Under the Light of the World at War: Early chapter 33

There was a lot of running around. Ma’Rika’s order to only grab supplies to move of course wasn’t listened to, and many of the villagers were sent back with their very important item that they had to take with them, to put it back, or hide it.

Mama, Papa, and I went to our home and quickly gathered our valuables and hid them away in Papa’s enchanting storage.

“You collected a lot more of that than I thought.” Papa muttered, as he looked over my boxes of Dust.

“Yeah, it kinda collects when I’m not looking.” I said, back as I pushed it deeper into the closet. 

“That’s a good thing.” He whispered and I smiled at him, as Mama came around the corner with a jewelry box, and a few other valuables. 

“I don’t want to know what you two are scheming. Come on, we don’t have time-It’s full of enchanting stuff.”

“Not full.” I said, looking at it.

It was kinda full.

Mama just rolled her eyes and placed her stuff on top uncaring that it was plopped into the enchanting dust. 

“Okay, seal it up.” She demanded and Papa did just that, an orb much smaller than the one I had grabbed for El’Tela was brought forward and the door moved down,and then it vanished. The entire door became a part of the wall. It was solid Elvish stone. As long as no one took a pickaxe to it for a few hours, no one would find our valuables.

“What about that?” Papa asked, pointing at the bag I had at my feet.

“These are valuable supplies.” I said confidently, and opened the bag. Greater Wands, filled the bag, and Mama made a little noise of surprise.

“That’s right you were making a bunch of those, I thought you destroyed them after, for practice?”

“Not all of them.” I said then smirked. “We can pass them out to anyone that can’t defend themselves.”

“My daughter is so smart.” Mama said squeezing my cheek which earned her a pout. “Alright, let’s move. We need to be moving, sooner the better.” 

Papa and I both followed and I had to stop myself from laughing a bit, we were like little ducklings following after her as we headed our way out, but then the amusement soured.

People were walking out of their homes with their most valuable things. The villagers were afraid. There were fearful faces, and everyone seemed to be panicking a bit…

I had to do something.

Leaving everyone scared like this… It reminded me of the villages before. There was no blood… I would make sure there wouldn’t be.

“I’ll be right back!” I yelled, turning and running back into the house.

“Dorah!”

I ignored Mama’s call and made it to the stairs running up them on all fours to move a bit faster. I made it up and slid into my room. It was stupid, it was something I didn’t need which is why I had left it in my desk. 

It might be destroyed, like many things, but moving light was more important.

But there was something that was more than just efficiency. Sometimes people needed, hope, or normalcy.

The idea struck me, it just felt right.

I grabbed the book, and almost relaxed a bit myself at seeing it. 

The most valuable item in an adventurers toolkit.

I ran back down, arms full and met Mama outside who wasn’t looking happy, but she saw the book and just looked confused.

“Don’t worry. I have an idea.” I said, and raced past her. Up the road and down the way, towards where everyone was gathering in the center of town.

El’Tela was there, having already locked down her tower, turning the entire thing into solid stone, it might hold depending on how interested the Trolls were in her stuff. 

But then there was the woman I was looking for. 

It took a moment, I stopped, grabbed a charcoal stick and started writing. 

Then I looked over the page, and smiled. Now where to do this? There. I hurried over and climbed up onto the edge of the cart, and then loudly called out. 

“The Adventurers Guild has accepted this emergency request!” I shouted, startling a few of the villagers that were already waiting by the carts to move out, and Ma'Rika, who had been trying to calm a few people, looked up. “Due to the unique circumstances, the Guild is passing over any payment, but be assured! The Adventurers Guild has never failed a Quest! As of now until the Convoy reaches Silvermoon, the Guild will work tirelessly to protect everyone!... So breathe easy, smile! You are safe!”

I looked over the people I had known all my life, and saw a few burgeoning smiles. 

A little cutie like me, doing cute things was hard to resist you know?

“Ah! If Ma’Rika will sign the Quest Log though I would appreciate it! Oh! And I have these as well! Wands for anyone that can’t defend themselves! Don’t worry! This might feel sudden, but the Adventurers Guild was prepared for such circumstances!” I called out, opening the bag showing the wands.

And then I relaxed, my shoulders eased a bit from the tension. 

This was going to be hard, but a Quest was a Quest. Ma’Rika looked sceptical at first, but as she looked around and noticed the amusement of those that had watched on, she quickly picked up on the value of my little show.

She walked over and took the book signing her name.

So that was that.

