Chapter 52: 50 – Puppet Master

Night has fallen once more and Talon and I are flying south again. I really wish these fuckers would just back off and retreat. If they did, I have a plan I want to put in motion, but I guess I'll have to wait. Arriving at the castle, I see the camp still in place but changed a bit. Why won't these bastards just back the fuck off? It looks like they moved all the tents inside of the ruins for extra protection. 

Flying around more, I spot their supply wagons. Being a larger force and geared for combat unlike my elves, these carry their supplies in thin, hand drawn carts with everything inside of crates or barrels. Looks like they tried to disguise them from above by covering them with large branches. They also only have one guard. Maybe to hide it better? Or do they just have no military strategy experience? Well, I guess we did kill their leader and probably most of his main people the first two nights. Hopefully tonight will send them packing. 

I've avoided attacking their supplies because it could have been seen as too calculated for Talon to attack them right after attacking their command tent. As well as because I wanted them. They have a good amount of resources that could be handy for my group, but I've yet to have a chance to steal them. Until now.

"Alright, Talon. See that bunch of carts they're trying to hide under that brush? I want you to land a mile or so away and drop me off. I'll take off your things, then I want you to fly really high so you won't be seen. Watch that pile. When I'm done, I'll start a small fire. When you see that fire, I want you to fly down and scream as loud as you can. Get everyone's attention with the scream and fan the flames to be as large as possible. I'll be in the shadows. The second you start to see people coming, fly off and go back to where you dropped me and Ill meet you back there after I fuck with them a bit more."

"Pii!"

"Thanks for always being so dependable, girl." Patting her on the head, she descends and drops me off. 

After taking off her tack, I jog off and she flies up. Sneaking up to the lone guard, I slap my hand over her mouth and stab her in the heart with a dagger. Once she is dead, I take out my hippogryph claws and swipe her corpse a couple times, including stabbing a talon where her heart is to cover up a dagger making the hole.

I then head over to the supplies. Taking my big-bag, I open them all and empty them. No use letting good supplies go to waste. The one thing I did waste that was there, was some oil. This would only make my life easier. I poured oil over the empty crates. Once done, I used fiire magic and lit the pile before going behind the closest tree on the far side of the supplies from the entrance of the castle. Crouching down with all of my stealth and dark magic skills on, I wait. As the fire spreads, a couple seconds later I hear my partner in crime.

"PIIIIII!"

Like a feathered and hooved comet, the wild hippogryph descends and begins fanning the pile. I'm still close, so I start adding more fire with my magic. Within seconds, the wooden crates and wooden carts that the dipshit elves covered in more wood, becomes a massive fucking bonfire. Shouts are going up from inside the castle, and I begin to see archers and spearmen run out. Talon takes off before they can attack, but I wait. If they have mages, they can put the fire out. If it goes out before burning enough, it will be more obvious someone took everything. I need this fire to burn itself out.

I wait in the shadows until I see the first mage looking knife eared bastards start going towards the pile. Taking out a grenade, I activate the enchantment, but with a much lower amount of mana. I toss it into the bonfire, unseen from the backside of the fire. Three. Two. One. Boom! Due to the lower amount of mana, it's not nearly as large of an explosion as normal. Even so, it's enough to make everyone stop as some flaming wood and burning splinters fly through the area. I want this to burn to ash, and if the mages are too scared to get close due to something in the supplies being explosive, that's what'll happen. 

I keep secretly stoking the fire from behind the tree on the back side of it. It's almost a minute before a mage gathers the courage to step forward again. That just means another minor grenade gets tossed in. Man. Something in those supplies sure was explosive, huh? Boom!

After that, I wait a few more minutes, but nobody steps forward again. By now, even they can see the entire pile is a lost cause. At this point, I back away farther into the jungle and jog back to Talon. Damn! Being a rogue is fun! 

We fly back, chatting with the girls at home along the way, and hugging Talon for Anastasia. After another day of jogging, night falls once more. Flying off with Talon, it's starting to take longer for these trips back and forth. I'm only getting a couple hours of sleep each night, but sometimes when Talon and I are on patrol, I'll strap myself to her and close my eyes for an hour or so in the saddle while we're away from the elves.

Arriving at the castle, it's finally time! They're gone! I didn't see them on the way, so they aren't following us! Fuck yes! My plan can move forward soon! 

"Talon! Fly high and in an increasingly large circle until we find their new camp!"

"Pii!"

From being so high, it didn't take long before we found the camp. They had marched in a west-northwest direction from the castle. With the information I needed, we flew back to our elves and called it a night. 

The next morning, I went to find Dharma and Zahra. "Princess Zahra, Priestess Dharma. Could I speak to you for a moment?"

