Within the highest boughs of the Enclave of the Dark Forest, the Matriarch of the High Elves was holding her court. Five Elves were seated in a semicircle within the court, to represent the Founders of their race. Each of the Elven women wore a simple robe, adorned with marks of their station, embossed on a glowing pin attached to their chests. These Elven women were the ultimate power within their lands, each having gained their position through hard work and blood, in the case of the Matron of War, and have proven themselves to be above their peers in their chosen field. And each of these incredibly powerful women were staring at the aged form of the Elder of the Males standing before them.

“Let us make sure that we understand you, Litnar.” The Matron of Trade, the emblem of a pair of hands clasped in agreement glinting in the firelight, spoke in a clear and quiet voice, her second pair of eyes closed in frustration. “You discovered a being wandering alone within our woods. And when you confronted said being, you proclaimed him a demi-god and took him on a guided tour through the woods. Is that correct?”

Litnar tapped his staff against the wooden boards of the flat once in affirmation, bobbing his gray-haired head. “God-ling learn. Home forest friend. Make peace. Bring power.”

The Matron of Trade sighed, the runes dancing across her blue flesh glowing slightly with the exhale. “And this ‘God-ling’ has connections with the Half-Beasts that have been attempting to create a trade agreement through you?”

Again, Litnar tapped his staff once. “God-ling mate Half-Owl. Other Half-Beasts know.”

The Matron of Trade glanced around at the other assembled members, who each waved a hand. Returning her gaze to the Elder, the Matron of Trade nodded. “Thank you, Litnar. You may be excused.”

The Elder tapped his staff, then hobbled outside of the court. Once the Male had exited, the Matron of Trade sighed again and turned to her counterparts. “What shall we do about this ‘God-ling’? Is there anything we can do?”

The Elf to her left shrugged, her emblem of twin spears encircled with a ring of flame glint. The Matron of War looked towards Trade, a small smile on her face. “You all know my stand on those that we deem a threat.”

The four other women all groaned, the Matron of Magic most of all. Magic leaned forwards, lightly glaring at War. “We know. Assimilate or Exterminate.” Her emblem was unique among the court, for each Matron of Magic would create their emblem to match the magic coursing through her body. A raised hand gently cupped a growing plant, for this Matron of Magic had the unique abilities of both Water and Earth magic, culminating in the creation of her Nature affinity.

Sighing, Magic leaned backwards, the spines jutting from her back waving slightly. “If what the Elder says is true, then this God-ling has three different affinities. And he has enough control over them to cast them in tandem.” She waved her hand at War, cutting off the other Matron’s attempt at interrupting. “Yes, if the Elder was lying, then there is nothing to fear. But, if he was speaking truth, then this is something that we must be cautious about. With the strength that the ‘God-ling’ supposedly has, then it would be foolhardy to lose half of our horde to kill him.” A greedy glint appeared within Magic’s eyes. “I believe it would be better for our people if we cultivate a friendship with this being, and learn all that he knows of his magic. If he is a God-ling, then this might be our chance of gaining the attention of a higher power. Especially one as powerful as the All-Mother.”

Silence descended over the court, with all of the Elves thinking over what the Matron of Magic had said. The Matriarch, ruler over the Dark Woods, glanced around at her assembled court, making her emblem of a towering Elderwood tree dance on her breast. “Is there anything else that would like to be said?” Her voice was quiet, haunting. While not the strongest among the court, the Matriarch was the most well suited to guide the wellbeing of her people. The Matriarch glanced over to the youngest Elf of the group, an emblem of a deer drinking from a lake dangling from her robe. “You have kept your peace thus far, Wilds. Do you have nothing to add?”

The young Elf looked at the assembled Matrons, before turning to look at the Matriarch, slowly shaking her head.

The Matriarch nodded. “Very well. As both War and Magic have stated, we will attempt to integrate this ‘God-ling’ with our people. If he proves true, then we will welcome him and attempt to learn from him.” A small smile twisted the corners of her mouth upwards. “If he proves false, we shall crush him beneath our feet. Now, does anyone know where this being is?”

