Notice: The chapters will progressively get darker as the Abducted Elf Arch approaches a crescendo, I don’t generally like to gloss anything over so prepare yourselves.

Also some of you may be thinking that I am shaping or keeping the MC as an OP perfect being who does everything right. He’s OP, no denying that, but he isn’t perfect, he will and has made many mistakes, many of which will bite him in the ass and twist further down the line. Can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Note that I may be doing a lot more point chapters like these to try and flesh out the world and characters more. So please do read them as you might miss something. Also since I do sometimes need to post Notices I will do those in the point chapters, so you won’t get a notice without at least a point chapter, however small it might be.

Chapter 13.1 – The Wilds

*** Explorer Nolan Grey ***

“What do you think about this place?” Jason asked, he was my oldest exploration partner, we’ve been through quite a lot together and I felt reassured with him here.

“I don’t know, I’m still worried about the enchantment on the walls we crossed to get in here,” he replied.

Several days ago we had gone into the southern continent, it was largely protected by dense jungle, high cliffs, and walls. It took years of scouting the coast lines to find a suitable place to beach and make our way inland. Coming across the sandy desert bridge that connects the two continents is not an option. There the walls are at their highest and there is no get in or out.

“I’m starting to think the walls are not for protection,” he said after a while. “I think they were a cage.”

We were sifting through a stone hut village, most of the huts were destroyed and time had mostly gotten rid of any semblance of a village the place once had been.

“When did you say the prince was getting here?” he asked as he poked his head into a demolished hut.

“In a couple of days at least,” I replied. “By then we have to have set up some sort of base camp somewhere.”

“But it’s all jungle, hills, rocky plains, and the like,” he stated.

“I know,” I nodded. “But orders are orders.”

We were now going past the village, it was the second one we had found and like the last one there were signs of battle everywhere, even time could not erase the telltale signs of a struggle. The eerie thing was that there were no skeletons, no graves, nothing.

“Come on,” I said, “We still have a lot of ground to cover.”

(the top is where the colonization is taking place. The east belongs to Boraia while the west belongs to Bulbaria. The little speck of green at the far east is the midway island Prince Bastion worked into turning into a naval base for the colonization effort.)

Chapter 13.2 – Questions and no Answers

*** Sophia Cazador ***

“Hold her hand!” I heard the tall bald man say to the two men hold my hand over a crate, he was grinning cruelly.

“No please!” I cried as I tried to tug away my arm.

“Your word captain?” The bald one asked the man who was all black but his skin, black clothes, black hair, black eyes.

“Cut it,” he said.

I frantically tugged away my arm but I couldn’t do anything against their stronger hold. I watched in silent horror as the bald one raised the axe over his head and brought it down on my wrist on one fell swoop.

All this was happening because I had helped Chasity, a man had entered our cage and tried doing things to her that she didn’t like. The man had pushed me away every time I tried helping her get him off of her. I was scared that he might hurt her so I used the ring of water to pull up some water from the ocean to push him off her, but instead the water rose high and viciously rocked the ship breaking my concentration.

The man quickly scrambled out of the cage and told the captain about my rings.

The world had slowed down for me as I watched the blade come down on my wrist, they were cutting it off because no one but Papi can remove the rings. Not even I can remove them. As the blade near made contact with my skin it suddenly became like liquid flowing around my skin and digging into the crate where the metal of the axe would stay buried.

“What the…” the bald one said in shocked surprise.

“Incredible,” the captain nodded. “Who gave you these rings girl?”

I stared blankly at him, I was too scared to answer.

“No?” the captain raised a brow. “Well while we can’t hurt you we can certainly hurt your friend.”

“Wait!” I cried out. My eyes went between him and Chasity who had been brought up along with me, she was in restraining shackles that kept her from using magic. “It was Papi, Papi Leo gave them to me. He’s the one who cares for me!”

“Leo is it?” The captain asked, it looked like he was trying to think if he knew such a person. “Who is he exactly?”

“He’s Papi,” I replied. “We just live in a castle in Isyndril and go to the town sometimes.”

“Isyindril? A noble?” he raised a brow in surprise. “What were you doing unattended in a village far from the main cities, especially since you are a desert elf?”

“Papi was letting me visit the Heltons because he had company,” I said remember what he told me as he left me in the village.

“I see,” the captain nodded once then turned to the bald one. “Throw them back in the brig. Oh and little girl, while you will get to keep those rings, use them again and I will personally gut your friend before your very eyes. Is that understood?”

I nodded quickly, glad that they would stop trying to take my rings from me.

“Oh and Doran throw the bastard who was in their cage overboard,” the captain ordered nonchalantly. “Can’t have someone willing to damage the valuable goods in our crew.”

“I’m on it captain,” the large man turned to find the man.