“Alright! We have Wands here, let’s pass them out to those that don’t have any offensive spells!” Ma’Rika called out, and I nodded, as she took command of that, knowing instantly who to hand them off to.

Mama and Papa had watched on, having followed me, and Mama was shooting me a proud look.

Papa was just smiling cause I was.

I nodded, looked over the Journal, at the neat little signature. 

Now. Things were quiet, and I’d just accepted a Quest. I needed to be prepared for anything. Holy Light was so close to reaching 10, I would probably work on a more offensive spell normally, but having my Quest Log filled had filled me with an utter conviction.

I would get these people to safety, I would protect them, and nothing would get in that way.

I cast Holy Light on the DragonHawk hooked up to the cart, it sent me a look but ignored me just after.

Not even half of my Mana… Heh.

My shoulders firmed up as I gripped the hilt of my sword.

I looked over the growing caravan.

Then I hurried over and climbed up onto Chocobo's back. She sent me an irritated look as she had been laying in the dirt having scratched out a nest again.

Poor thing, we really needed to find her a boy, Hawkstrider.

“Yip yip.” I urged her on, and she climbed to her feet with me on her back and I walked her around the town. Checking on things, and casting Holy Light, from time to time. Conjured water in one hand, and Light filled healing in the other.

I even stopped by El’Tela, who was looking grumpily comfortable like a tiger carried around in someone's arms and wanting to be put down, on her magic carpet.

“What has got into you?” She asked, as I cast Holy Light on her, and her paleness was lightly flushed away.

“I’m… An adventurer on a Quest.” I said, simply. There was nothing else that needed to be said. Escort quests might suck, but I would complete it just like I did every quest I’ve ever taken.

—---

“Alright! Move out!” Ma’Rika called out as the cart was ushered forward by Kimi’s mother. Her Dragonhawks, her control of them, and the large cart that Mel’tenar had supplied was unfortunately not enough for him to get a ride.

Like almost everyone he was walking.

Even I was. Chocobo had been claimed by Mama for scouting duties. 

Liennar was home defense, along with Cal, Mama would check around us on Chocobo, and everyone else stuck to the cart and we moved.

As annoying as it was to get kicked off my mount, Mama was right.

So I walked, along with the rest. I spent my time healing when I could, and supplying drinking water. Despite the hesitance at first, the taste of the water was acceptable enough that everyone was drinking as we walked.

The problem was we were moving slow.

I could see Liennar and Cal taking note of it, often.

Walking around I stopped in to check in El’Tela. She grumpily looked at me as her Flying Carpet hovered along. She could have easily left us all behind with it, but stuck to the group.

“You’re looking better.”

“Bah. My hip hurts, and deserve a fine rest in my bed. Instead I’m laying out on a carpet.” She grumbled, and I smiled at her. 

She sounded better. The tiredness in her voice from before was gone. 

I cast Holy Light on her again, earning an irritated look from her, but I noticed she eased herself a bit more onto her hip. It must have really been hurting.

“You are using that spell often.” She said, asking a question without asking.

“I’m on the verge of something with it. Improving it or.. Something.”

“Ah. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Arcane isn’t your sole talent. I am quite irritated with you and your mother, disappearing into the woods without a word. I had planned on working with you on your Evocation spell.” She grumbled at me.

“Oh I practiced that quite a bit. It was very useful when I was… Healing.”

“Oh? Did you write down your refinements?”

“Ah… No. I was busy and I wasn’t really refining it just… Instinct?”

I had to look away, not because I was avoiding her glare, but because I was trying not to laugh. Her eye was twitching like she wanted to kill something.

“You will write down your refinement.”

“Right now?”

“The carpet can hold another. You have me out here, away from my home, I might as well be doing something productive.” She demanded, and I just laughed at her response.

She really was a funny one. I shrugged and with a bit of maneuvering climbed up onto the carpet, and then pulled out my Journal. I didn’t have any other paper, but with a bit of work, I wrote out the new form of Evocation. It was level 5 now, which was quite the change from when I had it at the start.

I finished and passed the Quest Log over and she instantly started looking it over.

I just kicked my feet for a minute, before realizing people were watching and I should be walking as well.

Popping off I waved at El’Tela, “I’ll finish my rounds! I’ll be back!”

She didn’t respond too busy looking over my spell work.

Just before I managed to get away though a buzzing noise had me turn back around.

El’Tela stopped, putting the journal aside, she pulled out the large crystal, the one she had used to lock down her tower.

