Star Eater

Chapter 40:

Arthur's Point of View

Unknown Location

The female High Elf and the blonde male Elf both were exhausted, and fell to their knees as the magic barrier disappeared. "Thank you, Stranger." The male Elf said as he panted heavily as sweat dripped from his chin.

It seemed that the entire encampment, or rather the survivors, assumed I was an ally. They were right for the moment, but it was still foolish to assume I wasn't going to kill them. I even had on a Ghoul's cloak. How could they know this wasn't some manner of cruel ploy to get them to drop their guard? They didn't and I closed my eyes at their stupidity.

The entire group was covered in sweat, mud, and some had wounds. "Mmh." Was my dull reply as I began to look over the group.

My gaze drifted to the High Elf, who was looking over the wounded. "Davost is watching over us for the moment. Use this time to mend your wounds." She then bowed her head. "As for those who have passed... May Davost bless their valor."

Didn't know who Davost was, and I didn't care. "They died for Lestrania and you, Princess." The male elf stated as the others began to look over their wounds.

"They died because I was not strong enough to protect them." The High Elf stated to the male before looking at me. "Thank you for your aid, kind Sir. Shall I look over your wounds personally? It is the least I can do."

"That won't be necessary." Gesturing to the few remaining survivors, I continued. "You should focus your attention on your own people first." A Princess of Lestrania? "Maybe even rest a bit since you seem so exhausted." Did that mean the Priestesses were just a front?

"He is right, Princess. After using so much magic, I would advise you to recover your strength." The male spoke once more as he worried over his princess.

"Maybe so, but how can I turn a blind eye to the man who was injured saving us. There is no need to be so humble. Approach, and I shall mend your wounds." She informed me.

Moving my cloak to reveal my bare chest, I replied. "I'm not wounded, so don't worry about me. Your offer is appreciated, but unnecessary."

Everyone who was paying attention looked surprised. "Do you know you just killed a Ghoul?" The Princess inquired after a moment had passed from the shock of realizing I wasn't injured.

I nodded. "Not the first time, and I doubt it will be the last."

Murmurs broke out amongst the fodder, and the Princess narrowed her eyes at me. "What is your name?"

"..." The question made me wary because I wasn't aware of the entire situation.

If I wasn't supposed to know that Lestrania had a Princess, and the Priestesses were keeping it hidden, it's likely I would be forced into another altercation. However, if it was true that she was really the one in charge, I could use that to my advantage as well. From what I could tell, we didn't appear to be in Lestrania, and I could possibly use that to escort the Princess back to safety.

"The Princess asked you a question." My gaze drifted to the male Elf.

"I'm aware of that." Was my dull reply. "However, when asking for someone's name, it's proper to give their own first."

The blonde didn't care too much for my attitude and moved towards me but stopped when a roar caught everyone's attention. Screams could be heard as people moved behind the Princess, me, and the male elf. Kandma had arrived and was making her way through some of the tents that she towered over. Many readied for battle, but I walked toward the giant stone bear with my hand raised.

"Kandma," I called out evenly. "The Demons are dead. Calm yourself."

Growling slightly at the Elves with magic at the ready, she replied. "Yet they scream at the sight of me."

Rolling my eyes, I gestured to her. "Probably because you're a giant stone bear creature!"

"I am not a bear!" The bear replied.

"Uh-huh." Was all I said in return and then looked back at the stumped looking soldiers and Princess. "Apologies!" I called out as I patted Kandma's snout. "She can get a little defensive at times. Cancel your magic, and there will be no further incident." I told the Princess.

Everyone glanced back and forth between Kandma and I. "Do as he says." The Princess ordered.

Kandma huffed and then sat down on a collection of tents. "Glad you're okay, Arthur."

I smirked up at the bear. "Me too."

"You can speak to a creature of the Old World?" My attention turned back to the Princess, who was studying me more closely.

"We understand each other well enough." I answered as I patted Kandma's nose one last time. "She's young, though. Her mother was killed by a Demon the other day."

Tears seemed to tug at the High Elf's eyes as she moved forward towards Kandma. "I am sorry." The Princess said as she gently rested her hand on Kandma's snout.

