The Scouts followed Kaleen and a small band of Elf soldiers as she walked past the burning pits of molten ground made by artillery strikes. Labon looked back at the Scouts far behind him and snorted as he turned to Kaleen.

  “Commander, forgive me for even thinking like this, but do you think that you are telling these Humins too much information about ourselves? Are we not being far too trusting?”

  Izick’s ears perked up as he picked up Labon’s question despite his low tone. Kaleen sighed as she shook her head.

  “You are naive, Labon. Humins are just as prideful as we are. They often face numerous disadvantages in life compared to others, so they resent being looked down upon. Their assistance in our time of trouble will save, not our pride. We are not in a position of power at the moment. We are mere paupers begging for deliverance, so we must act accordingly. Do you understand?” Labon grunted, but lowered his head and nodded.

  “Yes, Commander. I do understand.”

  Izick wasn’t completely sure about what Kaleen meant by ”paupers,” but he figured the answer would reveal itself in due time somehow. Kaleen turned back to the Scouts behind her.

  “The Ogres have made a temporary retreat from Damaran because of their losses, but they are still standing guard at every possible exit out of Damaran. We are trapped here unless something breaks,” Kaleen said as she stopped in front of a mess of burning rubble and debris.

  "We are here. This is where we are keeping the Elves of Damaran."

  Bersi looked at the mess and scoffed.

  “There’s nothing here.”

  “No, something is definitely in front of us,” Adell said as she pushed her glasses up and looked straight ahead.

  “Oh, so you have noticed?” Kaleen said while waving her hand at the rubble.

  A heavy wooden door appeared in front of them, causing the Scouts to jump back.

  “Illusion Mysteria,” Izick said as he turned to Kaleen.

  “Yes. No one sane would bother to check rubble and ash for anything important. This is why we chose this area.”

  Two guards opened the doors to let Kaleen and the Scouts inside.

  The door opened up to a large house with stone floors and wooden walls that had boarded-up windows. Mana-powered Dome Torches hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room enough for Izick to see the dozens of Elves huddled up together on the floor with ragged blankets over their shoulders.

  “It’s Commander Kaleen!” an Elf said as he threw off the blanket and knelt on one knee as soon as he saw Kaleen walk in with her entourage. The other elves followed suit, but Kaleen quickly waved her hand dismissively.

  “At ease. I have done little to warrant such respect. I share responsibility for putting us in this predicament in the first place.”

  Kaleen stepped to the side, motioning to the Scouts behind her entourage.

  “These are members of the Hossa Mercenary Band. They have agreed to help extract us from Damaran. Please gather your belongings and prepare to leave. We are leaving Damaran.”

  The Elves began to scatter and gather their belongings as Kaleen made her way back to Hobbs.

  “We also have the first part of your payment here in the back. Each citizen gave up jewelry, clothing, and coins for an initial payment. We will prepare a more substantial payment once we leave the Misty Alps, but I hope this will show our intent to cooperate. Follow me to the back. The rest of your team can wait here until we return.”

  “Understood. Lead the way.” Hobbs said before following Kaleen past the Elves gathering their belongings.

  Bersi glared at the Elf soldiers of Kaleen’s entourage who stared back at her.

  “Do you have a problem?” Bersi said as she stepped to Labon and twirled one of her daggers around her finger.

  “I do not. I am only troubled by the fact that we have been brought down so low that we must look to Humins to save us. I personally would rather die before abasing myself, but our leadership sought your assistance. My leaders are greater than me, so my opinion is moot, it seems.”

  “So you’re trying to start a fight? Fine by me, but take off your armor so I can snap those twigs you call arms!” Bersi said, lunging at Labon, but Adell and Kern pulled her back as he smirked condescendingly.

  Izick ignored the commotion in front of him as he rested his back against the wall. Their scouting mission was complete. Now all they had to do was wait for Barson and the rest of the caravan to arrive.

  They could leave Damaran as well as the Alps well before Kaleen and her Mages even detonated the Mana Bomb.

  He grunted as he thought about Hiddel sacrificing himself to pin down Felssi. He emotionally had no reason to be sad for this Elf, but it was nasty business nonetheless. Hiddel seemed like a genuinely good person who cared about his people.

  Izick felt a tug on his arm, causing him to jump and grab his sheathed knife. An elf child looked up to him as she held the hand of a smaller child.

  “Pardon me, sir. Do you have any food for my brother? It pains me to ask one of the people who are already helping us, but there is no more food here, and someone stole our share.”

  Izick looked around and saw that most of the elves and Scouts were busy watching Bersi and Labon’s argument. He slid a hand into his inner vest pocket and pulled out a cloth, which he unfolded to reveal two flatbreads.

  The two children gasped at the sight of two delicious morsels of bread in front of them. Izick put a finger across his lips to quiet them down.

  “Don’t let anybody see you with these and don’t tell anybody who you got them from.”

  “Thank you so much, sir!” the girl said as she happily took the bread from Izick and devoured it with her brother like rabid dogs.