Glancing around at the silent Elves, the Matron of Trade slowly raised her hand. “I do not know, but if he is anything like the other males, it would be likely that he has found his way to one of the booze huts spread throughout the Enclave. If I may, I would go out to these places and see if the Elves there have seen him. I will also speak with the Elder of the Males and tell him to set up a meeting with the God-ling.”

Nodding her head, the Matriarch dismissed the Matrons with a wave of her hand. After the women left the court, the Matriarch sighed in relief. While she was the most able to lead her people, it did not mean that she wanted the responsibilities. Heavy is the head who wears the crown. An apt saying. Standing slowly, the Matriarch made her way to a knot in the trunk of the Elderwood. Entering, she made her way through twisting tunnels through the wood before arriving at a small altar. Kneeling down, she laid her head on the wood, before looking upwards.

“Why have you sent him? I thought that I have been guiding our people in the way that you wanted. Is it not enough?” With a quavering voice, she spoke towards a small figure carved above the altar. The figure remained silent, as it had for as long as she could remember. “Please, your servant asks for guidance. Give me a sign, so that I may know that we are following your path.”

The Matriarch stayed kneeling before the altar for some time, before sighing and rising to her feet. Bowing her head with her hands clasped to her stomach, she spoke towards the floor. “Very well. I will continue on my path, and pray that it is the one set out for me.” She walked backwards, and turned to leave, allowing herself a final glance towards the figure of a small girl etched into the wood.

The figure seemed to stare back, with eyes seeming to contain the entirety of the cosmos. “I will return to pray to you tonight, All-Mother. After I have spoken with your Champion.”

_____________________________________________________________________

Jake groaned, rolling onto his side to escape from some blinding light. The light did not relent, so Jake rolled over to his other side. His head was pounding, and this persistent light was only making it worse. What the hell happened? Groggily, he forced himself up, leaning heavily on his arms. Cracking open one of his eyes into a slit, he immediately closed it again due to the light.

Groaning to himself again, he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, his head resting against his chest. Fumbling in his inventory, he finally grabbed a cigarette and slowly placed it into his mouth. Fighting through the pain in his head, he snapped his fingers, and a small purple flame appeared over his thumb. Lighting his cigarette, he took a slow drag and exhaled with a sigh. He sat there for a few moments, just letting the nicotine flow through his system and help fight off the hangover. I need some coffee.

After the pain faded to an occasional dull throbbing, Jake cracked open his eye again. Squinting into the blinding light, he looked around, trying to figure out where he was at. Wooden walls swam in his vision, causing his stomach to twist and turn. Groaning again, Jake closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. After his stomach calmed down, he opened his eyes again, and saw that the walls had decided to stop moving. Coughing slightly to help clear his parched throat, Jake slowly forced himself to his feet and glanced around.

As far as he could tell, it was a home. Wooden walls encircled a small table with a single chair, a small fire crackling happily on one side in a ring of wood, red runes glowing slightly on their surfaces. An empty hammock was hung up from the rafters on the other side of the fire, a small table with a few leather bound books stacked on top. Turning around, he found the exit, long leaves acting as a doorway. Jake flicked the burnt out cigarette into the flames, and hobbled over to the door.

Brushing away the fronds, Jake stumbled outside of the hut into a waiting group of Elves. The Elves’ high pitched voices stormed into Jake’s head, feeling like someone decided to wedge a shard of molten steel into his brain and give it a twist. Slamming both hands over his ears, he glared daggers at the surrounding Elves, who quickly scampered away.

Slowly lowering his hands, he looked around, trying to get his bearings. The flat was indistinguishable from any of the others, and he realized that he was more than likely lost. Slowly walking to the edge, he peered downwards to see if he recognized anything. Looking downwards, all that he saw were Elves walking around the flats like troops of ants, marching to their own cadence. … Yeah, I’m definitely lost.

Sighing, he sat down on the edge, his legs dangling into the empty air. Staring down into the dark depths of the forest far below him, he tried to piece together what happened the night before. Coming up with blanks after the first gourd, he sighed again. Is this what it feels like for someone to slip you a roofie? At least I didn’t wake up in Bangkok.

