Emperor's Reckoning

The blue sky was adorned with fluffy clouds and the sun was hiding from the latter. The blaze warmth the meadow below where a single tree stood. The branches rustled as did the grass, and a young man was resting with his hands behind his head. His leg lay on top of the other as his hair fluttered with the gentle breeze from nature.

The peaceful rest was a luxury not everyone can afford, however, with the perforated blanket of the shadow from the trees, his mind was already out from the world and couldn't notice the benign lurking shadows that were crawling against his legs. His eyelid twitched the moment the shadow enveloped his face.

"Huh....?!?!" his pupils immediately shrunk to a dot as veins surrounding it screamed at his mind to carry his body out of this place as soon as possible. However, his toes were trembling at the sight of the green-skinned figures surrounding his rest. "W-What are you guys?!"

A smirk of a grin was seen from the one with the lighter color. "It matters not who we are, you shall pay for your kin's sin!"

"What?! What are you talking about?!" The young man cleverly pulls out a dagger before aiming to cross his neck, however...

"Pathetic," the leader casually caught his knife with his palm.

"What?!" His eyes widened in horror. (I was sure to imbue my mana within the blade!). He gulped as he saw his knife couldn't even puncture the orc's bare palm.

"Jahahaha!" The other orcs laughed at his pathetic reaction and one of them added. "You humans are really fools! Don't you know our body is stronger than yours? Our skin is thicker than a rhino!"

"Really?" one of the orcs asked the friend beside him.

"He is probably exaggerating, but who cares if it's true or not!" his friend's answered.

"W-What do you want?!" asked the cultivator as he pulled his knife.

The leader of the orcs frowned, "Shouldn't you ask that before pointing your blade against me? I have low hope for humans with morals, but it seemed like those people have extinct."

"W-What?! What are you talking about?!" the young cultivator looked around. (Five, six, I'm surrounded with six of this, whatever they are! More importantly, mana doesn't seem to work on them).

The leader snorted, "You think I don't know that you're counting us? We are over a thousand."

"Gahahaha!" The surrounding orcs laughed before one of them added. "Can't you feel our presence behind the tree?!"

"What?!" he opened his eyes wide. "You're bluffing!" (I sense none of them).

The leader of the orc smirked, "It seems like you are very confused, foolish humans, don't you know that you're art and magic won't work on us? Did they teach you nothing at school?"

"Shut up! Y-You better not cause any trouble!" said the cultivator with his quivering finger pointing at the leader.

Meanwhile, on the far end of the forest. A figure covered in a large cloak was witnessing what happened right before his very jade eyes. "These orcs are really wasting their time..."

"Oh, and I presume that you are not?"

The elf raised his brows with a gasp as he leaped back, "Who's there!"

"You have a sharp eye, you should figure out where I am right now... or are those eyes of yours belong to the humans?"

"You!" His eyes narrowed before he combed the trees.

"Where am I? Hahaha!" The voice echoed in the forest and turned distant as the espionage elf was chasing it into the deeper region.

"Coward, show yourself!" The elf shouted as he kept jumping from one tree to another. His eyes were no longer squinted, he was glaring and was too focused to notice the cold sweat coursing down from his temple.

"Already am! Hahaha!"

"What?!" the espionage muttered before he gritted his teeth. He sense no presence whatsoever just like the poor cultivator that he was keeping an eye on. "An anti-mana cultivator, tch!"

"Are you sure?" he felt a gentle wind from his nape.

"Hm?!" the espionage had his eyes widened before he immediately turned. However, he saw no one was behind him. "Shit..."

"Oh, I thought elves never curse," the espionage chuckled.

"Shut up! I don't need an opinion from a coward such as yourself!" the elf roared before he pulled out his bow under his cloak.

"Oh, where are you going to shoot? The north, the west, the east? Or perhaps the west?"

The ridicule scraped the elf's pride before the latter said, "Enough!"

He shot in all directions and left some trees to crack from his arrow.

"Hahaha, getting flustered, are we? Or, should I say losing your mind? Desperate? Are you desperate?! Hahaha! That's too soon!"

The elf was panting and his mind contemplated a thought (How did he find me if he is an anti-mana cultivator?! The echo also seemed to have the same pitch no matter where I go). His brows furrowed before he put away his bow.

"Oh, are you giving up already?" asked the voice. "Shame, I could do for a little more fun.."

"Giving up? A true elf never gives up!" said the espionage.

"Whahahaha! You sound really like a hypocrite."

"Judge as you wish," The elf crossed his arms, "If you were want to kill me you have the very chance to do so, yet here we are playing tags."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, it's not even a proper tag! You just play for half the game if that is the case."

The elf answered none and closed his eyes. He spread his divine sense like a bat navigating its way, yet he still found nothing significant in his radius. (I can't sense him at all! What sorcery is this! Not even the king would be able to do this!).

"Are you giving up already?"

"Who are you?" the elf asked instead. "I am the espionage of the king of the elf, King Galaeron of elven kingdom, Kingdom Errel."

"King of the elves? As in the true king of the elves?"

"There is only one elf king in the Mortal World, and that is King Galaeron," answered the espionage. "I take it that you know who I am prior to my introduction?"

"Sharp eyes, elves really do have a sharper mind than humans."

"Hmph!" The elf crossed his arms, "That's a matter of course."

"Though, I am wondering why would Galaeron sent you this far?"

"That's King Galaeron for you! And, the reason for that is classified."

The elf could hear a loud sigh before the voice continued, "So, you basically mean that you have no idea either?"

"Hmph! Don't play words with me, I know what I'm doing" said the elf, "Regardless, I'm willing to die for the Errel Kingdom, even if I have to put an arrow inside my own head."

"Woah, such patriotism, never thought an elf would have it," the voice chuckled.

"Don't lump me with the likes of you! You talk as if you are the forest itself, what is your purpose in luring me here?" asked the elf.

"I know you're sharp and all, but it would ruin the fun if I just tell you straight for it."

"Huh?" the elf furrowed his brows. (What the hell is he up to now?) So the voice had been nothing but the voice itself. The elf suffered no physical harm, not even a graze from falling twigs.

"I can just show you, you know, hehe."

"What is h—?!" His jade eyes shrunk as the reality in front of him shifted in an instant. His mouth gaped open before he darted to the tree beside him. "I'm... back where I started?"

"You can't even feel your shoulder now?" the familiar voice came to be and the espionage elf immediately turned in response.

The elf's eyes widened. He saw a figure covered in a huge cloak much like his but this one reached over the toes. He couldn't really tell how high the figure was but it was roughly not that different from his stature.

The elf looked up and down as his eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"So this is the one that you warned us about, hehe."

"Huh?" The elf opened his eyes wide as he saw the leader of the orc laughing before standing right before him. The towering height of the orc was something, not even the elf could compare, not to mention the density of the muscle the leader had.

"That is correct," the cloaked figure answered, "Do you trust me now?"

"Hahaha, of course, I trust you," the orc's leader laughed. "Without your help, who knows what this pointy-ears fellow would do."

The elf took another step back before he darted his glance at the cloaked figure, "You! You must be the one from Legion!"

"Hehehe, I will say it for the third time, I guess you're no fool," the figure grinned.

The elf gulped at the cloaked figure as perspiration of cold sweat begun.