Kandma eyed me for a moment, and I just shrugged in return. After a moment, the stone bear leaned into the Princess's hand, which got a sad smile from the High Elf. Ignoring them for the minute, since I doubt the Princess was going to try anything, I saw several energy signals approaching in the distance. They were still a ways off, but it was easy to tell they were a group of Humans and Elves. By their speed, they were likely on horseback or some other manner of creature.

"Apologies, kind Sir."

Looking back at the High Elf, I shrugged again. "It's fine. Kandma didn't seem to mind." Gesturing out in the direction the others were coming from got her attention. "Your reinforcements should be arriving soon."

Many looked and sighed in relief before the male Elf spoke again. "We still haven't gotten your name." He pointed out.

"And you still haven't given yours." Crossing my arms earned me a glare from a few that were listening in.

The Princess seemed to realize this. "Recover what you can from the debris." She started to issue orders as she looked around. "With our reinforcements arriving soon, we need to know where we stand in terms of supplies and check our defenses. Set up a new watch to make sure no more Demons get the drop on us." Many saluted her and ran off. "Those of you who are still here," She looked down at the dead bodies scattered about. "Find something to cover them with."

Kandma shuffled and stood after a moment to start sniffing the wind. "What's wrong?" I asked in a whisper.

"I'm not sure." The bear replied. "I thought I smelled something, but I guess not."

Looking around, I saw wisps of red and black energy signatures in the forest off in the distance, but it disappeared shortly after. However, my eyes narrowed as it would flicker above the treetops and then dissipate. There were likely more Demons in the forest like I suspected, but none of them should've been able to do something like that. At least it wasn't like Tor's demonic energy.

"Are you listening to the Princess?!" Someone said in a raised tone, and I looked back to see the blonde Elf glaring at me.

Then I turned to the Princess in question. "Did you say something?"

"I was once again asking for your name." The Princess told me.

Turning back to the male Elf, I replied. "Then, no. I wasn't listening."

His magic ignited as he stepped towards me. "You dare insult the Princess in my presence!? Show some respect you-"

"Enough, Kodnar!" The Princess turned to the blonde. "This man saved our lives. If not for him, none of us would still be here. Besides, it's likely he is unaware of who I am. So, for the moment, we can bend the rules on standard greeting procedures for the moment." Then she glanced at me. "Besides, if he knew who I was, it's likely he would have kneeled."

"Probably not." I replied firmly. "I'm not a fan of bowing and certainly not to a child."

Naturally, this pissed off the blonde as he seethed and rushed me. "How dare you!"

The Princess held out her arm and stopped him by force. "I'd save it if I were you." I told him and then gestured to the distance where their reinforcements could be seen. "We got company."

A soldier ran up not a second later and kneeled. "Your Majesty, reinforcements are on the horizon! They should be here in a few minutes!" He then bowed slightly deeper. "Sir Aydan is leading them!"

For some reason, the mention of this 'Sir Aydan', relieved the Princess. "Sir Aydan is coming here himself!?" A large smile took over her features as she moved away from me and towards the direction they were coming from.

"We are not done here!" The beta male stated with a quick glare towards me before he quickly followed the Princess.

"Should you really be antagonizing them?" Kandma asked me.

Smirking, I replied. "Probably not." Then I looked up at her. "But it's a difficult chance to pass up." My gaze drifted back, and my smirk disappeared. "However, I'm starting to get a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach about all this."

Many of the soldiers formed a formation of some kind to receive this 'Aydan' and his men. Hundreds of soldiers surrounded the encampment in formation in a defensive line, which was impressive. They were on horses, and each was fully equipped in armor. Looking around at the Princess's remaining forces, I quirked a brow as I realized that most of them looked unprepared for battle of any kind.

"Make way!" A soldier shouted as they approached.

A man rode in the encampment with a few others in tow, but they didn't seem to be too important. However, many saluted as he stopped in front of the Princess and the whiny male Elf. Looking at the man known as Aydan, I saw that he was also an Elf, but that wasn't too surprising. What was surprising was the amount of magic flowing off of him. My eyes narrowed as I realized he was likely close to the two Priestesses in terms of magical power.

