Chapter 35: Elven Influence

Loriel was a Succubus and Elven Halfling.

That hit Naya a lot harder than she thought it would.

It was one thing to be told of Elven's influence in politics and experiments in the outside world. But to go so far as to have children with the races she was constantly told were inferior, let alone a demon, left her with a pit in her stomach.

For an Elf, having offspring was held in the highest regard, considering how rare they were. It was a cause for massive celebration when one was born, and neither option of what Loriel's birth meant sat well with Naya.

It meant she was either abandoned, which would be one the gravest sins an Elf could commit, though she wasn't sure how applicable it was to halflings. Or, it meant Loriel's mother was dead. This would mean an Elf died outside Aleria,

Naya's eyes were wide, and her lips parted. "Who?"

Loriel tapped her chin. "Now, that's the question, isn't it?" She smiled teasingly. "I do know, but I think it'd be funner if I didn't tell you."

"Then I will end your life!" Naya pulled on her Arcana.

"Isn't the murder of your own the worst sin an Elf can commit?"

The way Loriel looked at Naya when she said it set off alarms in her head. It was a knowing grin.

She didn't wait anymore.

With a gust of wind in her wake, Naya reached Loriel in an instant, yet the Elven Halfling watched her keenly every step without so much as a twitch in her face.

Naya jumped into a right-sided kick the moment she reached her, aimed at Loriel's torso.

Her hit connected, but not with Lorial, who hadn't moved a muscle.

Instead, the peppered-haired man stood before her with his hand out to block Naya's kick, the same kick she had used to shatter the bones of many opponents who had underestimated her strength.

Yet he blocked it perfectly, and Naya felt no damage to the man's hand other than a little quake.

She reacted instantly and ripped her leg away, twisting to deliver another blow with her other leg.

The man's head snapped to his left, and he dropped his body to dodge the blow to his head.

"Yer strong." His tone didn't fit his appearance; he looked like a seasoned adventurer yet spoke like a brute.

She jumped back immediately when her second kick failed to connect, regaining some distance, perfectly dodging the flash of black from the man's attempted kick at her leg.

The man didn't allow that and followed directly after her as she launched back.

[Audacious! ]

Naya didn't have much speed moving back, so she had to intercept. She pushed her hands forward, and her purple lines glowed.

In that instant, Lia shouted. --Don't overexpose yourself!--

[They will both die!]

A small purple orb instantly appeared in her hands, one that caused the man to try and abruptly stop as he approached.

But it was too late; Naya let go of her hold on the small projectile, and it fired.

The man dodged, but not fast enough to match the speed of condensed wild Arcana, and it pierced through his shoulder.

It flew directly past Loriel's head, yet still, she had no reaction as it whizzed past her head.

"Ugh!" The man landed on the side and brought his arm to the wound.

It was an encounter that lasted a mere few seconds. Naya was now back with Rula and Sophia, glaring at Loriel and the slightly wounded man.

She learned a lot from the brief bout of actions, which is why she usually prefers to attempt physical combat before magic; it tells her how her opponents fight. The man was fast, likely as fast as she was even enhanced, and his bones were abnormally powerful, which hinted at some kind of physical magic.

[He isn't a homunculus; he must have cast a physical-type spell before coming out and maybe even drank some potions. They intended to fight us from the start.]

--Likely. But remember, Loriel is an Elf and Succubus; we have no idea what she has up her sleeves. Even I don't have a clue. Her unconcerned attitude is worrying.--

[She chose to face me and Sophia; she has something. But it's no matter; her magic will be rendered useless.]

--Don't expose too much.--

The man moved back to Loriel's side, clutching his wounded shoulder.

"That's an interesting ability." Lorial didn't glance at him and crossed her arms. "But it's not enough, dear Naya."

--She doesn't know what you can do, good.--

Sophia similarly had her arms crossed and was eagerly watching. She knew Naya didn't like unnecessary assistance and had a smirk on her face as if she was totally confident in Naya's victory.

As for Rula, she had her sketchbook tightly held against her chest and looked as though she was actively resisting the urge to use it.

Naya decided against a physical battle as her small sphere of Arcana sizzled out a fair distance behind Loriel.

Loriel clapped once, "I can't wait to see what you have next."

With another pull on her Arcana, Naya's purple lines started to glow, and threads rapidly came from her fingertips to swirl in the air before her.

"Let's not be too boring. Go." Loriel ordered.

The man sprang into action immediately after the words left Loriel's mouth.

Rather than dash away, Naya charged to meet the man in the center.

She took great pride in her control, easily moving into action while forming a simple, small shape with her Arcana.

"Nice~" Loriel clapped.

The man's brows furrowed, "You'll regret that arrogance, girl."

In a flash of black and purple, Naya collided with the man.

"You're weak," Naya spoke coldly as her left forearm blocked a blow aimed at her head.

"Faster than you!" In another black flash, the man swung his leg at Naya's torso, the side she was using to control the threads of Arcana.

"False." Naya blocked it with her leg, then put on a mocking grin, her left hand snapped to grip it. While the man had speed, he lacked real power and wasn't strong enough to deal significant damage.