“You’re awake.” A voice, far softer than the male Elves, whispered up from behind him. Turning around, Jake saw a female Elf fidgeting behind him. If he could make a guess, she was younger than Terina had been, but he was unsure due to how alien their appearances were. The Elf wore a simple robe, small yellow runes flashing into and out of existence over her body.

Clearing his throat, Jake nodded at the Elf. “Yeah, I think.” Coughing again, he shot another glance around the flat. “Where am I? I don’t remember anything after I had a few drinks with Terina.”

The Elf blinked her four eyes, her third eyelids quickly darting over her eyes. “You… don’t remember?” Her voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper.

Raising an eyebrow, he looked at the Elf. “Yeah? Do you know what happened?”

The Elf flinched backwards at his look, shaking her head violently. “No. Just rumors.”

Jake was taken aback at her reaction, before groaning to himself. Fucking hell, what did I do? I’ve never been an angry drunk.

Keeping his voice calm, he spoke to the Elf as gently as he could. “And what are these rumors? You don’t have to be scared.”

The Elf shivered slightly, before taking a deep breath. “You… after about ten gourds of Dragon Blood, you…” She broke off, fidgeting. “…You tried to hug Terina…”

Jake blinked, surprised. Well, that’s not so bad…

“She rejected you, and threw you off the flat…”

Well, that’s pretty bad…

“You landed on one of the flats where the males train… and you tried to teach them how to use a spear…” The Elf began to speak faster, as if she couldn’t contain the words. “From what I hear, you said something along the lines of ‘be like Leonidas’ and to ‘go for the balls’, whatever that means. After stabbing yourself in the foot, you fell off the flat.”

Taking a deep breath, the Elf continued to Jake’s slack-jawed expression. “You formed wings of darkness, and flew headfirst into another one of the trees. You called the tree a ‘harlot’, and then went to one of the flats on the tree. You ate all of the food from the Givers, and tried to teach a male how to speak correctly. After…”

Jake snapped out of his stupor and cleared his throat. This is not going to get any better. “Alright, I think I got it. You can stop.”

“Yes God-ling.” She squeaked, still shivering.

Jake sighed, and slowly got back to his feet. Well, hopefully I won’t regret what happened. I need to get back, too. “Hey. Do you know where the Beast-Kin are?”

Nodding violently, the Elf raised a shaking hand and pointed through the darkness. “Five trees that way and ten flights down.” Jake nodded at the Elf, thanking her quietly. Concentrating slightly, black tendrils exploded from his shoulder blades, and wrapped around each other to form into dark wings.

Leaning forwards, Jake tipped himself over the edge and began to glide down through the trees. Back on the flat, the Elf woman stared at the strange man that was previously passed out drunk in her home. Shuddering, she walked slowly to the edge to make sure that the God-ling was truly gone. Sighing with relief as she spotted the figure moving slowly through the trees, she slowly walked back to her hut. Hopefully the Matriarch will take care of him. We cannot sustain any more of his antics…

____________________________________________________________________

Jake flared his wings, touching down on a flat without hurting himself too badly. Sighing, he dispelled the magic surrounding him, his wings disbursing into black smoke that twisted away into the dark. He glanced around the flat, and noticed three figures situated around a bonfire. He recognized the silver pelt of Mizutsune dancing in the firelight, as well as the large wings that seemed to erupt from the back of one of the other figures.

He slowly walked over to the figures, and sat in front of the fire next to them. “Hey.”

Serena didn’t glance up from the flames, her brown eyes glistening in the light. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Felicia glared daggers at Jake, but remained silent.

Jake glanced at Mizutsune, who was curled up next to the fire. Mizutsune blinked his eyes, and Jake felt the fox’s mind pressing against his own. “I told them everything, Master, including that you are from another world. I did not mention what the All-Mother’s plans are for us, though.” Jake grunted quietly in affirmation. He stared into the flames, thinking of what he wanted to say.

“I don’t know.” Jake spoke quietly, barely above a whisper. The fire’s hungering flames reflected in his hazel eyes. “Fear, probably.” He glanced up at the two Beast-Kin, and then glanced back down at their stares. “Mizu told you that I’m not from here, right?” He saw Serena nod out of the corner of his eye.

