I used [Gambler] as soon as I woke up. I got a singular piece of lettuce. One of the elves was staring at it hungrily, so I had the princess give it to him. [Gambler] leveled up after that. Now that I think about it, [Predator's Drive also leveled up. I need to see what those do. Also, Resald seems fine, so I guess [Sleeping Thief] just copies the abilities/skill onto me. That's a relief. It would be bad if it stole the ability from them. Not only would they know something happened, but they would probably hunt down and kill whatever stole from them.
It wasn't long before we arrived at the Royal Capital Walpist. We had almost stopped before, but Resald said we should push forward until we arrived. One of the people traveling with us chanted something for a few seconds and big balls of light appeared. They were a little dimmer than a lightbulb, but they were bright enough to see. The balls kept the darkness and most nocturnal critters away. As we were traveling, I realized that the princess was asleep most of the time. I have no idea how she did it, but she was sleeping on me without falling off.
The capital loomed in front of us. Even though we are still far awat, I can see it fairly clearly. The only reason I can tell it apart from other places is the bright lights.. If the location was natural, there would not be any lights. The acheticture of the Royal Capital is mainly trees that had been grown into the shapes of buildings. Occasionaly there is a few stone builidings, but they are fairly rare.
Princess Ilway, was asleep until we were about ten minutes away. Then, as if destroying a dam, she started spewing out information. I quickly glance around for help, but nobody seems to want to interrupt her. In fact, most of the guards distance themselves from us a more than usual. Cowards! If only Delphine or Ugrask were here, they would help, right? Too bad that they decided to stay in Port Elral.
The ten-minute journey felt like hours once the princess started talking. I did learn some useful information. Since the capital was destroyed originally, there wasn't a whole lot of practical knowledge about this place. The little I do know is mainly lore. The capital did not have a wall, but it did have a magic shield. The only way to get into the capital is through the main gate. The shield isn't there, so it is the only heavily fortified place, aside from the palace, in the capital.
Our merry band finally reached the main gate. There are about a dozen different caravans camped outside the gate. On top of and around the gate, dozens of elven defenders lurk. The guards on top are well trained in night vision magic according to Princess Ilway, so they do not have torches or it would ruin their vision.
Halfway through the trip, the group started wearing black cloaks. This made it easier to not get attacked by bandits. Previously they were attacking us because they saw we were from the Royal Capital. They didn't know what we were escorting, but they assumed we were carrying something worth a lot.
A few caravans and group glanced at us before looking away. From their gazes, I think they probably thought that we are just another group, trying to get into the city. They knew that it was foolish to try to get into the city after dark. The guards wouldn't even accept bribes.
We go up to the gate before we are stopped by a guard, "Halt! We do not allow travelers into the city after dark. You need to either leave or camp out like the rest of the groups."
Princess Ilway motions me forward, so I walk up to the guard. I can see his eyes widen when looking at me. Most people in this world knew that if the mount was anything other than a horse, the person riding was considered important. Usually they were carriages, but if it was something else, the person is very important.
The princess talks quietly to the guard, "Don't make a scene. We don't want anyone to know we are here yet." She pulls her hood back just enough to show off her face.
The guard, seeing her face, was just about to drop to his knee before remembering what she said. The guard nods a little before shouting out shakily, "Open the gate!"
The large wooden gate slowly opens up, revealing the inside of the capital. I look briefly at the adventurers around us and see they have shock written on their faces at our easy entry. It makes sense since to be able to enter the city at night, you either need to be a delagate from another country, a noble, or royalty. Almost all of the night enterers would definetly not wear something so inconpicous.
We walk into the gate, quickly surrounded by a group of guards on foot. Ah, another ring for our escort. I see one elf ride out of the gate on horseback. He seems to be a messenger. The guards probably sent him to tell the Queen we are coming. We are slowed down a little by the extra escort, but it wasn't too much. The pedestrians watch us as we travel down the roads to the palace, most likely wondering who we are to have such a big escort.
We reached a large, walled off location after a while. From what the princess said, this must be where the palace is. We quickly get through this gate, the guards already prepared by the messenger. Upon entering the gate, I see a massive tree. This is the palace. It is about as thick as an airport and is extremely tall. The front of the tree has a hole opened up in it. The lore behind this city is that an ancient elf planted this tree and nurtured it to create this place.
The guards dismount their horses and some attendants take them to a stable. One tried to do the same for me, but ran away when I growled at him. How many times must his be said, I'm not a tamed animal! I'm a free wom- wolfkin! I won't be capt- oh yes! She is rubbing my head again!
The princess dismounts me and walks inside. I follow closely behind her. One of the guards was about to say something about me entering, but he changed his mind after I glance at him. Fine, it wasn't a glance. It was a glare.
