Lienna was in the cave working over a large cauldron; she added herbs, dead animal bodies, and some weird-looking rocks; she even added her blood to the cauldron. As she was stirring the pot, flying Wendigo flew inside the cave and poured some purple and blackish liquid into the big pot.
Lienna: "Good job; now all I need is to wait for the blood sun in the next two days, and then the necklace and that girl's blood!! I'll finally get to see Eleanor suffer for everything!!"
Lienna started laughing wickedly; she sighed after that, feeling her crazy side calming down.
Lienna: "This has been a long journey...so many days...weeks...months........YEARS!!" Lienna threw the iron spoon to the cauldron on the cave wall. "Years...trying to find the black dragon's body. It will all finally pay off in a few days."
The flying Wendigo grunts a slight noise to the old woman, a way to show that the Wendigo is communicating with the older woman. Lienna: "Yes, Yes, I didn't forget our promise about protecting your home and yadda yadda; you don't have to remind me every time.
Suddenly, five little babies flying Wendigos flew into the cave and played around the cauldron, which was still on the fire pit. Lienna wasn't pleased about this, so she turned to the Adult Wendigo.
Lienna: "Hey, don't let your babies play around my cauldron. It's important to bring the black dragon back to life in a few days, and I don't want a single vial to spill out if they bump into it."
The adult flying Wendigo gathered the tiny children, and suddenly, the little children started playing and climbing all over the adult Wendigo's body. They were making all sorts of noises, like laughing, which sounded like a high-pitched, distorted sound. This really annoyed the ugly old woman.
Lienna sighed, Lienna: "It can't be helped; tell them a story so they can sleep."
The Flying Wendigo grunts in response; it gathers the five babies from its body and puts them on the ground gently in a nice group circle. The little babies looked up to the adult Wendigo with their big, innocent bubble eyes; it almost makes you want to forget that they'll grow up into a vicious, bloodthirsty monster.
The adult Wendigo started telling a story, but it wasn't any good, and it was short; it was one of those "once upon a time, something crazy happened and the end" type of stories. The little flying Wendigo babies blinked at the adult Wendigo with a bored expression. The older woman, Lienna, sighed and shook her head.
Lienna: "That's not how you tell a story. Let me show you how it's actually done."
The old woman walked over to the group and sat near them. "I'll tell you a real story; I'll try to keep it short," she said cheerfully and smiled at the little babies. The little Wendigo babies knew that the story would be long, so they laid on their stomachs and looked up at the older woman, ready to hear about the story. Lienna cleared her throat, "Back during the earlier times when the previous Helogan King was still alive, it was the 200th third era."
Story Time!!!
The sun rises over the mountains in a brilliant cascade of golden light, casting long shadows across the verdant fields below. The air is warm and sweet with the scent of wildflowers. The birds sing their morning tunes while the bees buzz among the blossoms. The sound of the blacksmith's hammer echoes across the meadow as he forges new swords. In the towns and villages, people bustled about their morning routines, preparing for another day of work or play.
There was a group of six walking on the dirt path of the village; they were walking towards a hub to conduct their business. As they walked in, merchants, guards, and civilians were all at their tables, drinking and laughing filled the air. The group of six found their spot, which was in the corner; once they sat down, the waiter put a large jug of beers on their table without even ordering it; that's just how it goes.
Once the waiter walked away, the group looked at each other; the leader spoke first. Her name was Elly.
(Elly)
Elly: "We should get a room at a tavern before it gets dark and in the morning we'll leave early and we should be at our destination near sun down. Perfect time to strike our enemies while they sleep."
Two of the group members groaned. A young looking girl named Lucy was one of them.
Lucy: "Come oooon, we've been on our feet for three days, can't we just relax for a little? Aren't you tired at all?
Elly: "No." Elly said with a quick and emotionless response.
(Lucy)
Lucy groaned again and drank from her huge jug of beer.
Two males who looked like monks spoke in unison. Their names were Gin and Qin; they're not related at all. They are from different monasteries, actually.
(Gin on the left, Qin on the right)
Gin: "Oh dear."
Qin: "Oh dear."
Gin: "Another day of an exhausting morning; I'm not sure if my poor feet can take it anymore."
