14 Elf In Distress

(A/N: We will be in the canon story line for a little bit longer, but I will soon be introducing some original things. A lot of readers like when the FF is involved with the main story line, and others like it farther away. So I am trying to make the best of both worlds. I will possibly be doing some type of mass release or something like that in the future. I'm still thinking about it, but if or when I decide to do it, I will inform y'all.)

(POV: Zefrow)

After our rather rugged introduction, I chose to not bother Arthur and let him handle his emotions. Even though I knew alot about Arthur and TBATE, I needed to hold back on my words and act as if I didn't know anything about the boy or where we were.

I started exploring my surroundings. Looking around, trees that towered high over my head surrounded me. There was a dense fog that loomed thickly a couple centimeters of the ground, filling the air with nearly palpable moisture. I had experienced the feeling before, rather unwanted memories started surfacing my thoughts.

'The Elshire forest, as expected.'

'Sharingan.' I activated the eyes. My surroundings became much clearer as the stats of the Sharingan began to kick in.

As I made my way away from Arthur, I started climbing the nearby trees and started thinking about what my next move should be. Seeing as Sylvia just died, Tessia would be coming into play, which would then lead to the Elven Kingdom. At least that is what should happen.

If all went according to or similar to the original plot, I would be entering the Elven Kingdom along with Arthur and Tessia. There would be a high chance Virion would hit me with the "be my disciple" card, but it wouldn't be as useful to me as it would to Arthur seeing as I didn't have a beast will. So unlike Arthur, I would have no real reason to stay and live in the Kingdom.

Of course I could just simply live there for my own "well being," but exploring would be the better move. And of course I didn't actually need to enter the kingdom, I could simply part ways with Arthur right now, but having possible relations with the Elven Royalty could prove insanely resourceful.

But other than my future plans, different thoughts came to me. Thoughts about the system. The Light had told me that the system would be altered to fit the TBATE world. But I didn't think it would change this much. For one, the emergency quest was still a factor, but there was no architect, so how was this possible? The only answer I could come up with was 'The light.' I didn't expect The Light to involve itself this far into the story and experience.

I started speculating that the penalty quest was The Light's doing, but I had no proof. But who knows what The Light can actually do, let alone what it actually is. 'According to Sylvia, she had somewhat of an encounter with The Light. But how? Why? Why is it involving itself this far? What has The Light to gain? 'At the moment I couldn't answer these questions, but I would definitely need to find answers in the future.

I climbed a few branches up the nearest tree and situated myself once I got high enough. 'Where is it?' I asked myself.

After about ten minutes of searching, jumping from tree to tree, I found what I was looking for. The sounds of voices started flowing in my ears.

I hopped a few more trees, stopping at a branch just a few meters away. Hiding myself behind the thick trunks, I observed the group of humans. 'There you are.'

(POV: 3rd Person)

Another figure appeared on a nearby tree nearby. 'Arthur,' Zefrow thought.

Although Zefrow could already hear the voices, Arthur imbued mana into his ears to understand what was going on.

"NOOO! HELP! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP! MOMMY! DADDY! NOOO! I'M SCARED!!!"

"Someone shut her up! She's going to attract attention!" But it was too late, they had already attracted the attention of two boys, two strong boys.

*"THUD"*

"Quickly. Put her in the back of the carriage. We're only a few days away from the mountain range. We'll be safer then. Don't relax and keep moving."

"Hey, Boss? How much do ya reckon she'll sell for? Elf girls go for a lot, don't they? Hehe, she's a child too, so a virgin at that! I bet she'll fetch us a lot of money, huh?!"

Arthur's eyes widened with a look of hatred. 'Slave traders!' Though Arthur. After spotting the small carriage, Arthur figured it could fit at most five to six adults. Both boys carefully looked around, just in time to see a middle-aged man hauling a little girl into the back of the carriage. She looked to be around six or seven, with a silvery hue in her hair and the trademark pointed ears that elves were known for.

'Tessia.' Thought Zefrow.

The sight in front of him reminded Zefrow what had happened to him and two elves just days ago. He clenched his fist. 'Calm down. This isn't your moment,' Zefrow told himself, breathing in and out slowly.

'What should I do? How were they even able to kidnap one in the first place? The Elshire Forest's magical fog was supposed to disorient the senses of even the most capable mage.' Thought Arthur. He soon found his answer.

