The Stories of Elves (For Constant Concern)

[Sassy_World900]

Night has fallen and everything was coated in the shadows of the starry sky. People had returned to their homes for the evening to have supper and head to bed. To be well rested for the next day. This village was home to a race know as elves. Which were well respected with the neighboring races. Well know for being skillful and smart in most fields. In the center of their village was the library. Holding books of all kinds from fairy tales for the young and advance potion recipes for people who like a challenge. There are rumors that deep within the building there is a room that only the keeper and high ranking elves is a room where they hold some of the most valuable, most taboo of tomes. That int he wrong hands can spell disaster not to their own kind, but to the world.

Yet this did not stop the race of elves from the west. History states that they were part of this race of elves many, many eons ago, but something known as "The time of the Accursed" happened and caused the race to split into two. Over time much of the history was forgotten but all that is mostly remember was a power hungry elf that almost destroy the world and his people paid the price. For it was easy to tell them apart do to the skin color and manners. Elves tot he west were most closed off from the world, thinking they are the supreme race and starve for power.

Hiding int he shadows of the night was a young elfling from the west. Which was rare to see one outside of their village. He had a dark hooded cloak over his body which also hid his face. When the coast is clear, he picks the lock from the back door and gets in quietly and quickly. He was here on a mission from a high ranking elf in his home land. A chance to prove himself that he was more then his kind believe he is.

He makes his way down a hall tot he right of the back door and had a few doors. Trying to figure out which was lead to the stairs to the room he needs.

[Darne]

As most inhabited locations had their own customs, guidelines, residency, and secrets. The village in the North was no different. The number of the population was relatively small compared to their neighboring villages but the community was protective of its people. The elves have suffered a great loss of their people in the past. They look at strangers with suspicion but if the stranger proves himself to be trustworthy the villagers will welcome them with open arms.

It wasn't uncommon to have elves on guard scouting around the village at all times. Some groups during the day and some at night. Tonight was no exception. The cloaked figure was spotted by one of the scouts who was taking a rest and monitoring the moonlighted area from a tree branch. The figure had stalled, watching the other silhouette entering the village. He was in disbelief that after so long someone did come. Perhaps the bewilderment which made him stall was for the better since it gave the scout some distance between him and his target when he fallowed.

The elf considered an ambush since he knew the layout of the library too well but he decided against it. He knew that the intruder would not find anything of great value, it was all a mere distraction from the original hidden place of the tomes. No more than an intruder. Therefore the scout followed the trail of the cloaked figure through the front door which was unlocked. The tip of his ears twitched mildly as the elf listened very intensely for silent footsteps and soon he found himself turning the corner and facing the unwelcomed silhouette.

With his arrow pointed at the intruder as he loudly confronted him.
"Reveal yourself! You have no business here.", the voice sounded firm and a bit husky from the nights' wind.

[Sassy_World900]

Hearing a new comer's voice. He turned to face them and under his hood his eyes widen. He could not believe that he was caught so quickly. Shiftily, he pulls out some throwing knives from his side and quickly throws them at him. They were made from an unusual metal that can only be found in his homeland. Even in the dim lights of the building anyone can see they were a light lilac color. It gets that color when heated to the right temperature and cool quickly.

With a flick of the wrist he send three of them flying towards the guard. They quickly flew at him faster then your normal throwing knives. You think he would aim for the bow, but he actually aimed towards the hands. Hoping they would make contact and make him drop his weapon. With that he could move in and use another knife to slash his throat. Hoping that he would have enough time to find the tome and get out before fellow guards would find out.

[Darne]

The blades of the throwing knives glinted for a split moment from the light of the blue moon illuminating the space they were in since there was a large window at the end of the hallway. The elf knew he had to act fast. Aiming to shoot his bow when being taken by surprise would only damage his chances of precisely hitting his target. He could not risk it, therefore he dodged the blades by shielding himself behind a large bookshelf. Unfortunately, one of the lilac knives made contact with the elf's shoulder making him hiss at the pain. He wanted to grab the wounded area as a reflex but stopped himself from releasing his hold on his bow and arrow, simply enduring it and ignoring any bleeding whether it was mild or severe.

