Author's note: Take heed of tags! If it ain't your cup of tea, best stop here! Otherwise, enjoy a merry time with a Kayla Moonsdale story!
The Forest Elves Ritual
The middle of a large forest...
Kayla Moonsdale figured that she would die one day given her line of work. She assumed it would be at the bed of luxury of old age, or be the glory of slaying the greatest of beasts.
But being threatened by a tribe of Forest Elves, all because of her partner, with arrows aimed at her chest? That's...so far down the list Kayla had to admit this really disappointed her.
"Gwendyn..." The blue haired sellsword grumbled as she placed her hands up in the air, unsure if the various Elves giving death glares even cared at all of the gesture of surrender. She wore her usual outfit that consisted of a gray blue scarf around her neck, a tight blue short sleeved shirt, tight white shorts that showed off her legs with a large buckle belt with a single long dark blue streamer with a tip of red hung at the side, and a pair of knee length white heel boots. She turned her head to her partner, in a similar stance of surrender, with a frown on her face. "You said these ruins were abandoned." She said with a very irritated blunt tone. Gwendyn Sarks, Kayla's friend and on-off partner, only bit her lip in response to that remark.
"Well, I didn't hear anything about a tribe of Forest Elves on the way here." The green haired Elf muttered out an excuse. The mage wore an outfit of deep red and gold colors starting with a bustier that really showed her cleavage, an open robed top with wide sleeves that stopped at mid forearms, a short pleated skirt, gray thigh stockings, and knee length heel boots. It's somewhat modest, somewhat sexy, but it matched the Elf's personality of being rather garish. Enough in fact it could make the bespectacled woman insufferable. "Don't blame me for not having all the information." She followed up on, adjusting her glasses.
Kayla gave a sharp growl in response. "I swear to gods, I'll be twisting those long ears of yours if I find you in Hell if they start loosing arrows at my chest!"
"Hey!" Gwendyn shouted, incredulous over that insult. "Uncalled for!"
Before the two adventurers could continue their spat, they hear a shout from afar, in the same language as the rest of the elves that could easily snuff them out like one snuffs a candle. The group in front soon part, not without the fact they never broke their focus and aim, bows at the ready. Soon enough, another Elf emerges from the background. With long raven hair tied in one long braid, this forest Elf greatly contrasts with the rest. She wore a simple yet flowing light colored robe with a rather long slit at bottom, not like the rugged clothing the others wore. Despite being quite loose fitting, one can notice her quite ample breasts beneath the fabric. What Kayla and Gwendyn didn't expect are the thigh length light brown heel boots this forest Elf happens to be wearing, which gave an extra look at her slender mile like legs. She must be the leader, or the very least someone of high authority within this tribe.
"...Well, are ya two gonna explain ya selves or look at mah legs all day before we make ya both into a pincushion?" The Elf finally said in the standard language of men, surprising both women. But they soon frown, as they can't help but notice something.
That this stunning figure of a leader of Elves has an accent that seems to be...Off.
"...For someone drop dead sexy, you have the voice of a hick." Kayla said, a little perplexed at such a contrast. With a scowl, the lead Forest Elf gave a wave of her hand, and before Kayla could blink, an arrow flew past her head before striking a nearby tree. "Gah!" The bluenette gasped in shock.
"Sorry for the rashness, human." The Forest Elf said with a dry tone, obviously in a foul mood. "But ya'll do realize that this. Hick. Is the reason you trespassers are not dead yet?! "
"T-Trespassers?!" Gwendyn nervously shouted, careful not to set off the opposition. "You are mistaken! Please, I implore you, Elf to Elf, to just hear us out!"
"Y-Yeah!" Kayla said, eager to stall what could be a messy death. "She'll explain, right Gwendyn?!" Gwendyn gave a rushed nod in response. The leader place a palm to her chin, biting her lip until she sat at a fallen log, her slender legs cross with arms folded.
"Fine then, Outsider." She finally said, addressing Gwendyn with the term of elves who left the sanctuary of the wilderness centuries past, much to Gwendyn's annoyance. "Tell I, Slarinda of the Red Vine tribe, why we shouldn't kill ya both for trespassing our sacred temples." She then gave a slight look at the various forest elves, never ceasing to end their glares. "Remember, I'm the one keeping ya'll alive...For now." She could hear the gulps from the two captives, though she didn't seem amuse in the slightest.
"...You better tell a good explanation." Kayla said with nervousness. Gwendyn shook her head as she adjusted her glasses and stepped forward.