Attached to leashes were mana beats that looked like a mix between a deer and a dog, with antlers that branched out, like a complicated satellite. They were mentioned briefly in the encyclopedia Arthur always carried around. The forest hounds were native to the Forest of Elshire and could navigate even better than the elves could.

'I have no idea how those brutes acquired forest hounds, but I need to think of a plan.' The gears in Arthur's head started shifting.

Arthur started carefully peeking and inspecting his surroundings once more, after a few seconds he spotted Zefrow on a tree close to him. 'Zefrow? So this is where he went. But what is he doing here? Did he also hear the talking as I did? And to be up here on a tree like me, he seems to be physically strong.' The gears in his head started shifting even faster.

'In her message, Sylvia said that boy was brought here by her. But what does that mean?' Arthur scratched his head. 'Could she have brought him here to help me? But he's just a child like me, what could he do? But then again he was brought here by Sylvia.' Arthur's confusion over Sylvia's action was growing more and more. 'Did that boy and Sylvia know each other? Just what is his purpose in being here?' Arthur sighed. 'I guess all I can do is ask. But if I'm wrong...that could be a problem. But I can't think of another option.'

Zefrow noticed Arthur had spotted him. As Zefrow seemed to be making his next move, Arthur thought of ways to get his attention.

Zefrow wasn't going to play a part in the rescuing of Tessia since it was kind of a big point in the story for Arthur, but as he tried to back away he heard a whisper. "Hey. Over here. Zefrow," Arthur whispered his way.

Zefrow sighed. 'Damn.' He deactivated his sharingan and tried to simply imbue mana into his eyes. Zefrow didn't want Arthur to notice his red eyes and start asking questions, so imbuing mana into his eyes to better see was going to have to suffice for the time being.

Zefrow looked back in Arthur's direction, their eyes met. Arthur started gesturing for Zefrow to come to him. Zefrow swiftly made his way to the branch Arthur was posted on, making the least noise as possible.

As Zefrow reached the branch, he moved himself to the left of Arthur and kept his eyes on the slave traders and their carriage. Arthur now noticed how tall and 'large' Zefrow actually was for a kid.

"What is it?" Zefrow asked nonchalantly.

Arthur was taken aback by Zefrow's almost relaxed question. "What do you mean "What is it?" What are you doing here?" Asked Arthur.

"I could ask you the same thing. It seems we think alike," Zefrow answered back, keeping his eyes on the group of humans. "To be able to climb these trees, you're pretty strong Zefrow." Arthur commented, trying to find out more about him. Zefrow didn't say anything back.

Arthur clicked his tongue. "Hey, did you see that girl? She was an elf."

"Yeah I saw her. She seems to be in quite the situation."

Arthur sighed. "Look. I won't question how you got here, but I need to get out of this place."

"Oh, and how are you planning to do that? Perhaps taking that carriage, but it seems to already be in the hands of others, so perhaps that's not a viable option."

"No, the carriage would be too loud, so it's not an option."

"It's not?" Zefrow asked, not really looking for an answer.

Arthur started thinking of his options.

"I'm also trying to get out of here, so if you've got any ideas I'm all ears," said Zefrow.

'Damn it Sylvia. Ok, here goes nothing,' thought Arthur, sighing once more.

"Hey. I know this is going to sound weird and definitely isn't a normal question kids should be asked, but...can you fight?"

Zefrow raised his head and slowly twisted it towards Arthur. 'Damn that's a risky move Arthur, but I'll play along since I'm already in it.

"Yeah I can throw a punch or two." Arthur's shoulders relaxed after hearing Zefrow's response.

"Well I'm going to need more than a punch or two," said Arthur, his tone even more serious.

"And why is that? What are you planning?" Asked Zefrow, leaning in.

"I've thought of three options," their eyes met again.

"Go on," gestured Zefrow.

"Option one: Steal one of the forest hounds and have it lead us out of the forest.

"Option two: Kidnap the kidnapped elf girl to have her lead us out of the forest.

"Option three: Kill all the slave traders and set the elf girl free, then take the first hounds and have them lead us out of the forest.

Even though Arthur was constantly pondering between all three options, in Zefrow's eyes there was only one option.

