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The Shadow Forest was a malevolent place, trenched with dark spirits and even darker essence. Even after clearing out the ghosts and spirits there was still a heavy and stagnant air about it. Maybe it was Rena’s spirit-sensitive elven body reacting to the dark aura around her, but she couldn’t help but feel like she was choking on the air. Still, she wanted to explore this place more, figure out what might have caused all this malevolence perhaps, and maybe help the people of Elder try to purify this place. It was just too hard to walk away from here without at least trying to do a little good.
And so, Rena found herself walking along the forest trail alone. Elsword and Aisha had headed back to report back to the village, leaving Rena to her thoughts as she wandered the dark forest. It’s… so different from back home. To call the place tainted felt more like an insult. There was dark energy here, but it was… ambient. A sort of calmness to the malevolence, almost similar to the El. The bark and flora were dark and hallowed, drained of color but not of life. The animals seemed more instinctual than others, jumpier to other humans and humanoids, but still lived in relative normalcy with the forest around them. And while the ghosts and dryads were hostile to humans, they seemed docile when left alone, content in their unbothered ecosystem. A contrast to Ruben Forest’s lush greenery and quiet tranquility, but not too different from general nature. An odd feeling all things considered. “Hmm…” Rena laid a hand on a tree, feeling out the bark. For all the darkness and shadow, for all the eerie atmosphere, this place felt just a little at peace.
Rena couldn’t help but giggle. Maybe all that talk about darkness not exactly being evil was worth something after all. A few mischievous spirits aside weren’t going to ruin the feelin-
“Huh?” Rena’s ears twitched. She heard a branch snap, and it wasn’t a simple animal or spirit. It was too heavy a step. Rena had sensed a lot of dark energy within it, but now there was an actual presence in the forest aside from the spirits and creatures. She wasn’t the only one in the Shadow Forest, and it wasn’t Elsword or Aisha that approached either.
Rena gripped her bow, listening carefully to the trees and leaves. Save for that one snapped branch, the forest was quiet. All movement was only that of the animals and dryads around her. Whatever presence was around had hidden itself, as if realizing they were found out.
Then, an arrow flew by.
Rena jumped back, the arrow narrowly missing her head as she hopped up toward the nearest branch within the trees that could support her weight, drawing her bow back and scanning the canopy. She glanced down, noting the dark pinkish arrow. Dark El energy from dark spirits. Something only a skilled mage or fellow elf could do. Could it really-
Another volley cut her thoughts short and she immediately hopped to another tree branch, eyes glancing at the source of the trajectory. She saw purple eyes flashing in the leaves, and Rena’s jaw nearly dropped at the sight.
A dark elf.
Rena immediately drew her bow; an arrow aimed the dark elf’s way.
“[Who are you?]” Rena switched to Elven Tongue. On the off chance Elsword and the Aisha were still around it’d be best not to drag them into this.
The dark elf paused, seemingly surprised by Rena’s words.
“[A hunter.]” She replied. “[And you’re my prey.]” Another arrow flew as she finished her sentence, Rena’s own arrow firing and canceling both out.
Rena could hear the dark elf click her tongue as she looked around for the woman.
This was bad. Dark elves were supposed to live within the Demon Realm, tending to the Dark El as Rena’s people tended to the El in Elrios. Guardians of their respective domains. Dark elves are also warlike and hostile by nature, often distrusting outsiders and responding in violence, especially to their counterpart elven kin. But… what was a dark elf doing here in Elrios?
“Guh!”
A sharp kick from behind shattered Rena’s thoughts as she fell to the ground with little grace or cushion. And before she could even push herself up she felt the dark elf’s foot press down hard on her sore spine.
“Hah! [I guess all you elves are just airheaded weaklings after all!]” She gloated, pressing her foot down harder as Rena groaned from the strain.
“[You-!]” Rena kicked at the dark elf’s ankle and sent her down and immediately rising to her feet as she drew an arrow pointed at her sudden opponent, just as the dark elf did the same. The two met eyes, staring each other down. An arrow of mana and spirits had power, more than enough to blow away boulders and heavy debris if charged. But simple arrows like the ones they had conjured could only bruise the body and at worse could a cut or two. At least Rena’s. It was something she always took into account when fighting humans. Enough damage to harm, but not kill. But… was this dark elf the same?
“[Can’t do it?]” The dark elf asked. “[I know what weak mana feels like, elf. Yours reeks of it.]”
“[I can’t question you if I kill you.]” She spat out, earning a chuckle from the dark elf.
“[Question me?]” She mused. “[I’m a dark elf, you’re an elf. What’s there to question?]”
Rena gritted her teeth, pulling the string of her arrow back further. “[Don’t patronize me, dark elf.]” She warned, a second and third arrow forming between her fingers. “[I won’t hesitate if you push me further.]”
