Luka awoke the next morning when sunlight shone into his eyes through the open window. The boy sat up in his bed and stretched. He noticed the washbin full of water, a hand towel, and a toothbrush on his nightstand; Luka used them to wash his face and brush his teeth.
The splashing sounds awoke Bel, who yawned and wiggled his furry tail. [Let's go downstairs! I'm hungry!] The rabbit quickly climbed on the boy's head.
The two left the bedroom and descended the staircase. When Luka and Bel reached the living room, Ellaria greeted them with a friendly smile. "Good morning, boys!"
Luka replied with a "good morning" and sat at the table. He saw that today's meal consisted of warm soy milk, tofu skin (evidently in place of bread), and berries on the side. The youth started eating his breakfast before his familiar could swipe it again!
Bel glared at Luka and then dug into his bowl of soy milk and carrots.
Ellaria joined the table with a bowl of soy milk and berries. But her portion was half that of the others. When the three finished their meals, she began to talk. "Luka, what do you hope to accomplish during your stay in our village?" the hostess asked politely.
"I wish to learn archery and hunt game. I also want to learn how to make medicine," the boy answered.
Ellaria nodded. "My job is to tend the fields with several villagers. I could take you to the herb gardens, show you the various plants, and explain their medicinal uses. As for hunting, you might be too young to accompany the hunters in the forest," she noted with a stern expression.
The foster mother declined to share her real concern: most hunters belonged to the nativist faction, which hated humans. Thus, Ellaria worried for Luka's safety if he accompanied them.
The naive boy accepted her explanation at face value. "But I could still learn archery without leaving the village, correct?"
"I could ask the guards to train you," she conceded. Ellaria didn't wish to disappoint him. Thus, she planned to ask a friendly guard to teach Luka as a personal favor.
"Thank you!" the boy beamed with delight. Luka's mother refused to let him learn archery because she wanted to prioritize his swordsmanship. Juliette agreed to hire an archery instructor to teach her son if he attained the sixth-rank in swordsmanship, which Luka hadn't achieved yet.
Ellaria smiled in relief because she feared that Luka would stubbornly demand to accompany the hunters. If push came to shove, she could go with Luka to hunt in the woods near the village. But this arrangement would mean one less pair of hands to tend the farms and saddle Ellaria's coworkers with additional work. Since Luka was Alectos's official disciple, her supervisor would let Ellaria take a sabbatical. But this arrangement would make the villagers hate Luka even more.
Luka exited the treehouse. When he peered down from the porch, the boy estimated that he was at least thirty feet above the ground. Luka examined the vines which snaked all around the treehouse. He declined to use them to climb down because they wouldn't support his weight.
Ellaria quietly stood next to the boy. "Let me cast a Flight spell to bring you to the ground," she offered.
"No need. I can teleport," the boy replied.
To her astonishment, Luka instantly disappeared from the treehouse! When the elf looked down, Ellaria confirmed that the boy and his pet safely landed. She was surprised that Luka knew spatial magic since it was rare among elves. The foster mother remembered that Alectos introduced Luka as his official disciple, and this public acknowledgment made Ellaria accept the boy's magical talent more readily.
However, a passerby became startled by Luka's sudden appearance blocking his path. When the elf noticed Bel pointing and laughing at him, the resident lost his temper! "You little stinking rascal!" The elf blamed the human for his pet's misbehavior and threw a punch at Luka's head!
The boy instinctively used Blink to avoid the blow. He disappeared, and the fist passed right through his body. The target reappeared behind the attacker's back.
"Stand still and fight, you human vermin!" the elf cursed. The attacker pulled out a knife and slashed at Luka's face!
Luka activated his Critical Insight, and the assailant's movements transformed into slow motion. During this period, the teenager identified multiple weak spots for Luka to target in his counterattack. But the defender hesitated because he didn't wish to escalate the conflict and put Ellaria in an awkward position.
Alternatively, the boy could continuously dodge and evade while waiting for the guards to arrive. Luka picked the peaceful option and used a combination of Blink and Void Step to avoid the sharp knife.