'Option three,' Thought Zefrow.

After a couple of minutes, Zefrow decided to speak up. "Option one would be the easiest, but it doesn't sit right with me to just leave the elf girl."

Arthur nodded. "I agree. Leaving the elf girl doesn't sit well with me either."

Zefrow continued. "Option two has too many variables, I doubt the slave traders would be so kind as to let us take her." Arthur nodded once again.

"That leaves us with option three, which in my opinion has the best outcome, but it's going to be a pain."

"Yeah, from what I saw there are four slave traders and there are only two of us, so it being a pain is an understatement. Because of the fog, I couldn't sense if any of them were mages, but it would be safe to assume that at least one of them would be. Being able to capture an elf in the forest meant that they were either very lucky, or professionals."

"Wait. You're a mage?" Asked Zefrow. Even though he knew about Arthurs abilities, Zefrow had to act as if he knew nothing about Arthur.

"Yeah, I awakened rather early compared to others. And as I am a mage, I can also sense the little bit of mana you are using. So is it safe to assume you are a mage as well?"

Zefrow pondered on what to answer. "Yeah...something like that."

'He must've sensed the mana I was imbuing my eyes with. Damn it.' Through Zefrow.

'Another mage, and he seems to be the same age as me. I can't believe there's someone out there that had an early awakening like me. Then it was not fluke that he was brought here by Sylvia.'

Zefrow started thinking ahead. 'Tessia and Arthur's relationship is a crucial point in the story, so leaving it be as it should be was a no brainer. Since Arthur and I were going to both take part in the rescue, all I needed to do was limit my contact with Tessia and make sure she didn't get attracted to me. I did look alot like Jin-woo now, so saying I was quite an attractive child wouldn't be a lie. Of course Tessia didn't only fall for Arthur because of his looks, but because of their friendship. Friendship is something Tessia is longing for, so as long as the interactions between her and him are natural no problems should occur.' At least that is what Zefrow was hoping for.

"So option three it is," said Zefrow.

"Yeah."

***

After hours of observation, the two boys had learned enough about the slave traders to make a move. They waited until nightfall to put their plan into action. Despite their rustic appearances, the slave traders were surprisingly vigilant; they never built a fire and always kept two people on guard at all times.

"Let's go over the plan once more," Arthur whispered to Zefrow.

"Yeah, just to be safe."

"Alright, so first we'll get the hounds to make a ruckus, which should then get one of the men to go and take care of them." They both nodded. "One of them should stay behind, which would leave the one that takes care of the hounds, by himself. I will then make my move and eliminate him," said Arthur.

While they had been studying the slave traders, the two boys had shared some information about each other's fighting abilities. Zefrow had said that he was strong with daggers but he hadn't had any on him. Which then prompted Arthur to teach him how to create a blade from mana. Zefrow could have just brought his daggers out of his inventory, but he decided he didn't want to do that as it would seem fishy.

Zefrow didn't disclose anything about his core or 'Magic' as they hadn't known each other long enough to share about such topics, which Arthur agreed about. Arthur had shared about how he was able to replenish his mana over little time and about his mana blade. Zefrow didn't ask questions.

With this information they devised a plan to split the workload into two. Each of them would take on two slave traders and eliminate them. This would be the best and quickest option.

The explanation of the plan continued. "Once I kill the first man, the second one should go to check on him within seconds. I need to be quick so he doesn't catch me off guard. I will then kill him as well," said Arthur.

"Which leaves the other two to me."

"The last too should be on the other side of the carriage. But there is most likely a mage among them so be careful."

"Yeah I know, but the mage could be one of yours too."

"You're right, he could."

"..."

"Hey. I know we've been saying "kill" as if it's an easy task, but I don't know you so I'm going to ask you this. Are you really ready to kill?" Asked Arthur.

Zefrow was truly surprised by Arthur's question which prompted him to think back to what he had been indulging in recently. He took a deep breath. "Yes...I am ready to kill. But thank you for your concern…" Zefrow left off the sentence in a way implying he wanted to know the boy's name.

"...Arthur. My name is Arthur."

"Well then Arthur, shall we get going?"

"We shall."

Arthur and Zefrow made their way to their assigned targets.