The dark elf frowned, baring her teeth. But just as she was about to open her mouth to retort Rena let loose her bow. An arrow shot right into the dark elf’s open mouth, the mana bursting inside and turning what would have been a sharp retort into a strangled scream as the dark elf, rolled to the side, clutching her mouth. An honestly ugly sight that Rena couldn’t help but smirk a little at. After all that talk about possibly killing and having the nerve to take a life, seeing this dark elf writhe a little was a warm comfort. “[Weakling,]” Rena scolded.
“[Damn arrogant elf!!]” The dark elf shrieked, scrambling to her knees. “[I’ll kill you!]” Just as she pulled her bowstring back Rena moved, swiftly slamming her leg into the dark elf’s hand and knocking the bow from her hand. “[Dammit!]”
Rena moved to fire off a quick volley to finish things, but the dark elf retaliated fast, her feet focused on Rena’s fingers with a surge of mana. “Grah!” Rena staggered to the side, a small line of blood dotting the pale purple grass under them. Rena glanced at her hand, her knuckles having a sharp cut through them. She immediately knew the damage. This dark elf could communicate with spirits as well, using her own mana to form her kick into a small wind blade that cut a few of Rena’s ligaments. It’d take a while to heal, but the bow was useless now. “Tch-” Rena’s eyes narrowed. Neither could use their weapon, but neither were defenseless.
Instantly, the two’s legs met, kicks collided with kicks now.
Elven archers were known just as well for their martial prowess as they were their archery, especially within elven circles. It seemed this dark elf didn’t skip out on her training either.
“[Die!]” The dark elf fired off quick and cutting roundhouses, each one accompanied by dark spirits turning the air from her arc to a sharpened blade. And each strike just narrowly missing Rena by a thread, grazing her cheek and nose, even snipping a bit of her hair as Rena’s leg shot out toward the dark elf’s shins.
Fast, sharp, painful kicks landed hard against the dark elf’s off leg, each one focused at her shin and ankle as her already dark skin turned black with the bruises. It was a slow process, but each blow whittled this dark elf down, every kick to the leg made the dark elf wince and stagger back, and the dark elf responded with more wild and stronger strikes, a few that peppered Rena’s face.
“A-Aaah…” The dark elf was finally showing signs of true fatigue, her bruised legs now buckling from the pain. Even the spirits guiding her strikes were starting to run dry.
“[As I said, you’re a weakling.]” Rena stated, wiping her face, wincing at the new bruises that had formed. “[Worse still, you marred my face.]” She said with a sigh. “[Is it dark elf culture to damage a lady’s most prized and sacred area? I had the courtesy to only strike your legs and waist.]”
“[Silence! Arrogant elf! Be happy I didn’t target your oversized chest of yo- Gaaah!]” The dark elf was immediately cut off with a kick to the stomach, falling flat on her back.
Rena quickly covered her chest, readjusting her scuffed outfit to support and hide her breasts a bit better. “[Like yours are any better!]” She retorted, face red. “[I don’t want to hear that from a dark elf in racy clothing!]” She pointed at the woman, noting her revealing outfit. Rena might be wearing an outfit that showed off her shoulders and legs, but this dark elf was practically in a ripped bodysuit. Thin, light armor around her sides with an opening to clearly show off equally generous breasts and naval while just barely hiding the more vital portions underneath. Coupled with the anklet and lack of footwear this dark elf was no better than a nightly temptress of the evening. Like she had a right to comment on Rena’s body.
“[This is traditional dark elf attire you ignorant elf!]” The woman shot back. “[I don’t need some backwater elf from some no-name forest insulting my people’s culture!]” She rushed forward, swinging her leg in another wild kick, but Rena could see it coming easily and reacted fast.
“Yah!” Rena’s movements were quick and precise, spinning out of the way to dodge the wild kick and using the momentum to slam her foot hard against the dark elf’s shin, earning a sickening crack as the woman screamed and clutched her leg. Rena exhaled, quick shooting her foot into the dark elf’s face and knocking her down. Sorry. Rena apologized, if only mentally. I didn’t want to strike your face, bu- Just as she was about to move in for the knockout kick her thoughts were shattered.
“Aaaah-!”
Pain. A sharp, agonizing pain was sent right to her leg.
Rena looked down, seeing a knife dug into her thigh, The dark elf still had a trick or two. Kicks and martial arts training was a common practice among elven kind. Knife work… was a dark elf tradition if she remembered the old stories. She gritted her teeth. I let my guard down. But before she could say another word the dark elf pulled a strange orb from her belt, throwing it on the ground and summoning a large mist of smoke that had Rena blinded and coughing from the sudden air density.
“Ah- [Dammit!]” Rena dropped to one knee, her eyes locked onto the knife in her leg. It wasn’t poisoned thankfully, but… pulling it out would be a risking move.
“Rena!”
Rena’s ears perked up hearing Elsword’s voice. Thank goodness. She had been gone for much longer than she thought, and the sounds of battle must have drawn him and Aisha here. She glanced over to where she last saw the dark elf, unsurprised by her absence. She got away. But before she relaxed her guard, before Elsword and Aisha finally came into view, she heard a small whisper in the leaves.
“[We’ll kill each other again…]”