The man was cautious of the forming purple arrow in Naya's hand, which spelled irresistible doom.

Still, he couldn't break his leg free from Naya's grip to retreat. "Damn Elf!" Instead, he sent a flurry of punches aimed at various parts of Naya's body, and in streaks of purple, each one was blocked with pinpoint precision.

Naya would never lose in a martial bout; it was where most of her specialization and training went since her real power wouldn't reveal itself until after the opponent attacked with spells.

Even while weaving her body seamlessly and with little movement left to right, then using her free hand to stop blows, she couldn't help but think amid the flurry that most of her opponents thus far had been beaten in physical combat.

[Humans really know nothing.]

"You may be fast, but only a fool would challenge an Elf to physical combat; your master should know that, human," Naya said and let go of her hold on the small purple arrow.

Horror flashed on his face.

The arrow streaked through him effortlessly, aimed to purposefully pass any bone, a trail of purple light, and Naya simultaneously relinquished her hold on his leg. He was sent hurtling backward, unable to extract the arrow, which intensified the force of his expulsion.

The arrow didn't stop there; it hurtled toward Loriel's chest.

Loriel calmly raised two fingers, and a stone slab sprang up from the ground before her instantly.

Naya smirked.

The arrow struck the stone barrier and exploded into a cacophony of sound, filling the cavern with the roar of shattering rock.

As the dust settled, Loriel gracefully stepped through the remnants of her impromptu stone shield. "Impressively powerful," she commented, her eyes gleaming with intrigue.

Naya shouldn't have been surprised by the stone walls' strength, but she was very much so.

Loriel's command of the Earth and the wall's strength confirmed Naya's fear; Loriel had the trait that put Elves above every other race: the unaided command of Arcana.

--She also likely has whatever traits succubus has. It won't be an easy fight, Naya. --Lia's voice had a slight amount of concern.

Naya didn't care for that; her shock wasn't because Loriel would be stronger than she thought, but because it meant a Halfling Elf could inherit the Elves' most powerful trait.

[Did she inherit every other trait as well?]

--Doubtful, but her physical abilities are up there with yours.--

"What's wrong, Naya? You look stressed." Loriel crossed her arms again and appeared unconcerned while the man bled beside her.

"So that's Elven magic. You didn't create the wall but pulled it from beneath you." Sophia looked toward the rubble of stone, "Interesting."

Loriel chuckled. "Darling, you're in for a shock if you think that party trick was Elven magic." Though answering Sophia, her eyes never left Naya.

"I'm sure."

"Well, I should show you as a gift for getting here." Loriel uncrossed her arms.

Naya didn't know which magic school Loriel would be skilled in. Commanding the Arcana to move the Earth was a utility skill most Elves could do. But it didn't show any of her actual abilities.

She raised both of her arms parallel to her body; Naya struggled to keep a smirk off her face. The thought of seeing Loriel's arrogant expression shatter when her spell would break brought her immense joy.

"You know, Succubus are pretty weak." The ground began to rumble, and stones rattled around on the ground. "Their physical abilities are second to none, but their magic is subpar." The rumbling kept intensifying.

Naya's hope was shattered.

[Does she know my abilities? But that's impossible.]

--She clearly doesn't intend for this to be a life-and-death bout.--

Loriel wasn't using magic to create anything but to manipulate the land around them. Naya's ability only worked on things created by Arcana or if she could touch the Arcana controlling something. It was something her peers had tried taking advantage of.

But none to this extent.

"Damn, this really is brutish," Sophia spoke in disgust, "No beauty at all in this magic."

Although Sophia spoke like that, her arms were uncrossed, and her face was grave.

"I was going to collapse the cavern immediately..." Lorial shook her head with a smile, "...but that would be no fun."

Loriel snapped her hands shut, and two stone pillars erupted from the ground on her sides.

They kept growing until they nearly touched the ceiling of the cavern.

Naya tugged on her Arcana and called it forth, no longer caring for any shapes.

Two brutish-looking purple shards appeared at her side, and she aimed them at the base of both pillars.

Loriel only smirked.

Naya hesitated for only a moment but decided to release them.

At the same time, Lorial had her palms gently placed against both stone pillars as if they were her weapons.

The projectiles reached their target and boomed another cacophony of stone and destruction.

Yet Lorial appeared unharmed, only this time Naya barely caught a glimpse of a blue transparent wall fizzle out.

The stone pillars were unharmed, with only a crater dug into each.

The pillars began to rumble again, and the sound of collapsing stone filled the cavern as dust and rock were seemingly thrown from them.

Small holes began to form along the pillars as rocks were pulled out and shaped into sharp-edged rock.

Naya's eyes widened. [Such ridiculous control!]

She was turning all that stone into projectiles and making them small to rain it down on them.

"Think of it as a greeting." Loriel winked at Naya.

Naya charged forward, arriving before Loriel in an instant.

However, her path was stopped by another stone wall that nearly had her crash into it.

[How?!]

--She's already connected to this entire cavern; she prepared for our arrival. It's basically an extension of herself... --Lia started to sound panicked.

"Sorry, little Naya, but you'll have to do better than that."

