Stuck As A Dungeon Mob

Ultimately, Sanev's arrogance stemmed from his belief that he was above others where it mattered. Ed doubted Sanev thought himself a great warrior for example. But he also likely felt that his superior intellect and magical prowess were far more valuable than physical strength.

So what kind of community service could Ed force upon him to remove this arrogance from him?

"You will venture out towards this point here" Ed said after drawing on the sand just outside of Sanev's house. Sanev could only look at the drawing in complete shock.

"That's a circle!" What Ed had drawn was not a point but an entire circle. That was to say Sanev's destination was somewhere within the circle he detailed. A circle which for reference was 5 times as big as the 'point' Ed drew for their current location which was a literal city.

"Don't fret the details too much, take this" Ed said before summoning some resources from his system space. Sanev twitched.

"I'm not sure these will suffice for the entire journey" Ed had summoned various fruits that appeared as though they would last a few days at most. It also had to be mentioned that they were strewn about on the floor with no convenient way to take them.

"Well the only one eating on this journey will be you and you've proven yourself to be quite resourceful so I'm sure you can manage" Ed responded.

"...wait so you will have something or someone else accompany me?" Sanev inquired.

"Yes, they will accompany you" Ed said before summoning an entirely new creature. An elven skeleton. Sanev's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. When did Ed kill one of them?!?

Ed snickered inwardly seeing his reaction. The truth was that he had no access to an Elven skeleton so he went ahead and did his best to create one in the system space.

"Oh, pardon me Sanev. Allow me to introduce you to Venas" Ed said while holding back a smile.

It had to be noted that Sanev was the youngest of the water elves. In spite of that, he rose above the rest to a position of authority by playing the saint. All of this together made it so he was incredibly fun to tease.

Sanev caught onto the not subtle meaning of the name very quickly and unlike Ed he didn't need to hold back his smile. That was because he was not smiling.

"If… If I may ask, how exactly is this a service to the community?" Sanev was getting the impression that this task of going to some random point in the desert couldn't possibly be benefiting anyone except Ed who was getting a sick kick out of it

"Hmm, I guess it's alright to tell you." Ed then began to explain how he had sent the skeletons Mauro and Idrisi to scout out the dungeon floor and how one of them had located ruins in that general vicinity.

"The large circle is because unfortunately, I do not know the exact location" Though even if he did know he would make sure that Sanev spent as much time as he was able to surviving out in the desert.

Sanev stood pensively as he processed all of the new information. He ran calculations in his head and understood that while for a water mage like himself the desert was a death sentence, exploring these ruins was also an opportunity for himself.

'If Sanev manages to bring some useful technology from there, he can potentially monopolize it' Ed wasn't afraid that he would withhold it from Ed himself however. For one while Venas was more than anything a prank on Sanev the skeleton was also a means to monitor and garner information.

'Sanev should also be aware of that.' It was especially so since he told him how he had previously sent out skeleton scouts.

'Whatever the case, let's hope he survives' Sanev was a water mage. Arid Elves did not have that magical affinity. That was to say that Sanev did not have the adaptability to the desert that Arid Elves had as he was not an arid elf.

In spite of lacking the appropriate skills, Ed was sending him out to the desert to a place that could very well contain nothing.

'The desert terrain changes rapidly from day to day.' It was impossible to guarantee that the ruins would still be visible on the surface. They weren't all that easy to see at the time that they were found either after all.

"I understand, I will do as you instruct" Sanev finally looked up and said with determination.

"If you understand then you can make your own preparations before you head out tomorrow morning" Ed was in essence giving Sanev enough time to figure out a way to survive as the resources he gave him were not enough for a trip to and fro.

"I will do so with haste" Sanev responded with a stern expression before grabbing the fruits Ed dropped on the ground the best he could and transporting as many as possible in one trip into his home.

It was then that Ed noticed someone approaching.

"Alolvi" Ed greeted.

"Ed, thank you for taking care of this matter" Alolvi was unaware that the person he once treated as a niece was put into such a perilous position. This made him feel both grateful to Ed and inadequate as a leader.

"No need to thank me, it's something I had to do" For Ed, having absolute control over each floor was a must. The dungeon was no easy foe and neither were the humans outside the dungeon. Ed was once human too so he would know how large a threat they could become.

Saving Riniya from Sanev? He didn't do any such thing. What he had done was exercised his authority over Sanev and saved an elf who could have been anyone.

"No, it's something I should do as the leader" Alolvi knew that he was a figurehead. But he didn't want to be a figurehead. Alolvi wanted to be a real leader.

While Alolvi was not initially accepting of the position, he became keenly aware that it was a job that someone had to do following the Bloodhaven expedition. But not just anyone could do this, it had to be someone with a just moral compass. 

While it might sound distrustful and arrogant even the only one Alolvi could trust to act with the best interests of the elves was himself. And perhaps… his long gone friend.

With all that being said, Alolvi did trust and value Ed. But as Ed was an entity with lots of unknowns, Alolvi couldn't guarantee that Ed would never put the interest of the elves second to his own. No, the elves were likely second or third to him as things stood.

So long as Alolvi's and Ed's interests aligned Alolvi knew that he could trust him, that was the sum of it.

"So, how do you think he'll fare?" Alolvi asked after Ed failed to respond.

"He'll do fine" Sanev could be seen preparing a brush and many formation materials.

"I hope so" Alolvi saw Sanev as a valuable individual just as Ed did. But he also acknowledged that his current attitude was not fit for someone in a position of power. If he was forced to live on his own, Alolvi assumed Sanev would have no choice but to learn that in order for everyone to live comfortably, someone had to do the menial jobs.

Later the next day, Alolvi, Ed and a crowd of onlookers saw Sanev off at an exit near Sanev's home.

"I can't believe he is being exiled…" "He is not built for this" "How cruel…" The whispers and murmurs of the crowd were sympathetic towards Sanev. Despite Sanev's cunning, he did have an appearance that appealed to Elven beauty standards. That was to say he looked beautifully frail.

Yet, that frail body was lugging a solid container made of earth. There were various runes that formed an array on it. Ed could already assume that he lightened the load via magic.

"I'm off then" Sanev said simply before turning away from the crowd and beginning his journey. Of course, his travel companion Venas rattled alongside him.

The crowd and their whispers became inaudible shortly thereafter and soon Sanev was no longer within the city complex. He was instead surrounded by dry wood adorned with leaves. The trees that the elves that came before him had set up.

Sanev looked up at the sky. The sunlight was harsh despite the sun having just risen. He was feeling weak already. The thought of turning back and begging for some other form of atonement entered Sanev's mind for a moment.

But the moment was fleeting and Sanev focused on the endless dunes in front of him. He was reminded of the miserable trip Ed made them take to the city he now called home and grimaced.

"I'll be in your care Venas" Sanev said wryly. It was possible that he was already losing his mind.