The scouting elf took a moment to reflect on the situation so he could make the best decision. It's been so long since anyone attempted to break into their library...did that mean his skills had gotten rusty? Or was he still struggling against his own nature as not to allow his instincts to take control? He did not want to kill the intruder. He shouldn't. He would only be frowned upon for taking a life of someone whose motives were never clear.

There was no time to waste, he heard footsteps charging towards him. He had to disarm the intruder without causing permanent damage. The elf dashed out from his cover and quickly shot his arrow at the intruder but he did not aim for a body part. The target was the cloak. The arrow pierced through the fabric and went into the wooden floor. With the other's movements briefly limited the scout was given an opportunity with enough time to charge at the intruder and tackle him down on the ground with full force.

It would have been wiser to tackle his opponent from the back but that's not what happened. The scout wanted to see the intruder's face after pinning down the other's hands above his head, hearing another weapon dropping from the other's grasp. The elf kept his body weight on the other to make him stay down just long enough to subdue him. Yet something felt a bit off. He noticed that the wrists he was holding seemed much slimmer than his own and the body beneath him seemed smaller compared to his own.

Suddenly the elf brashly tugged the hood from the other's head to see if his suspicions would be confirmed. His crimson eyes which glistered against the moonlight were met with purple ones as they widened in astonishment. The intruder was no more than a child in his eyes! No more than a young teenage elfling. He recognized the darker skin as well. He could not fathom why but he immediately felt a strange sense of pity. He could not understand why would such a young one would sneak into their village or who would have motives to send a child on its own where he could be killed for such things in other villages.

Once again the elf found himself doubting his actions and understanding of the situation but quickly came back to his senses, knowing that this elfling was skilled enough to be a threat so he had to be subdued. The scout swiftly took out a small vessel with clear liquid from his pocket and popped off the cork with his semi pointy nails while maintaining eye contact and holding the other's wrists tightly.

"I'm sorry...but I must.", the elf silently muttered under his breath as he forced the translucent liquid into the other's mouth then dropping the small bottle and covering the elfling's mouth so the liquid would not be spat out. He untiled till the other swallowed the numbing potion and waited half of a minute before it took effect. He felt the elfings hands become limp. The potion would make the threatening creature's body become numb and limp for approximately six hours unless an antidote was administered sooner.

The crimson-eyed elf got off the smaller body slowly and gathered his thoughts, looking around to recollect what had just happened before he felt a jolting pain in his shoulder again. He had to go home to mend himself and it would be wise to bring the elfling along with him so he could get a second opinion back at home as to what to do about the situation. After gathering the weapons from the ground and taking them now as his own, the elf pulled out his arrow from the floor with some effort then finally returned to the elfling and lifted the younger one into his arms, once again allowing a pained hiss escape his lips before heading home.

[Sassy_World900]

He heard the hiss and knew that one of his throwing knives made contact with the guard. Which was good or so he thinks. As he was charging to his position, he sees him drawing his bow, but continued on with attacking him. Normally people would either flinch or back away but he doesn't. It was like he did not care if his life was in danger or not. He then feels a rough tug from his cock and could not move. From the corner of his eye he could see that he was pinned down by the arrow he swear was going to hit him. He grunts as he struggles be be set free. Trying to either get the bow off or rip the cloak free, but sadly could not as the other apporched him and pinned his hands to his head. Causing him to drop the knife in his hand and dropped to his side.

As he pulls back the hood of his cloak his deep purple eyes with cut like markings over each eye looks up at the person who had bested him. He glares coldly at him and was panting hard and fast from the adrenaline pumping through his body. When he saw the look in his eyes, he was not all that surprise by it for he had seen it many times. As much as he hates it, he is used to it. For that is one of the two looks he is ever given in his life or so he believes.

In the moonlight he sees him pull out a vile from his pocket. He starts to trash around for he did not want to find out what's in it. Knowing his luck, it was not good. He has been poisoned many times in his life and knows how it feel to be close to going tot he after life. Yet he never does. Still it's an awful feeling and does not want to feel it again. Hearing he must do it, caused him to buck around wildly, trying to kick him away from him. Yet his attempts fail and the liquid entered his body. He tries to spit it out but his mouth was forced shut and was forced to swallow.

