Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Six months before the arrival of the ship

"What is the meaning of this? How can you lose 6 of our men?" Krox screams at his subordinate. "If the Elf finds out about us, everything for the last 48 years was for nothing!"

The 1. commander on his knees shivers, "I'm sorry, please, forgive me. They left to patrol the woods seven months ago. Now they're a month late. Something must have happened. Should I send a search force, General?"

"No, you useless idiot. Should the Elf find a second group, he'll know for sure. I've no doubt he already does. Let us hope the leaf licker King has him under control. Leave. I have to report to the Empress."

"Yes, General." He bows and leaves. Krox gets up and walks through a door on the other side. He walks for 15 minutes through narrow tunnels until he arrives at a big door. 2 warriors stand guard on each site.

"Tell the Empress General Krox has an important report!" He tells them. One of them gets in. After a few minutes, he comes back and holds the door open.

The Throne room is nothing like the old one. Empty beside the female Goblin on the throne out of the bones of small animals. Ten meters in front of the throne, he takes a knee. "My Empress. General Krox is here to report."

"Speak." She orders.

"We lost a team of 6 patrols. We assume they're dead, or maybe they got captured by the Elf." He reports. Then waits for her response. He knows he has to be punished. It was his men to put them all in danger. For this reason, he has to take responsibility.

"I'm disappointed. But there's nothing we can do now. We're almost done here. How many are back home by now?"

"With the last ship, 50.000. Also, the ships are almost ready to depart with the rest." He replies.

"Good. I can't wait to get out of here as for you. Before our leave, you're not to leave ANY sign of us! Use whatever you need. That's all. Now leave"

"Yes, Empress." He bows, still on his knee. He leaves the room with shaky hands and a sinister smile on his face.

*******************

Pov Finn

The day before the arrival of the ship

We're sitting outside the cabin in silents. It's getting slowly darker, but the fire gives us enough light. Then Askei says. " Ever since I got to this island, I have given up on my daughter, my people, and myself. I was waiting to die. But since I met you, something in me awakened, and for that, I'm very grateful. I enjoyed our time here."

"Ah, come on. Don't make this emotional. You helped me a lot more. We're friends, right? So let us not count who did what for whom."

"Yes. Sounds good to me." Again we sit there only after a few minutes; he continues, "Use everything I taught you. It will get dangerous. You're now almost Tier 1, which makes you as strong as a recruit. But don't get me wrong, you can beat soldiers easily in a fight. What I mean is that your core is underdeveloped. It should be possible for you to advance it to T2 yellow by the time you get to Esaville, your first city. You know how to get to the capital from there, right."

I wave my hands. "Yes, yes. You already told me like 100 times. You better tell me how strong I must be to get into the palace. Without dying. I would prefer."

"You should at least be Tier 2 Black. So if you meet an Elite, you won't pass out."

"Why-why would I pass out?" I ask worriedly.

"Didn't I tell you? When you get to Tier 2 Black, you will get your Aura. It has different names, 'Aura of dominance' or of supremacy. In the end, it's just fancy names. The Aura is the first step to real power; only some can awaken it. The reason why it's the first step is that only an Aura can counter another Aura. When used, it will lay around you like a second skin. It'll then radiate strong pressure around you. Here let me show you."

"Wait. Don't show me. Hey." Suddenly the whole surroundings changed. The air pushes down on me, and his body shines light green. It's getting harder to breathe. My eyes start to water, and the next moment it's gone. I lay on the ground, breathing hard, with tears running down my face.

"What the fuck was that? Was that your Aura? I'm not going into the palace before I can do something about this." I've decided at this moment.

"Wise decision," Askei replies.

---------------------------------------------

Askei spots the ships hours before I can. Enough time for me to take a nap. I need to be in good condition as this is my only chance to leave. There won't be a next because if they catch me, they'll kill me. We already said our goodbyes yesterday. It's not the last time we'll see each other. We both know it.