Inside the tree, candles and lanterns are everywhere. There are long tables and chairs scattered about inside. At the far back of this entry hall, a large throne sits on a raised platform. The throne seems to be formed from the tree itself. It looks like a small tree, roots spread from the bottom and leaves spew from the top. A single elven female sits proud and tall on the throne.
My companions and I approach the throne, gaining the attention of the elves sitting at the tables. Everyone but me still has their cloaks on, except me obviously. I can just see their thoughts now, 'What a BA wolf!''I can't believe that we would be graced with its abundant beauty.''All of them are wearing cloaks, but I can't seem to care since they have such an awesome wolf with them."
Most of the squad stosp and kneels halfway to the throne. I was about to continue on, but I was stopped by a hand on my back. Looking back, Teras was the one to stop me. He silently shakes his head and kneels down also.
The annoying knight, Resald announces to the room from his position on the ground, "My Queen! We have returned with your daughter, Princess Ilway." All eyes in the room snap to the lone cloaked figure as they approach the Queen.
Princess Ilway moves the hood off of her head, exposing her face to the entire elven court. Silence reigns for a single moment, then most of the elves start cheering. I say most because I spotted two that had nasty sneers on their faces for a split second. Glancing back at Teras, I motion to the two I saw. He nods his head and grins for a split second before vanishing. He must have used the rogue skill, [Vanish]. My guess is the two elves are probably either traitors or have a problem with the crown.
{Ding! Skill: Prediction(lvl:1) Level up.}
Unlike full invisibility, [Vanish] only has a chance to work. Depending on the users stealth and the watcher's perception, the rogue will either disappear or stay there. While using [Vanish], most creatures are slowed down by 20%, so in combat [Vanish], it isn't that good. It also became harder to successfully go invisible when people were staring at you. About three years into the game, players started to guess where a rogue was and hit them. The hit rate was around 1/2.
I look back at the throne and see the Queen deeply embracing the princess. If I remember correctly, the Queen's name should be Queen Ysifel. She died before players could reach her, but I was very interested in the lore for a long time. I know a lot about the various important characters in multiple places. It is impossible to know everything since this game is so big, but I do know a lot about most explored worlds. My list of knowledge includes most characters, quests, and unique skills/abilities/items/enemies. Maybe I can sell the knowledge to the players? I could be like an information brooker. Of course, that would be after I take the items that I could use.
Queen Ysifel looks over the princess's shoulder at the other people that came in. Her eyes briefly pass over everyone except me. With me, the Queen's eyes meet mine, and she stares. Oh? Is this the infamous dominance test? Get yourself prepared, I am technically considered a wolf Queen. You aren't the only Queen in this cast- tree! My domina- dang, her eyesight of me is blocked by the princess. I take the opportunity to look away. This isn't cowardice or lack of dominance, this is simply taking advantage and not losing! Yeah, let's go with that. The Queen should be about 70 levels higher than me. I quickly observe her to see.
{Ding! Queen Ysifel(lvl:80)
Defense: Level difference too high!
Health: Level difference too high!
Attack: Level difference too high!}
The highest level on most of the beginner planets is level 80. Once a person reaches here, it gets increasingly hard to level up. This is mainly because there isn't a stronger opponent or an opponent of equal strength to fight. Players know this to be called a lack of Xp. The NPCs call it hitting a roadblock.
The princess and the Queen talk quietly. So quiet that I can't quite hear. The Queen nods her head a few times and then looks back at the group. "Teras, Wyx, and Resald, come to my private meeting hall." The princess and Queen Ysifel walk off towards a large door to the side of the room.
Looking at the door, I realize it leads to a large magic circle engraved into the floor. As the Queen and princess Ilway walk onto it, they slowly float upwards. Maybe it's like an elevator? I don't remember this last time. There was only the empty throne room. Then again, most of the capital was in shambles. Most of this tree, aside from the very bottom, was cut down by something...
Resald walks up beside me and nudges me with his knee. I glance back at him, and he motions for me to follow. I start to walk behind him to the door we came in from. Outside, he leads me to a large set of stairs on the side of the tree. I look up and see there are stairs all over the place. I don't know how it wasn't noticed the first time, but it looks like a maze of stairs and pathways are wrapping around the tree. Each spot leads into different entrances to different places. I wonder where they go?
Realization hits me in a second. Resald wants me to climb stairs. Quickly backing up, I try to run away. It is already hard to climb stairs, but as a wolf it's even harder. Resald is quick to grab my scruff, not allowing me to run away. "Come on, we can't keep the Queen waiting," I swear I hear a bit of mirth in his voice as he speaks. Is he enjoying my torture!?
We walk up the long set of stairs, taking a few moments to get to the second floor. Teras is already waiting at the top of the stairs as we get up there. Can he teleport too? The three of us walk into a part of the trunk and enter a large room.