It did not take long for the effects to kick in and he became nothing more then a giant rag doll for the guard to do anything he wants to him. Which could be anything. He could not move an inch of his body. His head was racing with many thoughts. He had failed his mission and will now face the price for his crimes. Though he does not know much about their culture, he can only go by his own and it was not pretty.

As the guard picks him up. He can easily feel that the dark skin elf was far to light for someone his height and age. Even though they were different, the anatomy was still the same so even going by an elf from his race, he was still to light. Then again meals did not come so easy for the the young elfling. He just eats whatever he could get his hands on and even then it was more like table scraps or something that would pass a snack. Though he figured he wouldn't have to worry about that for much longer. At least from the hissing he heard he got a hit on him. Still he wished things ended better for him. Closing his eyes he pictures what was going to happen to him. Being chained to a wall in a dark small room being flogged and starved til his body could take no more. A single tear rolls down his eye and tells himself that he is to accept his fate.

[Darne]

The unfamiliar elf would grit his teeth every now and then as his shoulder stung much worse when carrying another elf in his arms yet he simply knew that it had to be endured. He felt that the fabric of his sleeve was damp from his blood. It was fortunate that the elf's home was fairly close to the central library, the walk had been brief in real time though it felt much slower for the older elf with all the thoughts that were running through his head. He had no imagination for where the younger one could have come for. Most likely the tomes and relics, he was sure of it but he could not imagine why would anyone send one member instead of a group. Time from time he'd glance down at the figure held in his arms. It was too dark to see much. Let alone make out any clear expressions.

Before long they had arrived at a small cottage. Upon entering the home the elf stood still and looked around for a fitting place to put down the elfling so he could at least light up the place. Soon enough footsteps could be heard from the second floor before a second elf descended down the stairs, carrying a candlestick in hand. The light from the candle illuminated the room with a warm yellowish hue. The interior was modest but of a cozy dwelling. The elf himself also had crimson eyes and raven black hair that nearly touched his shoulders along with a small braided section in the front. His brows furrowed as he quickly made an observation.

"You're wounded.", the elf said in a low tone which might have sounded cold and unconcerned to those who did not know him. The elf's eyes soon focussed back on the elfling that his brother was holding. Putting some pieces together he had a good guess as to what went down yet he still asked firmly.

"What's this?" It was right for him to come downstairs after being awoken by the front door shutting. He knew his younger brother should not return before sunrise and hearing someone return caused suspicion. The other elf gave his sibling an exhausted small smile before moving to finally sit the limp boy on a couch. "He had snuck into the library", a short pause followed before he added almost hesitantly. "There was little to no damage done.", the elf's voice sounded much softer in comparison.

The other scowled. "To the library or yourself?!", his tone was now raised. "I wear glasses but I am not blind! I see he's not moving so leave him be. We'll deal with that later...Undress, I'll look at your injuries." , the older elf's tone of voice went softer at the end of his sentence yet it was clear that his personality was firm with emotions that were hard to read. The other elf did not object. He followed the other to the other corner of the room and winced as he pulled off his top garments, letting loose a low ponytail of raven black hair identical to the other's which had been tugged into his clothing.

After some time silent exchange of words could be heard from the two as the older one was applying natural medicine to the cut and wrapping it up as well as instructing the other to see the villages' herbalist for some ingredients for a special healing potion which would help him heal the wound much faster than by allowing it to recover naturally. The scout who was by now known as Seto from the sound of it.

There had been a long debate between the two about what should be done with the elfling. "Sai, if we tell them what happened they will want him...", the elf was cut off by the other quickly. "That is not our decision to make! You know that the village decides as a whole and he is capable of causing harm. You are not to trust him.", he instructed coldly.

"We do not know anything about him.", the younger one argued as he tested the flexibility of his arm with bandages wrapped around from his torso to his elbow for a secure wrap for his shoulder.

"Then get him to talk!", Sai said with resentment in his voice. The other thought for a moment before silently standing from his stool and walking to the boy and kneeling down in front of him. Sai was left aside to inspect the knives that the elfling had used to attack his brother. Seto, on the other hand, was observing the boy for a while before speaking up calmly.

