• Chapter 5: Rouvin and Zanthe

    “Problems in Emerald Kavala, you say?” Valerius asked, curiously.
    “Indeed,” sighed the male elf. “That warlock Erebus has desecrated our Temple of Demeter. Because of that, our farms and gardens are suffering, and the forests of Emerald Kavala are more dangerous than usual.”
    “Erebus has caused us trouble as well,” Valerius replied. “He stole the stone tablet containing the Forbidden Ritual, and took my beloved Delphinia captive!”
    “The Forbidden Ritual?!” the female elf gasped. “I thought that was just mere legend. Now I know it is all too real!”
    “We have a common foe,” said Nauplius. “We should team up!”
    “Indeed,” said the male elf.
    The female elf added, “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I am Zanthe Sfendami, a Nature Priestess. My father is the Chief Priest of Demeter in Emerald Kavala. And this man is my boyfriend, Rouvin Koukounari.”
    “Rouvin!” Nauplius said in a cheerful tone. “I hadn’t seen you since you were a toddler! Don’t you remember me? I’m Nauplius Sideras of Gray Corfu!”
    “Nauplius!” replied Rouvin as he hugged his long missed dwarf friend.
    The Dwarf then asked, “How is your father, Duke Urbanis Koukounari, doing?”
    Rouvin softly chuckled, “Aside from Erebus’ troublemaking, he’s in good spirits. He and mother are doing quite fine, trying to maintain order.”
    “Likewise,” said Zanthe, “My father, Chief Priest Silvanos, and my mother, Odela, are doing what they can.”
    The campfire slowly dwindled as the minutes went on. Valerius looked afar.
    “Well, it’s time to get some shut-eye,” he said. “Tomorrow, we can continue on to Emerald Kavala City.”
    The others then nodded as they went to their sleeping bags to rest.

    During his sleep, Valerius had a pleasant dream of being reunited with his beloved Delphinia. The two playfully walked hand in hand through a garden of flowers of all tints and shades. Butterflies, honeybees, and hummingbirds flitted about, gathering the sweet nectar from within them. The two lovers then rolled down a hill of grass together, and Valerius stopped on his back, and Delphinia then rolled gently onto him. The two embraced and were about to kiss.
    But then, the skies became dark, and a giant image of Erebus appeared. The right hand of Erebus held the stone tablet, and with his left hand, the vile warlock snatched the beautiful healer. The image of Erebus revealed a mountain with a tower atop it.
    “Within the tower you see behind me,” said Erebus, “I will perform the ritual to claim my place as deity! You think you can stop me? I like to see you try! Ha, ha, ha…”
    “Valerius! Help!” cried Delphinia.

    Valerius soon woke in a cold sweat.
    It was the next day, and Nauplius, Rouvin, and Zanthe had also gotten up.
    “You all right, Valerius?” Rouvin asked.
    “I… I think so,” said Valerius. “I had a dream last night.”
    “A dream?” asked Zanthe curiously.
    “Yes,” answered Valerius, “but, I can probably talk about it another time. Let’s just continue on to Emerald Kavala.”
    The party then packed up their goods and set off to the city of Emerald Kavala.

    The early morning sun shone through the canopy of the forest as Valerius and his friends made their way to Emerald Kavala City. A gentle breeze blew through the treetops and made a gentle rustle, which provided a calming accompaniment to the birds’ songs and chirps.
    However, that calm would soon end, as an Elm Wood Golem emerged. And this was no friend to Zanthe. This wooden image brought to life soon ripped a large branch from a tree and started to swing at the party.
    “Erebus must’ve created that monster!” said Valerius. “There’s no doubt about it!”
    “I’ll prepare a counterspell to stop it!” cried Zanthe.
    “I’ll cover you, Zanthe,” said Rouvin as he reached for his bow.
    The bow’s main body was a dark olive green with markings on it that were rose quartz and sunglow and color. The bowstring had the color of fallow. Rouvin reached for a few arrows from his quiver, that had chestnut-colored shafts, maroon feathers, and amber arrowheads.
    One of the arrows zinged through the air and made its mark into one of the golem’s eyes. The wooden titan roared in pain as it staggered back, dropping its makeshift club. This distraction was sufficient time for Zanthe to move in and perform the counterspell. In her hands was a curved staff colored burnt umber, with runes upon it.
    With a calm voice, she said, “Demeter, Mother Nature, calm this creature!”
    A glow of pale green and yellow light formed a sphere on the staff, which flew over and touched the golem. The golem glowed for a bit, but after the glow subsided, it was still. Whatever magic that Erebus put in it was now dispelled.
    Zanthe then reached for her dagger. The handle of the dagger was sepia in color, with a taupe-colored obsidian blade. With this dagger, she carved in a few runes, and some vines and leaves soon gathered around the wooden body.
    “Soon,” whispered Zanthe, “this wooden creature shall be restored to nature as part of the forest once again.”

    Within two and a half hours, the four soon arrived at the gates of Emerald Kavala City. It was a large city built onto the trees, and had both futuristic and medieval features. There was indeed high technology involved, but the high technology was beneficial to nature, rather than harmful.
    Near the gates, two elves stood. The elves had vanilla skin tone similar to Zanthe, but slightly dimmer shade. Their armor was that of science fiction armored guards, with a strong top vest of green-painted metal, soft but strong pantaloons colored greenish-black, light gray boots with thick treads on the soles, and some laser rifles to fend off all intruders who would love to threaten the city. Their helmets with a teal color, with visors that can transition from regular vision to night vision and even infrared.
    Both guards recognized Rouvin and Zanthe, and saluted them.
    “Welcome back, Koukounari and Sfendami,” said one of the guards.
    “It is good that you have returned safely,” said the other.
    “It is good indeed,” said Zanthe.
    Rouvin added, “We have some allies to aid us.”
    The two guards recognized Nauplius.
    Nauplius said, “Hello again, guards.”
    “Welcome, Sideras,” the first guard said.
    “Who is the human friend with you?” the second guard asked.
    Nauplius said, “This is Valerius Magnitis, of Paxotassia Town. He, like the rest of us, is in pursuit of that vile warlock, Erebus Tonadi.”
    “The same one who has desecrated our temple?!” both guards asked.
    “The same,” said Valerius. “He had kidnapped my sweetheart, the healer Delphinia Triantafyllou, and had stolen the stone tablet of the Forbidden Ritual!”
    The guards gasped, and opened the gate.
    “Please follow us to Duke Koukounari’s Citadel!” said the second guard.
    “The Duke and Duchess must know of this immediately!” the first one added.