“The Trolls are in the village.” She said with finality, and that caused the tension to once more skyrocket through the convoy. 

“Liennar!” I called out, starting to run instantly. The other Ranger looked up at my call. “The Trolls are in the village now. We need to tell Mama… They might be on our trail soon.”

“I will stay here Cal. Be easy, keep calm. We’re moving, we will outrun them.” He said confidently, but I wasn’t so sure.

Back to healing and keeping everyone’s hopes up. I walked back towards the front, casting when I could.

Holy Light didn’t do much for endurance, people were still going to get tired, but it was easier to walk when you didn’t have sores on your feet, or something. Just had to keep going. Keep working.

—--

Mama caught back up with us soon, and she had a serious look on her face, fully in Ranger mode. She and Liennar talked to Ma’Rika quietly, but then Mama was back off, but not before I healed Chocobo, and Mama both to make sure they were okay.

I was finding Holy Light easier to cast, something completely separate from the spell itself. 

The surety that filled me as I cast the spell was easier to call upon the more I did it. A skill completely separate from my character sheet. 

And so the convoy moved on. Mama would come back every once in a while to tell Liennar what she had seen, and to get some food or drink, to give Chocobo a rest, but it wasn’t long before she went back out again.

Each time she returned she had less arrows.

Dammit. 

Part of me wished I had been practicing Arcane Arrows. If I could get them to not dissolve, that would be a useful help as well.

But time would only let me do one.

Holy Light, the more I cast it the closer it felt like I was coming to something. The Light was flexible in ways the Arcane wasn’t. It could do things Arcane couldn’t touch. I needed it.

As we walked, we hit our first real stop.

As the sun was setting, we reached Windhome. The village one step closer to Silvermoon from our village. 

Obviously our arrival was a concern. The entire village further out reaching the village caused a fuss. Ma’Rika, and El’Tela dealt with that though. 

“We are staying here for the night and we’ll move on after… But you should as well. The Trolls are coming.” Ma’Rika said firmly to the village's leader, an older man that looked like he was trying too hard to be a Magister. Or pretend to be one.

“You must be joking! Trolls? Your entire village? Are you mad?”

“No.” Ma’Rika said firmly. “The Rangers agree, Trolls are swarming, more than ever before. We must retreat behind the Ban’dinoriel, or at least the Elf Gate.” 

“That’s insane! To-to flee before a few trolls!”

“It won’t be a few.” El’Tela snapped, her voice cutting through the argument. “Listen boy, you will do as I say. Inform your villagers, all of them, that Trolls are coming, and if they want to be safe they must flee. If they wish to stay then they are as foolish as you. That is all that is required of you.”

“A-wha-Yes, yes Magister.” He replied through gritted teeth.

We were welcomed into homes that night. Mama, Papa and I camped in the village's Ranger tower, along with Liennar, and Cal.

It was a quiet night, but Mama was constantly heading out to scout.

She came back early in the morning, as the sun rose, tired, and obviously having been doing something.

The Trolls were still following.

—--

“Huh.” I whispered looking at the weird home. It was covered in little tinker items. Windmills that moved little robotic birds that flapped their wings. A wheeled thing that went back and forth along one part of the fence, that had a pair of High Elven wooden dolls dancing back and forth.

I knew this, Mel’tenar had told me about this guy. The one that could teach me blacksmithing. Allerio. But the home was empty, Windhome was evacuating, another group of people added into our convoy, which was good and bad. 

More people meant more defenders. Windhome had a few men and women that knew how to use a bow, or throw some magic, nothing quite like a Ranger, but enough.

But more people. A lot more. Windhome was bigger than our village. A second cart had been set up, and a pair of Hawkstriders to pull it, but still…

I frowned, as it took us hours after the sun rose and we still weren’t moving.

I shook it off, and continued around the village. I’d been helping people all morning, people I had never met, but even still.

Helping people gather their things, although most of it was helping Ma’Rika who had taken over from Windhomes leader as the one giving orders to tell people to stop trying to drag along anything heavier than what they could carry.

Food was gathered, but thankfully water wasn’t as much of an issue. But we were burning daylight, and tensions were rising.

I was starting to get antsy, trying to hurry people when a whistle went off across the village. 

El’Tela had made a noise and it had dragged everyone's attention to her.

“We are setting off now. You can waste more time here if you choose, but we will not allow any further time wasting.” She called her voice amplified, and that to my relief was that.

The carts were moving, and people stood up to start walking.

