his axe high in the air—unnatural height. The axe bit deep into the ceiling above, its unfortunate owner being pulled off the ground. The stone, which had already been loosened by the battle between Shade and Darkhorse, fell. A cave-in begins. Cabe managed to jump forward; Quel was not so lucky and was buried under tons of earth and rocks.

Unwilling to know whether the creature was dead or not, Cabe continued his departure. His magic saved him once again. Better yet, he felt more comfortable, more confident. The fact that he should not have known the spell had never occurred to him. Without prior training, he was unfamiliar with the route that other magic users had to take.

He ran through town. No other Quel has appeared. Is there only two? He doesn't believe himself to be that lucky. However, nothing hindered his progress. The entrance they entered was only a few seconds away, and it made him think. Darkhorse had told him to flee to Talak, but Talak was far, far away, to the northeast.

Stepping out onto the surface, he scanned the area. The Legar Peninsula is very peaceful and beautiful. At other times, it would be very interesting to explore it, even except for the fact that it was controlled by the Crystal Dragon.

The night has fallen. Cabe doesn't like to imagine traveling in the dark, but he can't see any other alternatives. He had no lights, and it might have been wiser not to carry them. In this area, the torch will stick out for miles. Cabe wished there were no large predators in the area, as this time he did not have a magic sword to save his skin. He had to rely on his own strength and ability.

With the stars in sight, he determined the general direction he should go. The ground under his feet trembled, reminding him of the fierce struggle that was taking place. With a new effort, Cabe started quickly from the mouth of the tunnel.

Seeing it turned out to be a bit of a problem. With both months out, the land was quite sparkling from its light. After a while, he slowed down his pace. This is not gonna work. The battle between Darkhorse and Madrac/Shade could end at any moment. If the hooded witch is proven victorious, she will be behind the intended victim in a matter of seconds. Cabe wished he could teleport or fly or call something to take her away. However, his strength did not seem to be ready for that stage.

No creature moves. Is there no animal? Feels weird. He did not even hear the sound of insects or night birds. Does the curse of the Barren Land extend further than believed? To his knowledge, no one had ever mentioned traveling to this remote part of the Dragonrealms. That meant no one dared to talk about it or no one ever came back.

Time is blurred. Cabe remembers just running, then walking, and finally stumbling across the Legar Peninsula. At a certain point, he ended up falling, completely exhausted by his ordeal. He did not pay attention to the crystal in his chest; it was already a part of him now. She also had no idea about her hair changing, partly because of the jewel. Not a single trace of her true hair color remains. Silver has covered it completely.

He slept all night, only woke up once, and it was only for a moment. What was troubling him was probably the earth's movement. It might also be an endless struggle between two immortal beings. At that moment, Cabe did not care. He fell asleep again the next moment.

Although he had never seen it, life was indeed abundant on the peninsula. One or two small plant eaters rushed with their immobile shape. A bird flies over the head. None of the dangerous animals, especially the hill wolves that dominated this area, came close. In fact, those who attempted to suddenly change their plans and rushed to other hunting grounds, were unaware that there had been a change. Each time, the crystal shone brightly.

MORNING COMES, AND WITH IT surprises. First and foremost is the wonderful aroma of smoked meat that turns crisp over an open fire. Second was the realization in Cabe's mind that he was no longer alone. With his shocking speed almost the same as the other things, Cabe rolled away from the nearby figures.

"Moving almost like a deer, he did."

"Well! Move more like a newborn deer, you mean. Gonna get grass stains on her pretty clothes, she'll do it. ”

There's two of them. After living quite close to the Dagora Forest, Cabe knew who they were even though he had never seen their kind before. It was impossible to mistake a wood elf for anything else.

Both are short and thin and almost completely identical. They come no higher than Cabe's shoulder, though he has heard of taller people who sometimes infiltrate and even marry humans. However, both of them were completely bloody.

They stand side by side. The one on the left smirked and said, “He has a little Person inside him. Can smell it, can't you?”

The twins nodded, though somewhat reluctantly. "But it smells more human, and something else."

Cabe decided to interrupt. "WHO-IS?"

“Of course he did! Must be the witch we're looking for.”

“Excu—”

"Should. Doesn't look excessive, does it?”

"ME-I"

Anger swelled to the breaking point. Something gave.

"He's a witch, he's!"

"Shut up! He might do it again, he might!"

"But why did he have to make a hole in the beautiful countryside?"

"Shut up!" Cabe barely held back the second explosion.

The two wood elves fell silent. Unmoving, they might be a pair of statues for the gates of some masters. But for Cabe, those were just two major distractions.

"Who are you?"

The one on the left: "Allanard."

The one on the right: "Morgyn."

Cabe folded his hands. “You're looking for me?”

Allanard rubbed his elbows and grimaced. The two elves wore identical clothes: simple forest clothes in green with small brown areas here and there. Her clothes blend perfectly with the scenery around them.

"Are you Bedlam?"

"I."

Morgyn nodded. “Can see it in the face, I can. Grandpa is inside you.” He made a face. “Your father is also.”

“Why are you looking for me? What do you want?"

The two elves started laughing, but stopped when they saw Cabe's face. Alanard smiles. “From you, we don't want anything. It's the help we do, it's. Support half-blood relationship and your grandfather, good Nathan.”

Morgyn saw the crystal. "Allanard, he's got a bloody gem that pierced his chest, right."

"Shut up!"

Cabe didn't listen. “Who is this half-blood relationship? Why would he help me?”

"Why? He only saw you break off with death and grow up! Thats why! We're talking about the man you think is your father, yeah!"

"I am"

“Hadien is his name. He took care of you because of Nathan's friendship. There may be blood involved as well.”

"Blood?" Cabe's face paled.

Allanard shook his head. Even her hair was colored green. “We're talking about relationships here, yeah. You may be our relatives. That makes it very important for us to help you. In addition—” For the first time, bitterness infiltrates into that carefree voice. "—we owe a lizard to Hadeen."

Cabe does not catch the last part, his mind goes back to danger under the earth. He hopes that both of them have good transportation. The farther the distance that separates it from the Legar Peninsula, the better.

As if to emphasize his intent, the ground shook with unnatural fury.

Morgyn was thrown to the ground. "Did the gnomes go to war?"

Cabe regained his balance. "Worse! A witch named Shade and a creature named Darkhorse fight somewhere below!”

The mouths of the elves gaped. Allanard was the first to reuse his tongue. “Black horse and magician two minds at odds! Nothing said about this! We must hurry, we must!”

"Where are we going? Do you have a horse?”

“Horse? Are you not a witch and one of the blood too? ”

"That's debater—"

Allanard ignored any talk. “Speed we need, though I don't know if it's possible to escape from such people if someone comes looking for you in crime! Morgy! This is your specialty! ”

“Yes, brother!”

The terrifying battle beneath the surface was forgotten as Cabe watched in wonder. Morgyn took out a small piece of black chalk and now drew a shape in the air. Literally. Wherever he drew, the black line remained despite the fact that no one supported him.

It took a while for the young witch before she recognized the general shape of the image. It must have been a bird, but it was definitely one of the largest birds he had ever seen. If it were real, the creature would be able to take them all.

Morgyn completed the outline and then quickly added some details like eyes and mouth. The last and strangest feature is the three human-sized seats on the back of the bird. When she was satisfied the bird was done, Morgyn waved a piece of chalk and muttered in what should be a fairy tongue.