4 Refugees

They've been walking for hours now. Her legs feel like they're about to fall off. Glancing at the person who saved them, she couldn't help but wear a bewildered expression on her face.

Do elven royalty usually go and help people? No, that can't be right. As far as she knows, there's no royalty in the world who would go out of their way just to help people, especially refugees. They are more of a nuisance than anything.

It's not that she's ungrateful for their savior; it's just that you don't see royalty going around saving a bunch of refugees.

"Keep moving, and don't separate from the group. You don't want to get lost around here," one of the wood elf rangers shouted from the tree. It was quite a surprise when it turned out there were more people in the forest.

Earlier, when she was about to ask the name of their savior, a group of rangers came out of the forest. Looking at the rangers and the silver-haired elf, she felt confused. It's strange; it feels like they're trying to avoid him. Why? She can't shake the feeling that there's something wrong here.

Wait, is it forbidden to get too close to royalty? Terrified, she looked around the group. "Psst, Strawberry!" Turning around, she looks at one of the dark elves. Apple, he has striking black hair, something you don't usually see up north. "What do you think?" Raising a brow, Strawberry asked, "Huh, what do you mean?"

"Look at the rangers; don't you think it's odd? They have been avoiding him since we saw them. Heck, even the elders seem to avoid him." True to his words, the older dark elves are keeping quite a distance. "Yeah, I noticed it too," mumbling to herself, "Maybe it is illegal to be near royalty."

"What!?" Apple shouted in panic. "Shush! Keep your voice down. We're near Ankyloursus territory. Unless you want to be its next meal, I recommend you shut up," one of the rangers said in a threatening tone.

Gulping, the two quietly walk, the sounds of birds chirping through the trees calming their nerves a bit. Looking at the forest around them, they can't help but compare it with their home in the Forest of Tob.

"This place is huge; I can't believe such a forest exists." Nodding along with her companion, Strawberry looks at one of the trees. It was massive; its bark was thick and healthy; its height feels like it reaches the heavens. The forest feels like it hasn't been disturbed by anyone for thousands of years.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Turning their heads around, Elderberry looks at them with a smile. "Never thought I'd ever have a chance at visiting the elf Kingdom. Though I would have preferred coming here as a tourist, instead of a refugee."

Looking at the kids' bewildered expressions, Elderberry can't help but sigh. Reverting his attention from the kids, he then looks at one of the rangers. "I've heard that other dark elves have come to the elf Kingdom for asylum."

The ranger taking the cue said, "Yes, about a week ago there were reports stating that there has been an influx of dark elves taking refuge in the Kingdom. Yesterday was thought to be the last of them." The ranger looking at the group of dark elf refugees then continued, "Well, the world can be unpredictable. The elf kingdom has opened its doors to those seeking refuge, but it doesn't mean everyone is equally welcomed."

"Though I might ask, what force all of you to come here?" The elf ranger asked, "Oh, where are my manners I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Mythril, the squad captain of the elven ranger division." Flustered Elderberry clumsily introduces himself "Well, nice to meet you sir, I'm Elderberry, just some regular villager, and to answer your question. Well, it's quite complicated."

Raising a brow Mythril asked, "Oh, do tell." "Well for starters I don't really know what happened. It just popped out of nowhere really, you know how scary it is to wake up first thing in the morning hearing people screaming."

With a haunted look on his face, he continued, "then all of a sudden the ground started shaking violently, massive roots started sprouting from the ground. Then it appeared, its massive tentacles like branches swinging around midair. Its large mouth could swallow a dragon whole. Its demonic eyes could terrorize even the purest of souls. Zy'tl Q'ae!"

Looking around the group, you could see the others listening intently with grim faces. "I see, it seems your story matches with the other refugees." With a grimace on his face, he said, "I have to give this report to the council."

The silence gave everyone time to calm their nerves. A few minutes passed when they heard voices of children laughing. "It would seem we have arrived." A group of dark elf children playing below a tree. When they saw them, they immediately ran to greet them.

"Hey, where are you from?" One of the kids asked them energetically. "Yeah, where are you from? Haven't seen you before." Another kid asked. Before Elderberry could reply, Mythril interjected, "Where is Avocado?"

"Elder Avocado and the grown-ups are having a meeting. They told us to play outside." Nodding, Mythril looked at the group and said, "Well, everyone, welcome to the refugee camp. This place has been designated by the council as the temporary residents of the refugees. If any of you have questions, please don't be afraid to ask."

Finally having the chance to speak, Elderberry asked, "Umu, we're grateful and all, but where exactly do we stay?" Looking at Elderberry's concerned face, Mythril responded, "Ah, yes, that would be discussed later on with the rest of the refugees."

"For now, why don't we go ahead and rest; I'm sure all of you must be tired after traveling for so long."

"Finally!" Startled by the sudden voice, everyone looked at Apple, who was currently lying on the ground with tears dripping from his eyes. "I don't have to keep running anymore." Seeing Apple crying, Elderberry looked around everyone with a sad look. They have lost so much—their loved ones, family, friends. To think they would all disappear just like that. They weren't even given enough time to say goodbye. Life could be so unfair sometimes.

Looking at the crowd, Strawberry was completely lost. They're finally safe, no more running, no more hiding, but at what cost? Her entire family is dead. She's only 100 years old, too young to do anything. She only survived because her father, the village chief, ordered the children to run immediately. Her body felt numb; her hands kept shaking. "Kid, look at me." Finally noticing the hand placed on her shoulder, Strawberry looked at Elderberry.

"It's alright, kid, let it all out." She tried to speak, but all that came out was a stuttering sound. Tears started dripping from her eyes; she tried to close them, but to no avail, her tears kept pouring down. Hands wrapped around Strawberry. "Hey, hey, it's okay, we're safe now, no one can hurt you now, we're safe."

A myriad of emotions swirled inside her—sadness, fear, anger, but most of all, she felt happy. With puffy eyes, Strawberry looked at the sky; with a hoarse voice, she muttered, "Mom, dad, I did what you told me, I survived."

CHARACTER SHEET

Kaelan Lv.29

Age: 94

HP - 20

MP - 3

AGILITY - 25

PHY ATTACK - 18

PHY DEFENSE - 15

MAG ATTACK - 0

MAG DEFENSE - 13

RESISTANCE - 11

SPECIAL ABILITY - 24

TOTAL STATS - 129

RACIAL CLASS

Wood Elf

JOB CLASS

Ranger - 10

Archer - 10

Master Archer - 5

Others - 3

One of Decem's offspring. He's appearance greatly resembles his father as such many have come to fear him. He also possessed a talent that increases his archery skills.

Before the soul of the mc got transported to the new world. The original Decem thought that Kaelan had great potential for he has inherited his eyes.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Hey guys sorry for the late update. Been busy with preparing for Christmas eve. Heck I even cut my finger while chopping some onions.

Anyways, I'm still in the planning stage on how I should go on with this fic. You've probably noticed it already but I'm not a good writer. I'm new to writing so I hope you'll bear with me.

Also if you haven't noticed yet I changed the character sheets from the previous chapters. I realized they were a little bit too strong and needed a little bit of tweaking. Peace 🕊️✌️

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