"Certainly, Queen Midnight," Dharma said as they both stood up.

We walked a bit away from the other elves, then I got to business. 

"The pursuing elves have abandoned our trail. I assume they are going towards a main base."

Zahra' eyes went wide. "That's great, Lia! Now we can continue without worry!"

I hold a hand up to stop her. "Not quite. There's still something I want to do, but it may take me a few days. Even at the pace we're going, the edge of your forest is, what, another week? Week and a half?"

"I would say so," Dharma said. "I assume you'll be leaving the group while you take care of whatever you're planning?"

"I am. I assume that after fighting and running for so long, you all are accustomed to fighting any of the normal enemies in your land, correct? I didn't see any monsters while traveling here in the elven forest/jungle."

"We are, and so long as we don't run into the other elves, we'll be just fine. You focus on whatever you're doing, as I'm sure it will be of great help in protecting us. I'm old, but I can still protect these people and this little sprite here."

"What are you planning, Lia?" Zahra asked.

I ponder for a moment. "Alright, Zahra. Think of this. I knew where they were, and now know a direction they were leaving from there. If I'm right that they are returning to a main base, then the direction they left would be the rough direction of their base.

"With that, I have a rough idea where their base is. Now then. If what Dharma thinks is true, and that they are trying to kill you in hopes that the Empire will not attack them, what would make them stop trying to get you?"

She bites her bottom lip in thought. "Hmm… Destroying the Empire?"

I chuckle a bit to myself. "Yes, but think smaller. Think of the words I just said and the reason they are hunting you."

"Um… Then thinking the Empire will attack them anyway?"

"Good. I'll give you a B grade. Better than just thinking, would be if they were actually attacked, or thought they were attacked, by the Empire."

Her gears start turning. "How will you get the Empire to attack? Somehow tell them where they are? But won't they just run like we always have from them?"

I nod. Slowly, she's starting to think of the reactions of different actions. "That's one way, but like you said, isn't very effective or fast acting." I take out an Empire tabard with the damn sun emblem on it. "I have some stuff tucked away from when we killed a company of knights. I'm going to attack them as an Empire knight, kill the General and his top men, and leak some information that will begin to turn these enemies into potential allies."

She keeps thinking. "But even if you cover or replace your armor, won't they recognize your voice if they ever become our allies? Then they'll know they were tricked. Talon being a hippogryph is one thing, as they all look the same and you could even deny it since everybody here just thinks you're patrolling each night. That's why you said not to tell them you were attacking the elves, right?"

"Good! You're thinking of the reasons behind what I do and potential problems. Good work, and you're right, but here's where knowledge and how to use it comes into play. You know how there are different rocks that are all classified as simply rocks and how some rocks are made up of mixes of different minerals for ores, right?"

"Sure."

"Now here's something you might not know. There are different gasses that all make up the air we breathe. Air isn't just a single substance. It's made up of a bunch of different things that allow your body to use it. Let me show you two of these gasses and what happens when you breathe them in higher concentrations."

I created a small ball of helium with magic above my hand and held it there.

"Here. One of the gases I made with magic is in my palm above my hand. Lower your face and take a big breath. Then introduce yourself."

Confused a bit still, she leans down and takes a deep breath. "Hello, I am—what's wrong with my voice! What magic is this?!"

"Hahaha! It's not magic, it's science!" I say in my best Bill Nye impression. I can't help but crack up as well. Helium voice never gets old. "Just breathe normally and your voice will go back to normal soon. Now then, Dharma, if you would show the effects of this second gas?"

She does the same to my other hand.

"Greetings, I—Ohohoho! This is quite the change! Fascinating!"

"That one is called sulphur hexafluoride."

I create some inside of my mask and breathe it in.

"As you can see, I don't sound nearly the same. It sounds weird, but without the gas, trying to disguise my voice would never make it sound like this. Without knowing about the gas, there would be no way to know it was my voice. You can't breathe it constantly or you'll pass out, but before I talk, I can take a big breath and then breathe normal air between. Zahra. This is another thing you should keep secret. Should a time come that you ever need to disguise your voice, if everyone knew this was possible, it wouldn't be near as effective."

"Alright. Thank you for showing me, Lia," she says, voice back to normal.

"Sure. Now, I'll be going for a while. You all be safe. Slow down if you need to. As long as you go straight north, I'll find you. Just tell the others I saw something suspicious and will be checking it out for a few days."

Dharma pats my shoulder. "Be safe, Lia."

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"Take care," said Zahra.

Seeing them off, I hop on Talon and we fly away, back to the castle. Dismounting, I sit down and take out a bunch of church related items.