  Izick glanced around the large building where the Elves of Damaran took shelter. Elves were typically one of the leanest races of the Highwalker humanoids, but everyone here was skin and bones. He had never seen Elves so humbled before.

  An Elf soldier busted through the front door, out of breath. He stormed inside and looked around with a crazed look.

  “Commander Kaleen! Where is Commander Kaleen!” the Elf shouted as he clanked around in his armor with pure panic.

  “Right here. State your report, Ingle.” Kaleen said as she came out of the back with Hobbs, who had a large sack slung over his shoulder. The elf hurriedly saluted Kaleen before pulling out a small scroll, which he nervously unfurled.

  “Rothwood and Gandifoll both surrendered to Felssi instead of fighting her like they swore to do. Now Felssi is making a mad dash to Damaran,” the Elf said as he put the scroll away.

  “We expected her to arrive in around nine hours from now, but now she is on pace to be here within the next two!”

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  Panic erupted amongst every Elf, including the soldiers, as the realization that Felssi was at their doorstep sooner than they expected. Kaleen shot off some rapid questions at the messenger before growling in anger.

  “Those fools! They gave me their word that they would resist Felssi’s forces to buy our citizens time to escape and for us to ready our forces. I understand now that they were only full of pride but without honor. We will now suffer greatly because I trusted their lip-service,” Kaleen said, pounding her fist into her open palm.

  “They should already know that Felssi does not take prisoners. Surrender is meaningless.”

  Izick watched as Kaleen, Labon, and Hobbs discussed something between themselves as the Elf soldiers tried to calm down the civilians who now tried to escape the building and escape themselves.

  He scratched the back of his head as he thought the situation over. Initially, sunrise was the deadline for their escape, which gave them many hours to put the proposed plan into action.

  This development jeopardized everything because Hiddel and the Hossa Mercenary Band weren’t here yet to lead them to safety, meaning they couldn’t escape Damaran.

  Additionally, somebody else had to pin now Felssi and her forces down long enough to set the Mana Bomb off with Hiddel being elsewhere.

  Pin down her forces?

  That last sentence repeated in Izick’s head until sweat rolled down his face. This idea was risky since he knew very little about Felssi and her methods, but there was a chance this could work. However, a chance was still better than sitting around until Felssi comes around to kill them all.

  Izick exhaled deeply before walking over to the Elf who brought the message to Kaleen. He asked him a few questions before going up to Hobbs and asking to talk to him privately.

  He explained his thoughts to Hobbs until the man grabbed the side of his head as if it was hurting.

  “This plan could work, but could also get us all killed,” Hobbs said, turning to Izick as he began to pull at his thinning hair. “Especially you, boy. You are flirting with death here.”

  Izick scanned the faces of the elves around him and sighed as he ignored the stares of Kaleen and Labon as they watched Izick and Hobbs' conversation.

  “I wanted to make sure I brought this up to you before Kaleen, but I believe this plan gives us the best chance to survive. We’re done for anyway if we just sit here. According to that messenger, the Ogres have strategically cut off every exit, likely from Felssi’s orders. We can’t even go back the way we came here. Our fates are tied to Damaran's survival, just like the Elves here.”

  Hobbs lowered his head for a few moments before suddenly straightening himself.

  “What a predicament, but there might be truth to what you are saying. I must talk to Kaleen and the other Scouts about this. I only hope some other solution arises before we have to even entertain this.”

  Hobbs explained Izick’s plan to Kaleen, who only listened with a stern expression. She held her chin for a few moments until nodding her head.

  “I hesitate to involve your Scouts any more than this, but we might have little choice with these new developments. My soldiers are trained with technique and Mystic prowess in mind, not speed like your Humin Scouts. Let’s go with this plan, but only if you and your Scouts are prepared for the consequences. Naturally, I will lend you my strongest Warriors for this plan.”

  “Sigh, thank you. I will talk to my Scouts and prepare them.” Hobbs said soberly before walking over to Hossa's Scouts.

  Kaleen approached Izick and then pointed to the Honor Rod in his hand. Izick's eyes grew wide when he noticed a small yellow circle that dimly glowed below his and Kaleen's feet.

  The ambient noise of Hobbs talking to the Scouts and the panicked chatter of Damaran's citizens suddenly disappeared.

  A Silence Skill. He didn't even notice Kaleen Reciting it.

  “It seems like our Hero of Light has discovered a plan to lead us to our deliverance.”

  “Are you mocking me?”

  “Certainly not. I am only speaking the truth. Come with me.”

  Izick hesitantly followed Kaleen to the other side of the building, where fewer Elves were, since there was mostly armor, weapons, and storage there.

  The yellow circle of Silence followed them like a shadow, blocking every word from leaving or entering.

  "How did you know about this 'title' I was saddled with? I doubt it was from a lucky guess."