One thing that stood out to me is that he looked to be an older Elf. "Princess! Are you alright!?" Aydan cried out in concern as he hopped down from his horse.

Seeing an older Elf was odd, as was his overall appearance. He had wrinkles, but not too many, which made him look like a middle-aged man. However, given he was an Elf, I had no idea how old that actually made him. His hair was light green with magic to match. His eyes were gold, and he wore silver armor mixed with robes that hung down by his legs.

The Princess rolled her eyes and whined playfully as the man began to inspect her for injuries. "I'm fine!" It came across as if she was slightly annoyed, but also amused as she swatted at him.

Putting a hand to his chest, he sighed in relief as he hugged her suddenly. "Thank, Davost!" After a moment, he pulled away and studied the dead demons sprawled about before looking back at the Princess surprised. "You held your own against the Demons and even defeated them with only a few dozen soldiers?" He chuckled and shook her shoulders in a proud manner. "Well done!"

"You are mistaken, Sir Aydan." Backing away from the man with her head hung low, she explained. "We were unable to hold our own. The Demon's surprise attack wiped out most of my forces, and several more are wounded." The Princess gestured around to the stragglers that stood on standby. "The soldiers you see before you are the only ones who survived the onslaught."

"Going into that forest was a fool's errand, and your brother should never have put you up to it. Not with such a minuscule force. Having a scouting party would have been better, but it is too late now." He said with a frown before resting a hand on her shoulder. "You did well for your first mission."

"Almost all of my men are dead."

Aydan nodded in understanding. "Yes, but you are alive. So, they completed their duty. Each one passed on with honor." Never believed that bullshit for a second.

"Princess," The beta male spoke up once again. "If I may... My master is right. With your barrier, we were able to save as many people as possible, but it is our duty to fight for you, bleed for you, and die for you if necessary."

Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms as Aydan nodded once more. "Precisely." However, he paused when he looked around and saw the wounds on the Demon's bodies. "If you didn't do this, who did?"

Both the Princess and the beta male pointed to me. "We were under attack from a Ghoul and about to fall when he appeared out of nowhere and killed every Demon present. Ghoul included." The High Elf stated, and Aydan looked at me.

Scratching his head as he looked at me, surprised, he chuckled as he nudged his student's arm. "Am I getting old, or is there a creature of the Old World sitting in your campsite, and I just completely overlooked it?"

"Master." The blonde Elf said as he shook his head, exasperated.

Kandma leaned closer to me and whispered, "Do you have any idea of what they're talking about?"

Quirking a brow at her, I replied. "What's the point of those big ass ears of yours if you don't pay attention?"

The bear huffed and rose her head, annoyed. "I can't understand them, okay?"

Confused, my arms fell to my sides. "You can understand me, but not them?"

"You can understand me, but not them." Kandma repeated mockingly. "You're a stone bear!" She continued, and I just rolled my eyes.

Looking back towards the group startled me since they were now only a few feet away from me. "Hello there!" Aydan greeted me cheerfully.

"Hello." I replied more evenly.

Holding out his hand, he smiled very earnestly, which surprised me. "Thank you for saving Princess Arceana. She and her siblings mean the world to me but allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aydan Farro! Knight of Lestrania, but more commonly known as The Great Sage!" His smile widened. "But please, call me Aydan."

Part of me died inside when I heard this, and my eyes immediately drifted over 'Princess' Arceana before moving back to 'The Great Sage' himself. I saw the similarities but dismissed them because I figured it was impossible. However, there was no denying the words I just heard that revealed what had happened with Ayda's spell and portal. I was in the past.

"God damnit, Farro." I mumbled as I closed my eyes in a burning rage.

*********

Our new goals for the coming week are going to be hitting 850 Power Stones again! Should be an easy first goal since we've done it already and had a rather clean margin! Our second goal is going to 900 Power Stones! We were only 27 Power Stones away from hitting this, so I think it should be very doable! Hope everyone is as excited as I am! Thank you for your continual support!

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