The elf felt humiliated by his inability to score a hit, and he began to target the human's vital points such as the heart and throat.
"STOP!" Ellaria cried out in horror as she witnessed the sudden melee from her porch. Alas, she was too far away from the combatants to intervene!
The shouting attracted two guards' attention, who used wind magic and quickly arrived on the scene. They witnessed Phraan Iarkas swiping at the human child with a sharp knife and became alarmed by the elf's action. Even worse, the villager actively targeted Luka's vital spots! The guards recognized the boy as Alectos' disciple and an honored guest of the village. If he ends up dead, the Village of Langerlan might incur Alectos's divine retribution for failing to protect his precocious pupil!
One of the guards, Ailduin Yllalar, offered a prayer to Alectos and tossed his throwing knife at Phraan's hand. His aim proved accurate, and his projectile miraculously knocked the weapon out of the assailant's grasp!
His partner, Namys Gilsatra, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the weapon fly away from its owner. Once she reached the combatants, Namys threw Phraan to the ground and pinned his wrists behind his back. Then she cast Earth Bind to cuff the perpetrator. Namys roughly pulled the prisoner off the floor to face her partner for on-site questioning.
"Why did you attack Alectos's disciple?" Ailduin asked in a stern tone of voice. He knew that Phraan was a troublemaker who loved to fight, but the villager went overboard using a knife.
The prisoner snorted. "You're taking that freak's side over a member of your race?" Phraan glared at the questioner.
"What did Luka do to warrant your deadly attacks?" Namys asked.
Since Phraan had no defense for his action, the prisoner turned his face aside and kept silent.
Ailduin turned his gaze toward the human child. "Can you tell us?" the male guard asked in a more gentle tone.
"I teleported from the treehouse I stayed overnight. When I landed on the floor, I somehow frightened this person," Luka explained with a helpless shrug.
"Is that true?" Ailduin asked with a frown.
Phraan snorted. He couldn't believe the human remained calm despite being attacked. The prisoner tried to rile up Luka by glaring at him. "Stop your yapping, you son of a whore! Your mother must have enjoyed mating with a goblin to give birth to a tiny greenhorn like you!"
[You're going to take that?] Bel goaded in disbelief.
Luka's face darkened as the demon essence inside his body boiled. He lunged at Phraan.
Ailduin immediately stepped into the boy's path and blocked him.
Luka used Void Step to teleport behind the guard. As soon as the livid boy reappeared before Phraan, Luka walloped the elf's dirty mouth. POW! Crack! The teenager's knuckles fractured from the violent impact, but Luka didn't care. He tried to punch Phraan again, but Ailduin pulled the boy into a bear hug. The enraged Luka shook his body but couldn't break free.
Finally, Namys used Earth Bind and wrapped up Luka like a mummy. She took care to leave an opening under the imprisoned boy's nostrils for him to breathe.
"What happened here?" an angry voice thundered.
The melee had drawn a crowd, and Ailmoon pushed the villagers aside to pass through.
Namys gave the Chief Elder a brief report of the incident.
Ailmoon's face darkened. "Phraan, I'm very sympathetic to the loss of your family to humans. But that doesn't give you the right t
o commit attempted murder on this child! If not for your status as a war veteran, I would expel you from Langerlan immediately. Instead, you will spend a month as a caretaker in the Ancestral Tombs, and you will not step out of our holy grounds during that period. Someone will bring you food and water daily."
The chief then turned toward the mummified Luka. "Although you were initially the victim, you succumbed to your anger and fell into Phraan's trap. You will spend a week inside Ellaria's home and not take a step out the door."
Once Ailmoon handed down his punishments, he addressed the crowd. "Get back to work!" he barked.
The guards took Phraan away after releasing the vines restricting Luka's body.
Ellaria had stood with the crowd because she believed that the two guards would maintain order. Unfortunately, her unwarranted faith in the duo got Luka into trouble due to her inaction. If she could turn back time, then Ellaria would join the fight and damn the consequences!
The foster mother cast Flight on Luka, Bel, and herself to bring them home.