Only then did I notice just how many of the villagers from home had been just sitting around. Even the windhome villagers had felt almost… Lazy.

But no, not lazy. Unwilling. They had been resisting moving. That’s why it had taken so long.

I sighed, almost bitterly at the realization that without El’Tela, we’d have been playing games all day instead of moving.

Okay Dorah. Help get everyone moving. No more wasting time.

—--

By mid afternoon we were moving slowly down the dirt road. With Windhome no longer in sight, it seemed those that had some resistance to moving were either left behind, or had realized they had to move.

I hadn’t seen Mama and Liennar since this morning. Both of them had headed off on a Hawkstrider. I’d just continued to work. Healing had by now become a requirement. Lazy high elves that lived within their little village and never traveled far were not great with long walks.

Thankfully we had yelled at the two that had thought high heels were acceptable long distance shoes from home, but Windhome had a few more stubborn ‘high society’ types.

They were now walking barefoot if they didn’t have replacements, and that wasn’t much easier on their feet.

“There.”

“It still hurts!”

“Healing pain. Nothing anyone can do about that. You aren’t bleeding anymore.”

“But it hurts! What kind of healer are you! Honestly! Where is that other man!”

“He’s not wasting his time or mana healing you. Get on your feet. The cart is for injured people.” I said without any mercy and I got an angry look.

“Who are you to talk to me!? Do you even know who I am!?”

“No. Nor do I care. Walk.” I demanded, and she looked like she was going to argue, but Ma’Rika was there.

“Get your ass off the cart if you are healed.” She said bluntly, even Ma’Rika’s patience was coming up short after the morning of fighting to get anyone moving.

She looked like she was going to argue, but Ma’Rika definitely outranked her, and she got up wincing a bit as she hit the dirt and started walking.

Thankfully only a few were really causing issues, the rest were just scared, and quietly doing as told.

Everyone was scared.

I clenched my fist let the Light flow through me.

If they were scared I would just have to do what I could to make them feel safe!

I finished casting Holy Light, and it washed over Ma’Rika who blinked at the healing.

“That was unnecessary.”

“You’ve been on your feet all morning too.”

“I am used to that. You children don’t often give me time to put my feet up.” She said jokingly to me, and I smiled at her.

“Sorry.”

“You were only sometimes a troublemaker.” She said a compliment, mostly.

I nodded, as I grabbed a drink of water and chugged it down. My Mana restored slowly, but it was faster than without it.

The noise of Hawkstriders coming up the road made me perk up, and I relaxed as I saw Mama on Chocobo’s back, but that shifted to concern. They were hurrying. 

Pushing the Hawkstriders hard.

She made it to the convoy and rushed over to Ma’Rika and El’Tela.

“The Trolls just made it to Windhome.” Mama said, firmly and then grimaced. “The numbers have increased… We can’t stop.” She said with utter finality, and Ma’Rika I noticed went pale, her face slacking as she realized what had just been said.

“How many?”

“Too many.” Mama replied and El’Tela watching on just nodded. 

“Then we prepare what we can. Get those with weapons, or the ability to cast some offensive magic towards the rear of the convoy. We’ll keep moving.” El’Tela said firmly.

“I can help slow them down.” I said then obviously having listened in.

“Dorah, you are staying with the convoy.”

“I know, I mean… This.” I splashed some water over my hand and then created an Icecube. The Caltrop shone in the sunlight, and its spike was razor sharp.

Well it was sharp.

I offered it to Mama, and she looked it over her face shifting into a smile.

“You little troublemaker.”

“Will it work?” Ma’Rika asked, and Mama nodded. 

“Somewhat. It’s not going to solve anything… How long do they last?”

I winced… “ It’s just an icecube.”

“It is only an icecube right now. Come girl. You know better than that. If the spell doesn’t do what you need, what do you do?”

“Make it what I need.” I said at El’Tela’s grumbling demand. I nodded. Right I could alter it, make the freeze effect last longer. It would cost more, but that was just fine.

“Wait, this is Kal’Etor’s spell, right? Can she make them as well?”

“Maybe?” I said, I wasn’t sure.

“Ma’Rika go get her.” Mama demanded, and without argue she turned and did just that. “El’Tela, can you?”

“Pfft. What do you take me for? Go on girl, get up here, and write out the spell we’ll need.”

“Yes.” I said, as long as I gave the spell to El’Tela, she could help as well.

“Go and get me some of the students as well. If the children can cast a spell, they can help.” She demanded, and we all rushed away.

Time to give the Trolls a bit of a footache.