"I know it might be hard for you to talk right now but I know you are able to so...I would like you to explain yourself to me." What he said was true, the potion makes one numb and motionless but with some effort one could still speak.

[Sassy_World900]

When he felt movement come to a halt. He slowly opened his eyes and sees that they arrived what looked like a normal home. Either it was or their building design for official building were mild. Places like guard HQ or holding chambers were built on a high skill then this. As they entered it was hard to see the inside very well. Did the guard really brought him to his personal home? Thinking that this guy was going to do something off the books to him. It's not like that never happened to him before. Though back home they usually do what they want to him with an inch of his life before throwing him out. He was sure he was not going to to get the same mercy as that.

Just then he heard another voice. It was soft, but he could still manage to hear him, but his voice sounds so cold, it send a chill down his spine. He is sued to that tone, but knew it was a sign of bad things to come If his body was limp right now, he would be trembling but never admit it. He felt movement once more but did not last long as he was suddenly place onto a couch and was looking right up at the ceiling since he couldn't move. All he could do was listen to the two elves as the guard told thew other what had happened.

He heard the voice raised as he sound annoyed that the other got hurt while protecting the library. That they were going to deal with him later, which always so much sooner to him. He closed his eyes once more and tries to picture himself in a life that was different then now. Maybe he could have a few happy thoughts before it starts.

While Seto went to talk to the young elfling. Sai can see the lilac in a much better light. It's finely well made, top notch craftsmanship. It could do some seriously damage in the right hands. At the right speed and angle, it can cut through anything. Though in the hands of the dark skin elf, it can still do damage, just not as much. Yet what might catch his eye the most is that on the thick part of the knife it had a crest etched on it. For it belong to the royal family of the other elf race. Meaning he was working for high class people.

On the couch, the young elf hears footsteps approaching him. He still had his eyes closed so he did not noticed him looking at him. He could see that the clothes were loose and baggy on him. That it was clear he hadn't had a decent meal in a long time. He will also see there were scars poking out from the clothes he was wearing. It was surprising to see it on such a young lad for the many that he could see, it was something you see on a warrior who's been on a battlefield.

A soft groan comes from him as he tries to speak. Opening his eyes and looks up at the guard in the light and takes a deep breath. "Wh-Why bother?" he asked. "Y-You're just going to end m-me no-no matter wha-what." he said. "I-I hate when you gu-guys talk forever in a day. Ju-Just get the beating over with." he stutters for it was taking a lot to speak. "What ar-are you going to-to do? Wh-Whip? Fl-Flog? Sh-shoot me wi-th your arrows? Th-That be a new one. Then a-again you-you have me at your mer-mercy from that po-potion. You can do whatever you wa-want."

[Darne]

Both of Seto's eyes widened from what he heard. He thought that if he remained calm and civil the other would be more likely to respond in a similar fashion but he did not expect such words to leave such a young elfling's mouth. Had the purple-eyed elfling truly gone through something similar to make such presumptions? Or was it all an act? Seto's mind raced as he wondered how he should even respond do that. Yet he had a feeling that the younger one wasn't being dishonest. Seto could not help but feel pity for him again.

Sai, on the other hand, had quietly observed the weapon and placed it in his satchel in order to bring it to the library and look up more information about the symbols on it. The elf did know some basic knowledge regarding the markings yet he saw no need to voice his concerns. Instead, he wanted to see just how truthful the newcomer would be.

When he got up and turned to see how his brother's brief interrogation was progressing he was met with the silent pause and got annoyed fairly easily. Seto's ears picked up on the harsh scratch on the wooden floor from his sibling pushing the chair behind roughly him as he stood up. The younger one could tell from that much that Sai was irritated and only glanced his way, knowing something would be said soon. And considering that he was at a loss for words he wouldn't mind for the other to step in despite his uncompassionate nature.

Yet, the taller figure made it's way to a desk which had various books scattered on the surface of it along with other unfamiliar clutter and opened one of the desk's drawers without saying a single word just yet. He returned to the two with a small bottle which held a translucent yellow liquid inside. The bottle was coarsely extended for Seto to take.