Jake sighed, scratching the back of his head. “I don’t want to talk about where I came from. It’s… not that exciting, and I hated almost everything about it.” Jake chuckled self-depreciatingly. “It was mostly me, now that I think about it. Something happened that… broke me, for lack of a better word. I became jaded and hateful, destroying the few relationships that I was able to make.” Jake broke off, the crackling of the flames the only sound in the woods, in the entire world.

Serena blinked, her pupils expanding and contracting within her brown eyes. “What happened?” Jake remained silent for a time, lost in his memories. When he spoke, his voice was distant.

“When I was young, I fell in love.” Jake’s eyes were vacant, peering far into the past. “I wasn’t any older than thirteen, maybe fourteen years old. And like all kids, I thought I was immortal. That nothing could go wrong, and that I was smarter and better prepared than anyone else.” He snorted. “I was wrong. The girl I fell in love with was messed up in the head. Psychotic, really. My friends tried to tell me about her, but I wouldn’t listen. I really should have, and I continued on with the relationship. Then, one of my closest friends, who I grew up with, died.”

Jake took a shuddering breath. His eyes misted up with tears, and he blinked rapidly in an attempt to hide them. “They said that it was an accident, that she died quick. Something broke inside of me, and I started making mistake after mistake. I started smoking, drinking, taking drugs, anything that I could think of to fix the hole in my life that she left.”

“The girl I was with was always around me, then. Asking if I was alright, if I wanted a shoulder to cry on. She said that she would always be there for me, and that she loved me even more than herself. I turned my back on her, and walked away.”

“Then, one night, that psychotic bitch came at me with a knife. She said that she caused the accident, and that no one would love me more than her. She said that we should be together, and if I didn’t want her in this life, then we could be together in the next one.”

Jake pulled down his tunic, revealing a long white scar that traced from the end of his left collarbone down to his chest. “She went for my throat, and if I didn’t flinch away, she would have killed me. We fought, and it ended with me burying the knife in her eye.” He let go of his tunic, hiding the scar from view.

“It took me years to be able to trust anyone again. Even now, I still don’t like being close to people.” Jake shrugged his shoulders, refusing to meet their eyes. “I’m really not good with this emotional stuff, so I would really appreciate it if we didn’t dwell on it too long.” Clearing his throat, he met Serena’s tear filled eyes. “How are the trade talks going?”

The Owl-Kin sniffed, and daintily wiped a few tears away with her hand. Clearing her throat as well, she spoke in her quiet voice. “As far as I can tell, they’re going good. We’ve gotten past the formalities and have gotten into the bargaining portion. Although, for some reason the Elder wanted to know more about you than what we were offering. He asked us a few questions, and then left, saying that we would meet later.”

Felicia covertly wiped a tear away, and cleared her throat as well. “I believe that it has to do with you being a God-ling.” The Fox-Kin nodded at Mizutsune’s sleeping form, who had promptly fallen asleep as soon as Jake had begun his monologue. “The Mystic Beast explained much, such as your abilities and your ties with the All-Mother. The Elder raised a good point, however. Why have you been sent to this world? The gods never do something as momentous as creating a champion without a good reason.”

Jake, still somewhat emotionally drained from his speech, shrugged. “She does have a plan for me, but has forbidden me from talking about it.” Hey, Giggles, can you forbid your champions from talking about their quest?

Felicia nodded in acceptance, her face being obscured by a message from the loli-goddess.

Oh, so now you want to talk? Fine, all I wanted to do was congratulate you on getting the girl. But yeah, it’s pretty much a big no-no for champions to talk about what their patron god/goddess wants them to do. I’ve been letting you slide so far, mostly because I don’t care, but for the other gods you would probably be killed for talking about their secret plans out loud.

Got it, thanks.

So, you going to bang?

Jake waved away the message, not giving it a reply. “So, what’s the plan now?”

Serena looked to Felicia, and then back to Jake. “We wait until the Elder comes to speak with us. Then we can continue our work. Do you… want to help?” She smiled shyly at Jake, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Jake stared at the girl, slowly shaking his head. “Sorry, I’m not good with politics. It makes my skin itch.” Laying down next to the fire, he sighed. “I’m probably going to take a nap. This hangover is not wanting to go away.” And with that, he promptly fell asleep.