"Now then. How best to do this…"

Going through the pile I eventually find some things that'll work. Editing them with earth magic, I think I have what I need. I ended up with a white long sleeved tunic that went down to mid-thigh. Leather gloves that go up my forearm that I can tuck the sleeves into, with steel vambraces molded over top. A steel helmet, the type that is a cylinder with a flat top and just a slit for the eyes, molded around my own helmet. I have a pair of white pants, leather boots, and steel greaves that are molded over top. If it wasn't for my equip skill and magic, this outfit would be impossible to wear. Finishing off the look is a church tabard and a white cloak over my shoulders like a cape with that ugly sun on it. I magically clean all of it, making it an annoyingly bleached white. It's a bit weird having boots over my own, and gloves over my gauntlets, but I can still somewhat move effectively. Taking out a mirror, I look at myself. 

"Damn. I look like a fucking Medieval Crusader or something. Holy shit."

Thinking through my weapons, I take out the oversized big ass sword from the dragonid boss. If I can't move nimbly, using a big ass weapon to blow everyone away with stats will be good. Should I just be named Guts or Cloud with this damn thing? Fuck, this makes me look just like those church bastards, too. You can't even see my armor under all of this. I'm a god damned wolf in sheep's clothing. Or would a dragon in wolf's clothing be better? Definitely setting this as my 'church set.' Unequipping the getup, I go over and join Talon for her nap. 

Waking up that evening, we flew high and in the direction the elves went. Finding them farther, but in the same direction, we continue past them. Eventually, just off to the side, we spot some activity. Keeping cloaked in dark magic against the black sky, we fly over to it. What we find is a large wooden wall with buildings inside. They made an entire fucking town out here! I also see a sizable military force. It's only about a two day march from the retreating group. Excellent.

"Fly a few miles away, Talon. We'll sleep for the rest of the night and strike during the day."

Doing as I ask, we fly away from the military town and I take her tack off. Just in case someone sees her while I'm gone. Can't let people know she isn't wild. Taking a nap, it's almost time for the show to begin.

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POV - ???

Sitting in my office, I think of the intel we got a couple months ago. The spy said that the priestess received an oracle about someone bringing salvation to their group. It isn't like many here are fervent believers in Sol. We all grew up with stories about the humans and their church betraying the elves. Many even had questions if we were still doing the right thing. It's been centuries since the humans gave us that option to end the war.

I had to really push hard to keep all of my forces here. Many even wanted to join the other group. I can't let that happen. I still don't trust the humans, but when I get my hands on that sword, I'll make myself the King of the Elves. Then, once they are all under my banner, we'll plan to strike back against the humans. The end of the war will only come when they're all dead.

I definitely can't let a weak little girl keep that sword. Her father was too naïve and stupid as well. I can't let someone seeking peace keep the symbol of our sovereignty. Screw the gods. Any and all of them. I'll make the elves great with my own hands! 

The Colonel should be back soon with the sword. So many years I've been waiting for those rats to stay still. Then we can prepare to strike the damn humans. After doing some more paperwork, I hear a loud explosion in the distance. Standing up, I grab my sword and walk out of the office to see what happened. Just then, someone runs up.

"General! Human attack from the northeast!"

"How many?" If it's an army, we may have to retreat.

"It's one man, General. But he killed the squad we sent in an instant!"

One man? Is that how little they think of us? Looking around, my seven elites are here. Colonel and the other three elites are still out, so we'll go deal with this.

"Form up! We're going to intercept this bastard, double time!"

"Yes, Sir!" They all salute.

Soon, we all run off to where we hear fighting. Then we see him. A man with a massive sword and his white clothes covered in blood. A trail of bisected bodies and limbs behind him.

The man shouts, "Isn't there anyone here who can put up a fight! Are all elves this weak?! I know children who are more talented with magic than you small fry! Muahahaha!"

What an eerie voice, and such an evil laugh. Their voice also resonates as if it can be heard by all within the town. 

We finally arrive and I call out. "Halt this violence! We've been searching for the Godsword and will have it and the head of the last elven royalty soon!"

The intruder stops and turns to me, completely ignoring arrows plinking off of his armor under his clothes.

"Wait. Do you idiots still believe that? Hahaha! Dumbasses! We sent that to trick the elves! To get them to fight each other for us! You idiots actually tried to kill your own people all these years? Hahaha!"

The man went back to killing the stunned elves. Many began running, spirits now broken, knowing that what they fought for was a lie. After a few seconds the bastard spoke again.

"This is boring! Only that fucking Vampire Queen can fight us! That fucking bitch! We sent our strongest forces and didn't even get to her walls! And she has the nerve to gather all of the races and make a safe haven at an old vampire castle? Only Sol can bring safety! Not her God of Order or Goddess of Chaos! One day when we're stronger I swear we'll kill her!"