Chapter 23
A Divided Village
During the trip home, Ellaria felt torn between her duties as Luka's new foster mother and her sympathy for Phraan's family loss. While the war veteran deserved respect for his sacrifice and service, Phraan's attempted murder of Luka was shocking and unbelievable if Ellaria didn't witness the fight herself.
But at the same time, she thought Luka was innocent and obstructed Phraan by accident. Ellaria also felt amazed at Luka's magical talent and fighting instincts because he timed Blink perfectly to evade the initial sneak attack. If she was involved in a similar situation, Ellaria doubted that she would be equally successful. Moreover, she felt proud of Luka for defending his mother and respected the boy even more. But this episode revealed Luka's chief weakness -- his mother.
When the group landed on her treehouse balcony, Ellaria opened the door and entered the premises. Luka and Bel wordlessly followed.
The boy looked at Ellaria but kept silent. His face was devoid of expression. Luka didn't believe that he acted wrongfully in punching that bastard for cursing his mother. Although his hand stung, the boy felt good about defending her honor.
The hostess noticed that Luka refused to apologize for his attack on Phraan. "I saw what happened, and I won't say that you were wrong in punching Phraan for disrespecting your mother. Elves value family, and I think many villagers would secretly agree with your reaction. Our patron god Alectos placed you in our care. I hope that you won't assume the rest of our villagers are hostile towards you. Now, show me your hand."
Luka dutifully raised his broken hand with an innocent expression.
Ellaria winced at the sight of the ugly knuckles. "Sweetheart, I'll get the healer," she said with growing urgency. Ellaria declined to scold the boy for not speaking up sooner and suffering in silence. She wondered if Luka was trying to prove his toughness or manhood.
The teenager stopped her by grabbing her arm. "I can heal myself," Luka announced nonchalantly. Light essence gathered at his knuckles and began to mend rapidly until his injury disappeared.
Ellaria watched in astonishment because she realized that Luka used light magic! The Elven race mastered elemental magic, and healers relied on water magic to recover injuries. None of the residents of Langerlan was proficient in light magic. She felt excited and awed by Luka. "Very impressive!" Ellaria praised.
Luka felt shy at her reaction while Bel snorted.
[With rare exceptions, elves cannot use light magic.] The familiar explained.
"Is it okay for me to publicly disclose your proficiency in healing via light magic?" Ellaria asked gingerly. "Our village heavily relies on a bartering system for goods and services. If you offer your healing abilities, then I'm sure people will exchange meat and even archery lessons in return," she noted.
"Sure," the boy agreed. Luka worried that he had nothing to offer the residents of Langerlan, and his brief fight with Phraan would cause the elves to shun him. They couldn't boot him out of the village outright because Alectos had assigned his pupil to live there. But surely, the elves could ostracize him and make his residency a miserable experience. Now that Luka learned of a way to get into their good graces, he planned to work diligently to overcome their racial prejudice against him.
Ellaria ruffed the boy's hair. "I must head for the gardens now for my employment. I will swing by to bring your lunch," she promised.
"See you soon!" Luka waved goodbye to her. Once Ellaria left the premise, the child sighed loudly. He glared at the troublemaker. "It's your fault for instigating Phraan!" Luka snarled.
[How would I know that elf has a short temper? If anything, it's your bad luck for popping up in front of Phraan.] Bel snorted.
Luka had no defense against Bel's truthful words. The mage neglected to check his vicinity before using teleportation magic. "I'm going to meditate. Don't bother me." He sat in the lotus position, closed his eyes, and began to meditate. Luka reached out with his magic sense to feel the magical elements in his environment. The mage soon discovered that the village was rich in the four essential elements of fire, earth, water, and air.
Additionally, Luka noted that the area possessed an equal amount of light element, while the available shadow essence was just a quarter of the other five. He surmised that the availability of light and shadow energies depended on the sun and moon cycle. Since the sun was up, the more light element became available for use. When nighttime arrives, shadow essence becomes abundant.