"Oh quiet, muscles for brains, I'm good at this kind of thing." Gwendyn snapped back before clearing her throat and looked at Slarinda. "Oh great Slarinda of the Red Vine, my name is Gwendyn Sarks, from the Celestial Plains of Endis and mage from the great academy of Greyhenge!" She noticed Slarinda raising an eyebrow, the Forest Elves voicing confusion close by. This was surprisingly a blow to the mage's ego as Gwendyn frowned at the lackluster reaction. "...Trust me, it's far away, like you'll need a world map." She muttered in defeat before going back to her story. "I am also what some call a researcher, I go and study the areas that belong to past civilizations. I was told that these ruins-" Gwendyn had to reel back quickly from that statement, as she notice the gasps made in the background. "Uh, I mean temple were supposed to be abandoned. My companion Kayla and I decided to head there to seek out artifacts, for research!"
Kayla only gave a scoff. "For you maybe. Me? I didn't want to go until you threw gold at my face." Gwendyn gave a death glare at Kayla for revealing such a tidbit of information. "...Go on."
Gwendyn rolled her eyes before turning back to the forest elves. "So there you have it! It's all a misunderstanding! We do apologize for being unaware this area indeed is still flourishing with your tribe! Now, if you let us be on our way-" Slarinda raised a hand, as to signal her to stop to her surprise, the Forest Elf narrowing her eyes with a stern look on her face.
"Return to us what ya took from the temple." Slarinda said with a firm tone. Gwendyn only gave a pause.
"...I beg your pardon?"
"Do not test me with the sweet talk, Outsider, so can it. I'm no backwater idiot. I reckoned ya clearly took something from us!" Slarinda said with her tone growing louder, her hands balling into fists. She glared at Kayla. "At least the human woman left our sacred objects alone, for a member of an arrogant and greedy race!"
"Yeah!...Not the last part but yeah!" Kayla awkwardly said. "Come on Gwendyn, just give it up." Gwendyn gave a great pause...and then reached out her bag to pull out a stone idol.
"Now, compared to the shinier objects, I took the one one with the least value-"
Gwendyn was quickly drowned out by large number of shocked reactions, from gasps to insults of their native tongue. The two adventurers exchanged baffled looks. Whatever this idol is, it clearly meant a hell lot to them.
"Ya'll..." Slarinda said quietly, unable to contain her annoyance, before she finally snapped. "Ya'll took from us the most sacred item in our temple! That ya also touched, that is enough for us to cut off that hand unworthy of touching it!"
"Wait, what?!" Gwendyn shouted in shock as she held her right hand defensively. "That junk is that sacred?!" She immediately cringed at her poor choice of words, as she was met with more gasps of outraged horror.
"Whoa, maybe we should stop and think this over!" Kayla cried out to the angry crowd to Gwendyn's defense, stepping forward alongside her friend. "You heard her, it's just a misunderstanding! She'll return it...And maybe you all can let this be water under the bridge?"
Slarinda only gave an incredulous stare at the audacity of the bluenette's request, but she soon gave an exasperated sigh, waving at the elves to lower their weapons. "Despite how...angry we are, ya'll are indeed sincere about not knowing of our tribe's existence." She then couldn't help but gave a scowl. "But we still cannot just ignore these blatant crimes ya have committed! No one outside our tribe is even allowed to touch our idol!"
"W-Wait, I have a suggestion!" Gwendyn interrupted, a look of desperation on her face. "What if we join the tribe? I mean like we won't live here but we'll stop by once in a while?"
Kayla could only gawked- at this idea. "What the hells?! Gwendyn, I don't want to keep coming back to these hicks!"
"Kayla, I'm trying to keep us alive and with all our limbs attached!" Gwendyn snapped back.
"Silence!"
As she gave the order, Slarinda then pondered for a bit before standing back up. "I decided...That yes, the Outsider has a point. After all, ya both ain't evil...Just a pair of idiots. I reckon that'll be the best choice. We'll let ya'll be part of our tribe, as long as you perform the ritual of initiation."
"Oh absolutely!" Gwendyn nervously said, giving a small bow with hands together in a show of gratitude to her partner's annoyance. "We'll do it!"
"...As long as we get the hell out of here, the better." Kayla muttered with a sigh, pushing her finger at her temple as it became all too clear this option may be their only salvation. "Slarinda, what do you want us to do?"
---
It is now the dead of night, as the two adventurers prepare for their ritual...Which is slowly revealing a bit more than they bargained for!
"...I should have known." Kayla said between gritted teeth as she felt the cold air of the cold air of the night touch her exposed skin. She wore only her white knee high boots, hands tightly bound as she is led by the elves deeper in the forest, two behind her armed with blades watching her every step.