"Don't worry, General, your elites will stop him!" My men form up in front of me as I'm still trying to take in this absurd situation. 

I need to keep these elves together with me to get power! This is wrong! It's not supposed to be like this! 

The bastard launches straight at us. My elites all try to block or counter. Two are sliced in half, armor and all. The spears of another deflects off of his armor before he is punched and his face caves in. Arrows from two just bounce and magic from the last two is blocked by the broad side of his sword. With a wave of his hand a wind blade larger than any I've seen cuts my last four elites in half. This is insane! What ridiculous strength and magic!

"You bastard!" I swing my own sword at him as I focus on my trump card. 

Nobody has ever blocked this. As he deflects my sword, with my other hand I launch my ultimate light beam, point blank at his chest! Take that, you human scum! Without time to dodge, I put as much magic as I could into that beam and watch it strike him. Ha!

The bastard looks down, and then I realize something. There's no blood. Just a hole through his clothes. Somehow this bastard's armor blocked my light beam!

"Hahahaha! Holy fucking shit! This fucking armor is so OP!"

Before I could do anything else, a pain registered through my entire body. Looking down, I saw his sword sticking through my chest. I guess this is where it ends. I think one final word before my vision goes black. Fuck.

=====

POV - Dalia

Fuck! That light beam was scary! I saw him trying to fire something and thought about seeing what it was, but I didn't fucking expect that! I almost had a damn heart attack! Holy shit, thank you Chaos! Hahaha! Withdrawing my sword from the way too stereotypical villain character of Mr. General, I continue with my overly dramatic play. Hopefully shock, fear, and stress will cover-up my obviousness.

Taking a deep breath of gas, I yell, "So weak! The Vampire Queen single handedly killed a company of my strongest forces! Dammit! I need to go find strong monsters to train to even fight her underlings! Stupid weak elves! Even your walls are weak! Hers are fifty feet tall! How are we supposed to get through that! Dammit! That fucking over powered cunt! How dare she accept refugees! Argh! Since I can't train against you shrimps, I'll go train somewhere else!"

With that, I walk back out of the hole I made with a javelin in their wall. Killing the couple elves with big balls but tiny brains who try to stop me. Once out and in the jungle, I jog back towards Talon, circling around the camp.

Well then. I think I laid it on pretty thick back there. On Earth, I would probably win a Razzie for my acting. Elves all seem to be pretty stupid, and I doubt any were thinking straight. The brain usually does a good job of glossing over information or filling in holes when presented with something shocking and completely unexpected. So... it's probably alright. 

Like, seriously. Did they get their intelligence from manga protagonists and villains? Do they not realize that three hundred years means multiple emperors have lived and died since they were given that option? Did they really believe whoever is in power now would uphold something from their, what, great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparent? Or that some random human knight three hundred years later would be privy to that information?

With this, at least from what Dharma said, their two leaders are dead. I assume the idiotic seven people around him were some of the elites, like they announced. Somehow, I wouldn't be surprised if given the chance, they had poses for their team and called themselves the Ginyu Force or some shit. It would've just been par for the course. Too bad I didn't give them a chance. 

Now, we'll have a group of leaderless elves, scared of the Empire and without hope that killing Zahra will save them. They had the tidbit of knowledge that there's a safe place from the Empire shoved down their throat so far it came out their ass. They also know the Vampire Queen is someone who accepts all races that the Empire can't beat. 

Even if there were some elves that had half a brain to look at all of the coincidental circumstances and my obvious over-acting, I'm hoping their voices are buried under the scared voices from the masses. Having a different narrative be repeated around you can make you start to question your own memory or make fake memories. Eyewitness testimony in shocking and chaotic situations is notably unreliable, after all. 

They only have two choices now. Flee into the forest, or flee to me. Even if some elves don't come, I feel like many or most of them will begin to move north, hoping to find their new hope. Many times, having any type of stability is better than living in the forest, always looking over your shoulder for when the Boogie Man will come.

Damn. Maybe Anastasia's right. I just might be a demon lord. This was almost as manipulative as what I'm going to do against the humans. Fuck, I feel like Emperor Palpatine with how much I am, or am going to be, manipulating the humans and elves. Why can't they all just be cool and chill, with all their shit together like the dwarves? Oh well. I'll just try not to go to the dark side. Though that oracle did call me the Queen of Darkness. Hmm… Fuck it. I'll just continue to be me and fuck the haters. Haters gonna hate, so I'm just gonna shake it off.

Hooking back up with Talon, we fly back to the castle ruins. There's something I still want to try to do.

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