Elly: "Stop complaining; we have to get this mission done for our King, or have you all forgotten?" Elly said lowly as she then drank her beer.
Lucy: "No, it's just we're tired; even Groc is tired; he can't speak it, but he definitely looks tired. Look!"
Elly looks over to her side to look at her group member. She only saw bags under his eyes.
(Groc and Sythe, Sythe is the one on Groc's shoulder)
Elly sighed after noticing Groc did look tired; even his companion looked tired while lying on Groc's shoulder. Sythe's poor wings are tired of flying for three days straight.
Elly: "...Fine, we'll rest for a day." she said hesitantly.
Lucy smiled happily; Gin and Qin both sighed in relief; as for Groc, he only nodded. The group talked amongst themselves...well, more like Lucy, Gin, and Qin were talking amongst themselves while Groc petted Sythe's little head gently, and Elly was just deep in thought.
You see before the group left the Helogan empire for their mission, the king asked for something from Elly.
FLASHBACK!
The throne room is a vast chamber with high ceilings adorned with intricate mosaic tiles and stained glass windows. A dark, gleaming dragon-shaped throne sits in the center of the room, padded with rich red velvet and decorated with gold-embroidered cushions. It is guarded by a large contingent of armored guards who stand at attention with their hands crossed behind their backs, a symbolic representation of their unwavering devotion to the ruler. Ancient tapestries depicting past victories and heroic Battles hang on the walls. Elly approaches the throne and respectfully bows to the king on one knee, "Your Majesty, you wished to see me?"
Elly noticed the king seated upon his throne. He had a thin veil draped over his face, obscuring his features from view. The veil was made of richly ornate fabric, with embroidery and gold thread that glinted in the light. It was a striking and ominous sight, hiding the king's face from view, leaving the visitor wondering and guessing at his appearance, and leaving the imagination to fill in the blanks.
Helogan King: "Yes, I'm assigning you and the rest of my personal knights on a mission. I want you to destroy the Yarcal's camps; I found out they are planning to ambush us. Destroy them, show them no mercy."
Elly remained bowing on her knee. She always followed the King's orders without question, but this time, she felt that something was off.
Elly: "May I ask why, my King? The Yarcals have been great allies for generations...why would they ambush us during the war against the Uthgar Empire now?"
After she spoke, the room fell silent. Elly lowered her head, ashamed that she had spoken out of turn. Suddenly, the King stood from his throne, and she could hear his footsteps echoing toward her. He stood in front of her, towering above her with an air of menace.
The King bends on his knee and grips Elly's chin, forcing her to look up at him. Elly couldn't see his face because of the veil, but she could see his eyes glowing through it. She can feel his anger.
Helogan King: "Don't question my decisions; you will do as I say. Do you understand me?"
Elly: "Yes..."
Helogan King: "Yes, what?"
Elly: "Yes...Your majesty."
After the King let go of her chin and stood up straight.
Helogan King: "I also want you to give me the necklace that Lucy wears."
Elly looked up at the King quickly. "Your majesty, that's very sacred to her people; it'll cause-"
Elly stopped herself from speaking further once she saw that the King's aura changed. His aura was dangerous, almost making Elly shake.
Helogan King: "I don't care. Give me the necklace, or you'll be deemed a traitor to the entire Helogan Empire."
Elly lowered her head again.
Elly: "...Yes, your Majesty"
Flashback Over
Lucy: "Elly!"Elly looked at Lucy quick; she didn't realize that she'd been in deep thought for that long.
Elly: "Yes?"
Lucy:" You going to finish your drink?" Lucy pointed to Elly's beer; her jug was still silently full; Elly only took tiny sips of her beer.
Qin: "I'll take it!" Qin quickly grabbed Elly's beer and started to drink from it; Lucy frowned at the monk and grabbed his arms to interrupt his drinking.
Lucy: "Hey! That was supposed to be mine!"
Gin: "Oh my, you guys are making quite a mess."
As Lucy and Qin fight over the drink, Elly only stares at the table.
Elly: 'How am I supposed to tell this to her...'
Again, as Elly went into deep thought, Groc was looking at her.