Inside the room, there is a single desk with an elf writing on something. Two good guards guard guardingly inside the door. On the opposite side of where we entered, another doorway sits. The door is closed with four guards standing outside it. Is this the Queen's office? Teras and Resald walk up to the door. I follow closely behind.
"Orders from Queen Ysifel to meet her in her private meeting room." Resald tells the guards. The guards quickly glance through the group, pausing on me for a second. All of them look a little nervous, but they open up the door. They must realize that it is foolishness to disobey the Queen without any reason. We enter the room and the door closes behind us.
On one side of the door is a large desk stacked with random objects. A few I see are a bracelet, a few books, and a golden watermelon. Along the half of the walls are bookshelves overflowing with books. On the wall opposite to the bookshelves, a fire place sits. I'm not quite sure if it is intelligent to have a fire inside a tree. The fire place has various runes around it, probably to stop the fire from spreading. In the middle of the room, three large couches sit around a large coffee table. Queen Ysifel and Princess Ilway are sitting on one of the couches. They look up at us as we enter.
The three of us kneel down as we get close. I have to bend my back and put my paws forward, but I make the effort.
We stay that way for a few seconds before I hear the Queen's voice, "Get up and come join us on the couch. Why did you bring that wolf with you?"
"My Queen, this is Wyx, the one you called for in the throne room." Teras answers her question immediately.
I raise myself back up and plop down in front of Princess Ilway. The princess chuckles lightly and rubs my head.
I can hear that the Queen's voice is confused this time, "She is Wyx? Ilway, I thought you said that Wyx helped and protected you as you made your way back home. How can this wolf be Wyx? You said that the two of you talked frequently. Don't tell me, is this your bonded familiar?" I resist the urge to growl at the thought of being tamed, but just barely.
The princess quickly cuts off the rest of the Queen's questions as she tries to clear the confusion. "Wyx is the last of her kind. She has the form of both a wolf and a humanoid. She is fearsome as a wolf and adorable as a humanoid, so she is really quite something."
"Do you mind letting me see you change forms?" The Queen asks excitedly.
I look up at Teras and Resald before looking at the princess. Thankfully, she gets what I am saying and tells them to turn around. The Queen looked confused at this, but didn't say anything. I use [Shift] and in a second am a naked humanoid. Thankfully, [Shift] deosn't hurt anymore, so I was able to change painlessly. I quickly throw on my cloak and slip on my clothes underneath it.
I walk over to where Teras and Resald are sitting and sit down. I wrap my tail into my lap and stroke it softly. This had become second nature after a few painful incidents of sitting on my tail. Looking up, my eyes meet the intense stare of the Queen's own green globes.
I pull the hood up over my ears and sit back into the couch, waiting for the questions to start. I don't have to wait long for Queen Ysifel to speak, but it wasn't what I was expecting her to say.
"As a mother, thank you for saving my daughter. As a queen, thank you for saving my successor. As an elf, thank you for saving my future."
Alright, time to start answering her ques- wait... she didn't ask questions. She just said thank you. "It was a pleasure to protect your daughter. I had nothing else to do, so don't mention it."
The Queen blinks in surprise before nodding her head. "Now, for the five of you-Wyx, Resald, Teras, Ugrask, and Delphine- I need to prepare awards, what do you want?"
-------
I tried to refuse the rewards, but in the end I took some. Only because the princess threatened to start crying. Is she really seventeen? Do elves mature slowly?
The royals ended up giving me four- well, technically a few more- things. The first was a pass to enter the city when ever I wanted without paying the tolls. It also allowed my access to come and hang out with the princess when I could.
The second was an elven bow. It was made out a nice wood. I used to use a bow quite a bit when I was grinding other's levels up, most of the time it was hunters, snipers, or rangers. While I am not an archery god, I should be able to accruetly hit my target 19/20 times.
The third thing is a new title:Elven Wolf. It is a pretty cool title. The Elven Wolves are an elite set of information gatherers and protectors. They tended to do things in the shadows like assassins and thieves. Teras should be an elven wolf. After the fall or the elves, the Elven Wolves prowled around in the darkness and struck out at the human empires using ghorilla tactics.
The fourth thing that was gifted unto me is a quest. This quest was a hidden quest named Princess Protection Agency. The reason why I said technically more rewards earlier was because this quest instantly finished as soon as I received it.
I decide not to check the items instantly, instead I opt to check in the morning. It is still midnight after all. I was given a room on the floor directly above this one. It is very spacious, but I don't look around much. Instead, I immediately use [Shift] and go to sleep. I slept peacefully dreaming of chasing a wooden stake...
I lied earlier, I said combat would be this chapter or the next one. It will most likely be the one after next. Next chapter should be a lot of internal thoughts of Wyx. After that there should be more combat casually coming.
This is the end of the Princess Ilway Arc. While I am not killing her off, she won't play a huge part in every cahpter like she has.