"There is no point in listening to his blabbering.", Sai stated in the same cold manner as he spoke in before. Standing with his legs sturdily on the ground with his heels parted and his hands firmly crossed against his chest. The way he carried himself, how he spoke and what energy he was carrying was an indication of confidence and strong will. A sign that he was usually the one to call the shots and he made sure that the unwelcomed one knew it.

"I hope you were not foolish enough to leave weapons on him.", Sai made a warning statement before adding; "If he knows what risks he took then he should also know not to try anything he would regret. I will not be playing these games as you are playing with a deviant like him."

"That's enough, Sai.", his brother calmly responded after restraining himself from frowning. He agreed with his brother, however. There was a handful of reasons as to why they shouldn't give the elfling the antidote just yet but it was clear that both of them agreed on it even if it was for different reasons.

Seto was surprisingly gentle with his touch, lifting the other's head straight before helping him to drink the liquid from the bottle. They were taking their chances at more trouble but it would feel wrong to have a long conversation with a teenage elfling who barely had the muscle strength to speak properly. Seto remained crouched in front of the lad and waited for the antitoxin to take effect. Despite his brother's opposing presence he once again composed. "You must understand...despite what happened back there we need to understand where you're from and what was your reason for coming here." Seto spoke surprisingly calmly and patiently, later on adding "What's your name?"

[Sassy_World900]

He was a little confused to the look of his captor's eyes. Was what he really said all that shocking? It was stuff he was used to, what makes them any different from his own kind? He hears more footsteps and figures it was the other elf coming back into the room. Though he did not say anything, he could tell by the steps that he was annoyed. Though wither he was annoyed with him or the other elf he wasn't sure. Just with his luck he was going to guess himself. Though maybe he didn't like how slow the other one was being with torturing him. That fact he didn't started yet was a little alarming for him. Usually it would of started by now.

Then he noticed the small bottle in his hand and figured they were going to poison him. Maybe they will have mercy on him and it will just make him fall asleep forever and there will be no pain or misery. Mentioning weapons on him he does one more trick up his sleeve, but he can;t use it just yet, not with them looking at him and not being able to move. Still he spoke no word of it since it was hard to talk. It felt like he didn't have anything to drink in a long time. Though he was surprise to hear the guard tell the other one to stop talking. Was he...defending him?

As Seto reaches out for him. He closed his eyes as tightly as he could. Ready to be strike by him at any moment. It was surely coming, but it didn't. In fact the way he was handling him was really, gentle. This confused the dark skin elf very much. He lifts his head carefully, slowly opening one of his eyes to see the bottle close by. He felt the liquid go down his throat and was waiting for it to end him, but again, it didn't. In fact his body was slowly starting to feel like he can feel it once more. He looks down at his fingers and tries to move them. As they moved his eyes widen with shock. He just gave him the antidote. Why? This made no sense to him at all.

They tell him they must know as to why he was here and who send him. They also asked for his name. "I-I'm Tyrian." he softly stutters, but it was the same stutter from before. This stutter was more out of shock then struggling to talk. "I-I was send here. To find a tome, locked away in the archives of your library. I come from the west, Izunia." he tells them. Naming the capital of his race's kingdom.

[Darne]

Seto nodded his head in acknowledgment, understanding that if the information was true that it wouldn't have been easy for him to say. He was pleased that the elfling was talking, however. More so about the fact that he could show to his brother that giving others the benefit of the doubt could be beneficial. The two had to grow into adulthood by themselves so it was important for them to switch the roles of student and teacher from time to time so one could learn something from the other, otherwise, there would be no improvement in their development as individuals.

Sai, however, wasn't too enthusiastic about the newcomer sharing that information. He stood in his position without any change in his expression and the same cold eyes watching the younger one. Sai knew that he could find out everything he needed, he didn't see any need to be more passive or humble just because the other spoke up. He did know that the information was true because it matched the symbol on his weapons. He quietly resumed looming over them for now.

"Who asked you to get it and for what reasons?", Seto made his inquiry in a calm tone again.