They had to rest another day for Dan to recover. Another day and they had returned the living Golem, Anna, to her home.
Anna hadn't really wanted to stay though her people asked her to stay. Actually, they begged that she stay to help stabilize the village's magic.
Dan had a bit of wanting her to stay, himself, but he recognized that they needed her. With slightly drooped shoulders, he held his comments as they left.
They had turned toward the east as it was the indicated direction of the cat woman Danea's clan. Another two days and they arrived, though the presence of a human shocked and scared the clan. Just like with Anna's village, he had to wait outside the clan boundaries.
Dan could only shake his head as they left after a lot of tears and emotion from Danea. She also had wanted to leave with them. Like with Anna, the clan begged her to stay. They were more afraid of Dan than the Orcs.
Again, Dan shook his head at the huge amount of distrust of him and humans in general. They were just leaving the clan when they heard what, could only be a wailing coming from behind them.
Dan did his best not to turn around, feeling like the world's biggest shit. Like he had with Anna, he had gotten close to the cat woman. Though he felt bad, he felt that the females were better with their own kind.
They then turned more northeast toward the mountains. Though she'd not said much nor showed much of her emotions, Dan could feel the dark elf was upset.
They had entered a cave system the next day and continued on. At the end of the next day, they came to a bend that the dark elf, En'tra, stopped at.
"I am afraid, even with the fact that you saved my life, they won't accept you here. I will send you back to the entrance," En'tra said.
Dan bowed as he looked over the dark elf, a look of sadness on her face. "I," Dan started. "I will not forget you, En'tra."
"Nor did I, as with the others that you returned, felt that we owed you, our lives. It was a hard thing for you to return us, and we should be grateful. Perhaps one day we will be but I, for now? Will not," En'tra said.
She raised her hand as the shadows reached out for the twins, Light Elf and Dan. A few moments later they were standing outside the cave system, Dan shaking his hands.
What the hell he thought as he shook his hands again? All three of the females with him stared almost afraid.
"Dan?" Asked Bell, "What's wrong?"
"Not sure," he said as a small round area of darkness appeared in front of his hand. "What the hell!" Dan shouted as he flung his hands away from himself. The dark ball flew against the mountain side and exploded. "We need to go!" Dan said as they started to run.
They had made more than what Dan estimated half a mile away when he felt something. Not stopping, he had them keep going. Still, he felt something almost racing toward them.
Shit he thought, as they were out in the open. Whatever the hell was after them, it appeared to be closing the distance at a good clip.
Maybe fifteen minutes later, they heard something like the wind drawing close. Not close enough to the tree line, he stopped, urging them to continue on.
What he saw almost had him pissing his pants. Releasing a huge wave of water, it seemed to wash away about twenty of the fifty Dark Elfs that were after them. A second yielded no further results.
It was when Dan released a huge wave of flame that they all stopped abruptly. It also too0k out another twenty-five more.
Suddenly, a dry crackling voice sounded through the air. "Nir thalare? Ael'fel?" (What are you? A mage?)
Dan only looked at the five Dark Elfs that were keeping their distance.
The one in front sighed as it looked back at the others. "Bime i mornië. A hilde man knows vamme? Care- tye sinte hilde?" (By the darkness. A human who knows not? Do any of you know human?)
Dan had tried to bring up the dark ball again. His mouth dropped open as it fizzled out. Trying again, it was stronger but fizzled again.
OK, Dan thought he was starting to get mad. He'd just done this.
"You, come with. No ask," one of the younger Dark Elfs said.
Dan puffed his chest out, "NO!"
This, of course, caused the oldest to point a finger at Dan. This time, Dan was amazed when a dark shadowy patch appeared in front of him and hit all five of the Dark Elfs.
Damn it. Dan thought I wish I could understand them, just as suddenly what they were shouting came through.
{That was as powerful as a priestess! You can't beat that!}
{Silence, we have our orders, now then.} The oldest said.
This time, Dan pointed at the five as the oldest and two others were sucked into the shadows of the last two.
The last two were looking at Dan in shock as they slowly started to back away. {That was shadow step} said one.
{We need to report this to the clans. If a minor priest was dispatched this easily, we have a new powerful enemy.} The second said as they said as they both fled.
Dan looked at his hand as if it had performed a miracle. Tygan leaned to whisper to the twins. "That was dark magic you never told me that he knew of it."
"I'm not sure if he ever had any power before he came here," Ella said, then stopped at the look from Bell.
"Before he came here from where?" Tygan asked.
"From wherever the humans went to," Ella said, hoping that it would fool the light elf. However, it appeared that she wasn't as gullible as they thought she was.
Tygan shook her head as she turned towards Dan. "I suggest that we depart this area before they send more that have more power. I am surprised that you have dark power. No humans ever attempted to master or use it. There are stories of many that went mad and tried to murder a great multitude."
"I have no plans to go mad or murder a lot of people. At the moment I feel nothing of what you said," a now-worried Dan said.
Tygan nodded as she looked closely at Dan 'til he moved, feeling like she was looking into his soul. They picked up all that they had dropped and started to get out of the area quickly.
Within the Dark Elf clan area, the minor priest wasn't able to do any magic at all. Neither were the other two that were displaced with him.