I'm under the pier. We built a small platform, so only my feet are underwater. I wait until it's dark. Luckily, the elves set camp on the beach. They lay on the sand before the pier, sleeping under the stars. It must be hard to be on the sea for a long time.

My bag with proviant is hanging next to me. When I'm sure they're sleeping, I swim slowly to the back of the ship. Getting on it is a lot easier than I thought. I sneak down to the lower deck, where I will live for the following months.

I stay awake for the night, so I hear them board in the morning. Their security is lacking. They didn't even check for stowaways. Now that it's dawning, I get a good look at the ship. It's beautiful. The outside looks like an ordinary wood ship. But the inside is all out of white wood, almost like marble. What kind of tree is this? Maybe it's marble. Who knows.

The first month went by fast. Time flies by when you're busy. I meditate half the day. The other half, I work out. Last night I had a strange dream about a young girl in her teens. Her face looked a lot like mine now. Is she my sister? She cried and screamed at me, but I didn't hear any words. This day I didn't train. My thoughts always jump back to the crying girl.

Today one of the Elves came down. He picked a crate up and left. I'll be fine if they don't carry them all away because I hide behind. I've enough room to move around and only climb out at night or when I've to, you know, do my business.

In about 2 months, we'll arrive in Esaville. I'll use that time to work on the fine control of Mana. When you convert the Essence into Mana, you bind it to yourself through your core. Also, Askei explained to me that Mana has no fixed form. This's all I know right now. So, I'll use my time on the ship to test the limit.

I drop to the floor. 30 seconds. Not too bad. I used Mana to glue my hand to the ceiling and hang there. If I could do this with my feet, could I walk up walls? Perhaps, but I would need a more powerful core. As of now, I can strengthen my body and do other, for now, useless things.

The core works like a battery. It recharges automatically. To charge it faster, you need to meditate. Using Mana to power your muscles is simple. All you've to do is add Mana to your everyday moves. But I should use it sparingly. My core is still weak. I would like to know if I can empower my body permanently with Mana.

This time two elves visit me. I hear them talk while they walk down the stairs, "almost home again. What're you planning to do?" This one sounds female.

The other one, a man, answers, "I'm going back to my village for a few weeks. After that, I don't know yet. Maybe another job for Mayor Ellias. What about you?"

"You still didn't find their leader? I'm going to help my father in the shop." She replies.

"Still? Really? It's not like I don't want to. These bandits are just very sneaky. Before we left, I heard they're moving toward the capital."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." She answers.

I hear them move some crates and then leave. I will arrive in my first city soon. I can't wait.

****************

Pov Bonny

1 month before, in Twin City.

I'm so happy I joined the merchant group Unlimited Trades. No other way would I've been chosen to establish a trade contract with the Elves. So I traveled from Varuna, Insani's capital, to Twin City, the biggest city in the world. And now the Ironbone clan, one of the rulers of the dwarfs, will escort us to the Elfen lands.

"We will leave in one hour. Get ready." I shout to my fellow traveler. We're a party out of 50 mercenaries and 10 merchants. Some are from a smaller merchant group, but I don't know them. An excellent opportunity to make new connections.

-------------------------

"Bonny, sir," one of the dwarfs walks towards me, "everything is ready for departure." 5 of the Ironbone's Dwarfs will escort us through the mountains to the Elfen land. Then we will be on our own up to Esaville.

"Perfect. We're moving out, people. We have a long way to go." We have 16 carriages with merchandise and another 5 for the proviant and the merchants pulled by Grandgoats. A present from the Ironebone clan. The Dwarfs hope that the Humans and Elves will begin a new, better relationship with this deal.

Without any interruptions, we travel for a few days. We're taking a break on the side of the road, and I overhear the merchants from the smaller group. "Yes, we'll make it to the Auction, don't worry. Everything is arranged. We just have to get there."