  "Correct. Each Honor Weapon of the Summoned Heroes has a unique Mana signature that might not be noticeable by commonfolk, but cannot be missed by Mages of my level. That Honor Rod in your hand has the same exact Mana signature as the Honor Rod wielded by Alister Black when I first met him three years ago. You are not Alister Black, yet you wield the weapon of the Staff Hero."

  Frustration and fear began to build inside Izick. Kaleen gathered this much information from just looking at him, even after carefully wrapping the Honor Rod.

  Was Kaleen really that good and just an outlier? Or was Foster Braun's warding cloth ineffective against experienced Mages? Kaleen snatched a few pieces of armor out of an open chest.

  "I believe there is more to your story, but I am of the opinion that you are now the current Staff Hero of Arekia. Does that answer your question? If so, I would like you to turn your attention to these gifts I have for you."

  She pulled out a breastplate and shoulder guards before holding them up to Izick.

  “I will give these to you and the other Scouts. It is the least I can do for you.”

  “Thank you, but heavy armor can slow us down and restrict our movement out in the field. I’ll stick to my leather,” Izick said as he patted his leather vest. “I’ll be dead either way if I get hit anyway.”

  “The body constitution of an Elf is close to that of a Humin Scout, so our armor is much lighter with an emphasis on movement to complement our lithe bodies. Try it on and tell me your thoughts first.”

  Izick sighed before nodding his head. Kaleen helped Izick put on the armor over his leather gear.

  “Kaleen, shouldn’t you be more suspicious of me right now? You’ve seen right through me, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem to you. Why is that?”

  “Because your existence is a miracle.”

  Izick looked at Kaleen, confused as she clamped down a shoulder guard onto Izick.

  “I was beginning to lose hope after I learned of the Staff Hero’s turn and his abandonment of Damaran, but I found my hope again for Arekia when you arrived. However, I found an equal amount of despair once I felt the Malevolence plaguing you and the Honor Rod.”

  “Malevolence inside of me?” Izick said as his mind snapped to the Blessing and the attack by Mr. Shuffle.

  “Yes. Perhaps the Malevolence inside of you comes from the Honor Rod, or maybe this Malevolence was always there inside of you.”

  Always there? Was she saying he had Malevolence inside of him even before Alister forced the Blessing onto him?

  “You are such a unique case that I have not seen before. There is both Pure Mana and Malevolence deeply embedded inside of you. It is apparently not a problem at the moment, but who knows what issues could arise in the future from these two opposing forces residing inside of you.”

  Kaleen grabbed Izick’s forearm and lifted it to clamp armguards, also lifting the Honor Rod in Izick’s hand.

  “My true worry is this Honor Rod. I do not know how you came into ownership of this Honor Weapon, but the former Staff Hero must have a dastardly plan in mind. You may already know this, but there is distance-based Malevolence woven into the internal Mana of this Honor Weapon. I recommend you keep the Honor Rod close to you at all times.”

  Izick paused for a moment.

  “Can you get rid of this Malevolence?”

  “No, this level of Malevolence is beyond my capabilities. You need a Mage of a higher level than mine to expel this affliction. Assistance from the Grand Mage Yaria herself might be required at this point, since an Elf Sage like myself cannot help you.”

  “You called yourself a Sage earlier. Are you more knowledgeable than a Foster?”

  Kaleen smirked.

  “I am comparable to a Druid of the Second Ring,” Kaleen said before stepping back from Izick. “How does the armor feel?”

  Izick tested his range of motion. He could barely feel the silver armor on his body, but a quick strike to the breastplate told him that he was wearing good armor.

  “I’m impressed. I can still move in this.”

  “This is something we pride ourselves on. But remember this fact, Hero of Light,” Kaleen said as her expression became serious.

  “The title of Staff Hero existed long before Alister Black. He embraced darkness, but his legacy as a Staff Hero does not have to be yours. You are free to write your story. He is no longer the Staff Hero. That title now belongs to you.”

  Izick felt a shiver go down his spine. This was the second person to call him the Staff Hero. Could he really have a legacy separate from Alister’s manipulations?

  Izick pushed the thoughts out of his head. Alister and this title of Staff Hero didn’t matter right now. He had to find a way to survive. Izick and Kaleen rejoined the Elf soldiers and Scouts as they went over Izick’s plan.

  ***

  Ogres rapidly trekked through the misty forest as they followed the only light in the deep darkness.

  An Elf woman with dark gray skin and long, flowing white hair marched with a group of gray-skinned Elves and Ogres behind her.

  Her scarred face illuminated in the dark from the large ball of red Mana floating above her hand. A tall Elf with similar gray skin and white hair to hers walked up to the elf woman with his head lowered.

  “Master Felssi. We have spotted Damaran in the distance. Our forces can reach the city within the hour if we push.”

  “Good. Let us increase our pace and slaughter these wretched excuses for Elves so we can return home. I tire of these Misty Alps. Forward!”

  Felssi and her forces increased their walking pace as they marched towards Damaran to slaughter its inhabitants and raze the city to ashes.