ELFORIA

Sealing the Portals II

It's been a few hours since Eloise started exploring the entire forest. She already destroyed more than a dozen of portals, and she also came across different types of monsters. From earth based creatures like shadow stalkers (panther-like creatures that could blend into darkness), Goremores (Giant, hyena-like beasts), and Kraelion (a towering, humanoid creature with a skin like dark marble), to winged monsters like nightshrieks (bat-like creatures with ear-piercing screams), and Darkwing Harpies (Half-bird, half-human who feeds on souls and evokes fear).

Eloise has already released strings made up of darkness and light spreading all throughout the forest to help her locate the whereabouts of the portals.

"This is tiring." she released a sigh and sat down on a corpse of a stone golemn while waiting for the strings to locate another portal.

Stomach rumbles..

"I'm hungry." she looked around, looking for something to eat. Then her eyes landed on the corpse of an aviporcus, her face immediately contorted in disgust.

(AVIPORCUS: An ugly and very hideous monster who looks like a hybrid of pig and bird. It releases a disgusting stench and a green poisonous saliva is constantly dripping out of its mouth.)

"Ugh... I don't think I can eat any meat for a while." Why are these monsters so friggin' disgusting?

Then, remembering that she actually brought her spacial pouch with her, Eloise face suddenly lit up into a smile.

She reached out for it and was about to take out some food, "Nope. I better leave this place first." there it is again, the disgusted expression on her face.

She then walked away.

When the only thing she could see are the fog and trees, that's when she grabbed some foods inside the pouch.

'Yum. This is what life should be.'

She savored each bite as she was humming while walking deep within the forest. It was at that moment when...

*whoosh!*

Hundreds of arrows approached her rapidly.

"What the--?" using her light magic, she casted a barrier that surrounded her body.

'Whare the hell are these arrows coming from?'

Then, series of steps echoed approaching her direction, and different voices could be heard.

What?! There are citizens living in here?!

"I'll be doomed if I covered the whole forest with that life-sucking fog." That damn emperor would have cut my pay if he found out that I accidentally killed a whole bunch of his people.

Eloise immediately withdrew the light barrier surrounding her before the ones approaching her finally arrived.

"Est alienus!"

( English translation: "It's an outsider!" )

"Icere eam! Occide eam statim!"

( English translation: "Shoot her! Shoot her this instant!" )

"Principi village nuntiate! Extraneos fines Vermillionis gentis transgressus est!"

( English translation: "Inform the village chief that an outsider tresspassed the Vermillion Tribe territory!" )

Dozens of people emerged from the shadows. Their skin are covered with ink, their identical tattoos almost seemed like clothes. The sensitive parts of their body are covered only by tattered piece of clothing, and their necks and wrists are adorned with accessories made out of wood and stones.

Some of them carry spears, but most are archers. Surely these people are the one who shot me.

"Quis es tu?Quid in territorio nostro agis?" a huge man with towering figure who's carrying a long metal spear spoke out loud.

( English translation: "Who are you?! What are you doing in our territory?!" )

'The heck is he saying?'

"Pinagsasabi mo?!" Eloise shouted back using a language she learned when she stayed at Gaia for a short period of time back then.

"Quid?!"

( English translation: "What?!" )

"Quid dicis, extraneus?!"

( English translation: "What are you saying, outsider?!" )

She remained quiet.

"Omnes, dirigite!"

( English translation: "Everyone, aim!" )

"Seriously? Should I just kill the all?" Eloise murmurs, scratching her eyebrows in annoyance.

These people suddenly came while she's in the middle of her dinner, then shot arrows at her! Then, they kept on shouting at her using a language she can't even understand! And now the are friggin' aiming their spears and arrows at her!

"Remember that you must not harm any citizen of the empire on your journey." the emperor's voice echoed in her head.

'I don't really have to follow him, though? I'm clearly powerful than him.'

"You must always stay true to your words, sister..." this time, she heard a mellow voice of a little girl.

'Not again...'

***

'What the heck am I doing here?'

She looked around the cave she's currently imprisoned in. Thick, rugged roots serve as its prison bars.

Instead of resisting, she came with those strange people earlier and they brought her in this strange village.

Eloise watched as people passed by.

'But... I've been wondering.'

She looked everywhere; from the children to the old, men and women. And they all have one thing in common.

'Why are they all bald? Is that a trend or something?' Seriously, she's genuinely curious.

Anyway, a few minutes have passed and another bald man approached the bald guard who's keeping an eye on her cell.

"Princeps te requirit."

( English translation: "The chief is calling for you. )

"Nunc?"

( English translation: "Right now?" )

"Sumam manus."

( English translation: "I'll take over." )

Eloise sighed. She's just waiting for nightfall to come, then she'll escape. Unfortunately, she can't use teleportation inside this forest.

'I'll just turn my body into dark smoke then...'

Anyway, "Hey! Aren't you gonna feed me?!" I'm hungry. The food inside my spacial pouch have also ran out.

"Quid?! Tace, scelestus!"

( English translation: "What?! Quiet criminal!" )

'Ugh. What on Elforian language is that?! '