"Ah. Are you also going to attend the Auction? What're you selling?" I ask them. I expect little, as they don't look like real merchants, unlike me.

"We won't sell anything at the Auction. We're going to sell wine and grain in the city. I heard they're short on food. So we should get some good money there." The leader of the group responds. His name is Peter.

"Sounds good. We brought fruits and vegetables from the city of sand. Also, we will sell items made in the Capital. But for the Auction, we got something special. 3 Artifacts." I say proudly. I'm waiting for a good reaction, but they don't seem impressed. Don't they know what I'm talking about?

After a couple of seconds, one of them yells, "Three Artifacts!" There it's. Their heads are just lagging.

"What kind of Artifacts are you selling?"

"I can't tell you. You have to come to the Auction." I wink at him.

"We will." He smiles.

My experience tells me something is off. Why weren't they impressed by the artifacts? And their response sounded fake. I've to keep an eye on them. This is my life's mission, and I won't let anything get in my way.

You are reading story Ancient Bloodline at novel35.com

 

******************

Pov Finn

When I arrive in Esaville, my core is T2 yellow. Just like Askei predicted. I could've been at a higher stage, but my focus was to control the Mana better. Now, I'm a lot stronger.

The ship docked in the evening. I wrapped myself in a thin layer of Mana to stay dry, then jump into the water and swim to the docks. I sneak until I stand ahead of a forest with gigantic trees at least 80 meters high and 10 in diameter. All of them are painted with green leaves. To both my sides are small ports on the shoreline. I walk between these massive woods towards the lights. Finally, I arrive at the edge of a city.

It's awesome. Even better than I imagined. In front of me, houses grow out of the trees up to the crown. From bottom to top is a walkway big enough for 4 people to walk side by side. There're even bridges from trees to trees. The branches support everything, and I assume they got manipulated to grow like this. I love it. Askei told me Jade, the capital, will be much more magnificent. As I don't have any money, I'm going to find a place outside the city to sleep.

After a good night of sleep, I walk into the city. In the daytime, it's still as fabulous as at night. I stroll further into the center. Many Elves walk around early in the morning, but I can also see some humans running around in groups of two or more. Nobody pays attention to me, so I go toward an older Elf to ask for directions. "Excuse me. Can you tell me a place where I can find work? Doesn't matter what kind, just to make some money."

He is working with small branches, folding them. Looks like half a basket. He looks me up and down. Then he points in the direction further to the center and says. "Go 10 minutes in that direction. Then step into the larges building. You can't miss it. Now shoo."

"Thank you very much."

"harumph"

Like the Elf said, it was easy to pinpoint the building. It's big, and in contrast to most houses, this one is on the ground. Above the entrance, in large letters, stand 'Partnership of Peace'. Sounds nice. I walk inside. Here are a lot more Humans and Elves too. They talk and laugh, and the atmosphere between the two races appears better.

I walk to one of the desks and ask. "Good morning. Can you tell me where I can get a job?"

"Good morning, sir. My name is Astrol Aganis. For work applications, you found the right place. What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for literally anything. I'm short on money, you know."

"Been there. I still need to know. Are you ready to work with Elves? Can you leave the city? If yes, is the duration limited? And can you fight, or do you want something farmer related?"

"Working with Elves is no problem. Love them-...you? I have nothing against Elves. If I have to travel in the direction of Jade without going back, it's okay too. I can do farming or fighting."

"Okay," he gives me a peculiar look but continues, "farmer's work will be harder to get you into. There were some incidents. I have an escort assignment to Jade. Is it something you're interested in?"

"Yes. That is the direction I want to go." I say.

"One week ago, merchants arrived from Twin City. They got a request out, but only a few want to travel to the capital these days. So they still can't leave as too few have applied."

"Sounds good to me. But why won't anybody go? Bandits?" I ask him.

"Yes, but also, there is more and more hate from the Royal palace towards the humans. Some Elfs take advantage of it and rob them without repercussion. Sometimes even worse."