This information was critical to Luka because magic spells required these elements as fuel to cast successfully. Moreover, higher-tier magic required more essence. This prerequisite translated into a longer casting time to gather the vital energy in sufficient quantity from the environment. Based on Luka's investigation, his shadow spells would require four times the amount of time to cast successfully. Hence, he should avoid using shadow magic during daylight hours.
Unbeknownst to Luka, a large crowd gathered at the oak tree hosting Ailmon's treehouse. The chief elder sighed as he peered down from his balcony. He had hoped that the residents would disregard this morning's altercation and go about their regular business. Unfortunately, they seemed dissatisfied with his punishments for the combatants.
Ailmon made a quick headcount and determined that approximately a third of the populace stood below. The troubled elder cast Flight and descended to the ground to address his constituents. His eyelids twitched when he saw Taeral Naeleth standing at the forefront.
Taeral was a close friend of Phraan, and the two elves served the same army unit in the Religious Wars. But unlike the imprisoned elf, Taeral was less stubborn and headstrong. Thus, he was reasonably popular with other residents in Langerlan.
Ailmon smiled warmly at the crowd and asked them directly. "Why have you gathered here?" The wily fox snorted inwardly at the younger elf's awkward expression. The chief didn't know what Taeral said to rile up the villagers, but Ailmon sought to control the dialogue by asking first.
"We're dissatisfied with your punishment of Phraan!" someone yelled.
The crowd nodded their support of this sentiment.
Ailmon mustered an appropriately angry face. "Phraan tried to murder Alectos's disciple this morning," he replied.
"No, he wouldn't do that," Taeral disputed quickly.
The chief's eyes lit up in his understanding of the elf's strategy. Taeral wished to muddle the facts and minimize Phraan's criminal act. Once the crowd believed him, then Taeral would righteously pressure Ailmon to release Phraan. "You were not present when Phraan attacked Luka." Ailmon's eyes surveyed the crowd before he added, "None of you were there."
The elves muttered amongst themselves.
"Two guards on duty witnessed the altercation between Phraan and Luka, and they reported this incident to me. Surely you're not disputing what our loyal guards said, right? They have no reason to lie and create trouble for Phraan," Ailmon noted in a somber tone of voice.
&
nbsp; The residents remained silent. The elven guard corps handled disputes very discreetly. If they wished, the officers could extort each villager by threatening to reveal secret information on each person. Thus, the mention of these guards made the elves uneasy. Some of the villagers quietly dispersed from the crowd.
Taeral quickly gave up on disputing the facts and focused instead on reducing his friend's punishment. "Phraan must work in the underground tombs for a month while the brat gets a weeklong stay at home. This unequal punishment is unfair to our villager while the newcomer receives a light wrist tap," he complained.
"The boy broke his hand from punching Phraan's thick skull," Ailmon refuted calmly. "And if the break doesn't heal right, then Luka may be disabled and unable to cast spells properly. The child got the worse of this altercation."
"I don't care about that brat. Luka is merely an outsider who somehow fooled Alectos and became our burden. Phraan is Langerlan's sole leatherworker. He has several orders-in-progress, including one from the guard corps to repair some leather armors. We can't afford to have Phraan stay out of his workshop for an entire month!" Taeral retorted with a grievous expression.
"Exactly!" someone shouted in support.
"Four weeks is too long!" another elf complained, and this garnered more shouts from the crowd.
"Silence!" Ailmon roared. "Do you wish to replace me as your chief elder?" he asked and looked at each elf in the group.
Their eyes became downcast. Some villagers only wished to play around and sought an excuse not to work. They never expected this matter to turn severe and question the chief elder's authority. Many elves had a change of heart and quietly walked away.
"We only want to raise the problem with forcing Phraan out of his workshop for an entire month," a recalcitrant villager noted.
"There's a simple solution," another elf said. "Phraan could rotate and serve one week inside the tomb, the next week back in his workshop until he spends four weeks inside the ancestral grounds," he proposed.
Ailmon recognized the speaker as Folwin Trisrel, the blacksmith who shared a cordial relationship with Phraan but was more welcoming of Luka's stay in the village. The chief believed that he needed to retain Folwin's support to win over the crowd. "Yes, that is acceptable," he agreed.
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 18