Naya responded with a sharp punch to the stone wall, instantly exploding it, only for the shards to hit the transparent blue shield.

Immediately, another stone wall took its place.

"Come to me, Naya!" Sophia yelled.

Naya hesitated and glanced up; the pillars were now halved in size, and it looked like thousands of small rocks were floating in the air.

She would not be able to dodge them.

"Fine!"

Naya dashed back to Sophia and Rula.

Loriel purposefully took her time, turning the pillars into little rocks and watching Naya, Sophia, and Rula with a playful grin.

Her uncommitted attitude infuriated Naya, but she had never felt so hopeless.

[If they weren't here...]

--Don't entertain those thoughts!--

Naya would have launched her projectiles packed with as much explosive power as she could, even she didn't know how big she could make them. But let alone her own possible injuries, Rula and Sophia could die.

Sophia gently placed her hand on Naya's shoulder and stepped before her.

"You Elves have a nasty habit of not taking us humans seriously." Sophia's face held a frown, and she appeared genuinely upset.

Loriel chuckled. "Your race is filled with the weak; only a few stand out. Can you blame us?"

Sophia smirked. "You're pretty hot; it's a shame your attitude is a complete turn-off."

Loriel jokingly scoffed. "Leave it to a human to have low standards."

The stone pillars were gone, but enough small rocks were in the air to completely blot out the cavern's ceiling.

"This place could use an overhaul." Loriel pointed at the group.

There was no time to reach, and Naya snapped her hand up; she would create the barrier, even if the stability meant she would likely get hurt.

[Damn it, why must I care for these mortals!]

She could easily run backward toward the tunnel, but Rula and Sophia weren't fast enough.

Naya grit her teeth.

Sophia reached down and grabbed Naya's hand, along with Rulas. "Don't worry, this is nothing."

Naya didn't resist, and the group was now close together.

Sophia calmly raised her hand up.

Loriel swung her hand down, and the stone hail started. "Do your best, darlings!"

The thousands of sharp stones hurtled downward in a torrent of rocky rain.

At the same time, a black disc instantly formed above Sophia's hands, wide enough to cover all three of Naya, Rula, and herself as if it were an umbrella.

What happened next forced Naya to cover her ears due to the sheer volume of the sounds the rocks made

A deafening cacophony accompanied their descent. The impact was destructive; Wooden structures in the cavern bore the brunt of the onslaught.

The stones rock with such force that they smashed through roofs, shattered walls, and tore apart anything in their path.

Sounds of exploding wood, the impact of rock hitting the stone. Dust, rock, and wood made the once-quiet environment seem like doomsday was upon it.

Yet Naya couldn't take her eyes off the black disc above them.

[A portal? That quickly? ]

--She can actually make one instantly and wide enough to take in all the rock... I knew I was right about her.--

Sophia just smiled at them. "You showed me yours; I show you mine." She winked.

"It's so cool!" Rula flinched when a rock impacted the ground right outside the cover, and she hunched as close as she could to Naya.

Even the ground around them bore small impact craters.

After what felt like an eternity, the cavern quieted down, but it wasn't anything like before. Wooden slabs were everywhere, and impact craters covered the entirety of the ground.

Sophia's portal didn't close.

"Now, experience what a human can do." The portal closed, and Sophia moved her hand to point at Loriel.

Loriel's looked disappointed, "How boring."

However, her face instantly became grave, and her expression shattered instantly when Sophia's black portal appeared.

"You..."

She didn't finish because the stone hail burst from the portal toward her.

More rock impacting with stone, and the sound of hit hitting a magical barrier, which sounded like they were thumbing against an impenetrable glass.

Once the cascade stopped, the portal closed. "You know, I didn't think it'd do anyth-" Sophia smirked. "Well, it did a little... When something goes through the portal, it's practically frozen in time. So tell me, how does it feel to be hit by your own attack?"

A crack appeared in the blue barrier, one that quickly spread throughout before Loriel canceled it entirely, and the barrier sizzled out.

"That's the Void Realm. What are you, human?" Loriel wasn't playful, though her natural sultry tone was still there.

"A human, I was born like this."

"What's the void?" Rula whispered.

Sophia didn't answer, but Naya was curious as well.

--I am unaware of such a realm. But if she has access to such a place, I underestimated her before.--

"Fine, keep your secrets."

"You will die now!" Naya prepared to launch forward.

"No, I don't think I will." Loriel's playful smile returned. "But I will tell you where the Witch is."

"What?" Naya had forgotten that was the whole purpose of her being there.

"You're surprised face is cute." Loriel crossed her arms again. "The Witch's name is Verala Nurdoan. Go ahead and kill her; she fulfilled her purpose for me already, and I detest Witches."

"Why tell us?" Sophia asked dubiously.

"I never intended to keep working with her. I would have told you sooner, but little Naya is so quick to violence." Loriel yawned and glanced at the previous man's decimated body. "Well, I'm gonna go now. But do remember, what you saw today wasn't any of my real power."

Naya dashed forward.

"Not today, [Nayalisia]." Loriel winked and vanished in a puff of black smoke.

Naya froze, nearly stumbling over herself.