"It's concerning. I still take the job. What's the pay?"

"25 silver. Also, you get 20 more when you defeat bandits. I don't mean to offend you, but it can get dangerous. I could find you something here in the city.

"Thanks, but I will be okay. When do we leave?"

He browses through some books and replies. "Tomorrow morning, here in front of the building."

"Perfect. Thank you." I say goodbye and leave. I have something else to do before tomorrow.

I have to deliver a letter from Askei to somebody. I don't know who. All he said was to find an inn named 'The Whispering Snake'. Thus I ask around. The inn is on the other edge of the city. It takes me half hour to get there. Then I have to ask for directions once again.

After 10 more minutes, I stand in the slumps of Esavilla. It can't be called a slump, but it is compared to the rest. Before me is a house in bad shape. Inside there's nobody. Shouldn't there be drunks at any time here? I walk by the tables to the counter and knock on it a few times.

To the side, an Elfen woman walks out. She is stunning. Brown short hair. Deep blue eyes. She can't be older than 25.

"Welcome. You have money?"

"Ahem. No. But I'm not here to buy anything."

"Then what do you want?" She looks suspicious at me.

"I'm looking for Amelia. I have a letter for her. It-It's from the Hero of Treebugs." Why do I have to say this? So embarrassing. Askei said it's some kind of safe word.

She walks quickly to the door to close it. Then takes my hand and drags me to the room she came out of. She sits me on a small couch and then stares at me. I'm getting uncomfortable even though the sofa is soft. Then, she beat me to it just when I wanted to talk.

"How-no, where-no, why... I mean." She struggles to find the right words. I enjoy it. Thus I let her. So I just sit and wait and look around the room. It's small and empty except for the couch and a small table. Then, finally, she seems to find the right words.

"So you know Askei. Do you know who he is-was?" Straight to the point. I like it.

"Yes, he told me. At least the short version." I reply.

"I see. And you're here for?"

"The letter," I say and show it to her. She takes it and starts reading. She looks at me from time to time but doesn't say anything.

"Finn." She calls me.

"Hm. What's up? Bad news?"

"That depends. Do you know what you're getting into?"

"Not everything. But yes, I can imagine. It doesn't really matter anymore. I gave my word, thus have to do what I must do."

"Okay. Then at least, I can help you out a bit. The capital is dangerous for humans."

"I know that." I interrupt her.

"But do you know why? I don't think so. Listen. Suspicious things are happening in the palace. Some even say they're getting ready for war."

"War? Against whom? It can't be the Dwarfs, right?" The Dwarfs are in a good relationship with both races. "Does this mean war against the Humans?"

"That's the only conclusion. But the king has few supporters, so it'll take some time to get it. But the people feel it. So now a few organizations, who already hated the Humans, are trying to chase all of you out."

"I will travel with Human merchants tomorrow. Will this be a problem, or should I go alone?" I ask her. She knows better than me.

"Traveling with them is safer for you. I assume they will go to Jade to sell their merchandise at the Auction and thus have a big escort."

Suddenly a young man walks in. He walks by on the other side towards a second door without acknowledging us.

Amelia calls him, "Tom, you're back. Here meet..."

"Yeah, whatever." His eyes are still to the front. He just leaves. I look over to Amelia.

"My son. He's usually nicer, I'm sorry. He works in Jade and doesn't like what is going on there. So he took some time off."

"Don't worry about it. I should go. I have to find a place to sleep."

"You don't have money. Where are you going to sleep?"

"I will find some good tree. We're old friends." I smile at her.

"Don't be a fool. You stay here for the night." She insisted. Thus, I stayed the night. In the morning, I left with some money and a small bag with proviant.

You can find story with these keywords: Ancient Bloodline, Read Ancient Bloodline, Ancient Bloodline novel, Ancient Bloodline book, Ancient Bloodline story, Ancient Bloodline full, Ancient Bloodline Latest Chapter