Arthur was ready. He threw a rock carefully to stir up the forest hounds just as planned, which prompted one of the guards to check out the situation. 'Step one done.' Arthur menatly checked.

The one that stayed behind was sitting on a fallen log fiddling with something in his hands. Carefully jumping on a branch directly above the man, Arthur prepared his attack.

Arthur's first target would be the one that had gone to quit the forest hounds first.

He dropped down with a quiet thud behind one of the slave traders. This particular slave trader had a very lanky build. While lean muscles were visible, he didn't seem too strong and was only armed with a long knife.

Startled by the soft thud, the lanky man turned around, expecting a curious weasel or rat. His face twisted into a mixture of surprise and amusement when he saw Arthur, a child in ragged clothes. But before the man had a chance to even speak, Arthur lunged upwards towards his neck.

Arthur infused mana into the blade of his hand, turning it into a sharp edge. 'This was called the "Swordless Ar''t in my old world but here, it would be more accurate to call it a wind attribute technique.

The slave trader's hands tried to reach where his face was to guard against the boy shooting towards him.

It was too late.

Arthur took a quick swipe at the jugula, taking his vocal cord out along with his carotid artery. He landed behind him just in time to gently place him down on the floor, avoiding unnecessary noise.

The stench of blood caused the hounds to howl and bark.

"Ey Pinky! Can't even calm the hounds...What the?!"

Arthur had already picked up Pinky's knife and was waiting for the second man. While the slave trader's attention was on the corpse of Pinky, Arthur jumped out from behind and stabbed the side of his neck with the knife.

***

At the same time of Arthur's sneak attack on the two guards, Zefrow was making his move on his two targets.

'Sharingan.' Said Zefrow in his head.

Two men were sitting on the side of a carriage holding a conversation trying to pass the time. "Hey Danton, did you hear about the Gold Mine Auction?"

"Yeah. I heard that Derim's group and his auction were burned to ashes. But no one knows how it happened." A slight smile formed on his lips.

"But hey, with him and his group out of the way that means more for us, ain't that right George?" Said Danton.

An unfamiliar voice to the two men joined the conversation. "The Gold Mine Auction huh? Yeah I think I heard about that too.

Danton and George both looked up at the carriage to find the source of the voice. A boy with crimson red eyes and a dense blue blade around his hand was squatting down on top of the carriage, looking down at the two men.

"Who the hell are you-" shouted George as he pulled out a dagger from his side, but his voice was cut off by the clean cut of a mana blade.

Zefrow immediately turned to his right and dashed at Danton. The slave trader immediately tried to augment his body but he was simply too late and the boy was too fast. The two men had fallen.

As Zefow checked if his targets were fully dead, a shrill cry took his attention.

"HELLLLP! MOMMY! SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASEE!!"

Arthur heard the cry and immediately raced towards the carriage. 'Did Zefrow fail?'

"Zefrow are you ok?!" But Arthur was worried for nothing, both him and Zefrow had succeeded.

"Yeah I'm fine. One of mine was the mage but I took care of him. Anyway, would you like to do the honors? He asked, pointing at the carriage.

"I guess so." Replied Arthur.

Arthur climbed onto the back of the carriage where the elven girl was locked. He spotted her shivering in the corner with dirty rags minimally covering her privates. She studied Arthur in surprise and doubt, her eyes almost saying, "He can't have been the one who saved me, right?"

Arthur studied her as she remained silent, her swollen turquoise eyes never leaving my face.

Tired and feeling gross, Arthur helped her up and simply stated, "You should go back home now."

"Hic...hic…"

The girl didn't know whether Arthur was an enemy or friend until now, but once the word 'home' was said, a look of relief washed over her tense face and she broke down.

"Hic! I was so scared! They were going to sell me! Hic! I thought I was never going to see my family again! Hic! WAAAAAA!"

The girl's words about never seeing her family again brought an unwanted memory to Zefrow. He thought back to when the elven siblings were killed in front of him. They never got to see their family again. But this was different.

Arthur and Zefrow looked at each other and nodded. "Well done."

***

(A/N: 3k+ words. Some parts are pretty much copy and pasted but somewhat altered. I know some parts and dialogue are going to feel forced, but I have to go that way because I want the story to progress in a certain way. I am not experienced enough to write the emotions and characters perfectly, sometimes I make mistakes.

Till next time.)