102 The Elf End

The man was wearing a waistcoat with the buttons open, revealing equal parts of fat and flap on a body that had grown with both effort and gluttony. A half-moon axe glinted in the light falling from the ceiling where a chandelier had been lighted; it was something made for killing, and it stood ready to do the task it had been created for while swerving between all those in the room, searching for the target that it would go for first.

If he was being frank, Daneel was in no mood for a fight. In his mind, he prepared to tell the system to take care of it, but just before he could do so, the man's eyes alighted on the elf and he bellowed, "There you are! The Thraldens send their regards! You have only yourself to blame, coming to such a discreet place with no bodyguards! Come…meet your death!"

Stopping the command he was going to give the system, Daneel glanced at the elf who, surprisingly, looked just as bored as him despite listening to what the man had just said.

'For once, I'm not the one in danger! Oh, that's refreshing, and new!'

Like someone who had bought a ticket to a play, he settled in for a good show. This mood of his was soon disturbed, though, as the man moved his eyes to the two of them and said, "And you two! If you know what's good for you, run away! Otherwise…when I start swinging, my axe won't stop from cutting the both of you to ribbons! Run like the mice you are, cowards!"

Obviously, the newcomer was really one for assumptions, but Daneel felt the pride of a king rousing within him. He had really had enough of being ferreted around by the world, only reacting to everything that was happening. Here was a choice: he could either agree with the man, and leave from the confrontation that had nothing to do with him…or he could stay, and take part in the fight just for the heck of it.

He looked at Alex, who had already begun to get up. With a bow, he said, "Very well! Shall we leave, my dear companion? Clearly, we are not wanted here, and it would not do to press our welcome. We have other, more pertinent things to do, so…let's go?"

With a hopeful look, he gestured at the door, but Daneel was having none of it. True, this could be called foolish pride as he was staying only because the man had called them cowards, but slowly, he realized that there was something else keeping him in place.

The elf was one of the most interesting individuals he had met, yet. From what he had said, what Alex had lectured, and the fight that was soon going to erupt, he had gathered that the man had deep roots in the Mainland, and because that was the place he was really interested in, he saw that he must have already subconsciously made the decision that this was a defining moment where his actions would affect his future in ways that he could not yet comprehend.

From the corner of his eye, Daneel saw that the big man's face ranged between fury, frustration, then downright embarrassment. He had come in all bold and hero-like… but he was being ignored, now, so thoroughly that he must've started to question his own existence.

Throwing out all such thoughts with a loud snarl, though, he shouted, "Fine! All three of you shall die!" and sent the axe flying in the direction of the elf.

Daneel paid no attention to it…and neither did the elf. All he did was raise a hand, and while Daneel felt a faint stirring in the air almost as if he was seeing the first signs of a hurricane coming to life, the axe froze, and the big man face froze alongside it.

Extending his hand that had manicured fingernails painted a dark crimson, he said, "I'm called Morallein, named for one of the emperors of our kind. Because it is difficult to spell, I've been calling myself Mors. You may call me the same. And you are?"

Beside them, the big man was straining to reach for his axe, trying to free himself from whatever was holding them both in midair. Neither of them budged at all, though, and his face was slowly starting to swell up like a tomato, turning the same shade while he tried and tried and suddenly flew back, falling out of the door he had come in through due to the elf cleverly freeing him at the right moment.

As a loud thud sounded from where he fell, Daneel extended his own hand and shook the elf's before saying, "Call me Dan, and this is Alex. My original plan was to travel alone…but now that I already have one companion, I see no problem with taking on another. I only have one condition: I will only tell you what I choose."

With a glowing smile, the elf squeezed Daneel's hand warmly and pulled it back before extending it to Alex. Alex didn't move, at first, while looking at Daneel with an unreadable look on his face, and then, with a shrug, he rolled his eyes and shook the elf's hand, too.

"It is settled, then! I was starting to grow tired of this place, anyway. Whatever your quest is, I shall aid you. It is said that in the olden times, in a period which you humans have all but forgotten, the best and grandest deeds were done together, with all the races as one. I wish my mother could see me now…she looks at humans as if they're ants, and she was so shaken when I said that I do not share the sentiment. We live longer, yes…but you manage to do so much more with your lives. In this journey, I wish to grow and find within myself a purpose that I can—"

"FUCK YOUR PURPOSE!"

With a loud scream that almost seemed to shake the rafters, the loud man entered the room again. This time, finally, the elf's expression changed; he frowned infinitesimally, the slightest hint of displeasure showing on his face, and then, as Daneel looked on with eyes that he was trying hard not to widen, dots of light came out of nowhere in front of him before coalescing into a glow around his right hand. The hand moved, then, turning into a blur and causing a 'whoosh' to sound in the room, and a moment later...the axe that had still been in the air flew back in the direction it had come from, cutting off the big man's head on the way.

Wrinkling his nose with disgust, the elf rubbed his hands on his clothes as if he had done the deed with them. Meanwhile, the big man's headless body fell to the floor, the head rolling out of the room with a sick, squelching noise, leaving behind a trail of red and grey semi-liquids.

"Sometimes, if something must be done, it is best to do it right away. I should learn that. Now, then…"

Daneel felt someone arriving before he heard them. Through the shattered door of their booth, he watched as the door of the inn was kicked to let in an old man, stooped on a walking stick, looking as harmless as was humanly possible.

A second later, though… his eyes fell on the dead body and the three of them. Those eyes went red and veins popped on his face, green and throbbing as if he had suddenly been given blood to pump.

In front of Daneel, he started to grow, frail body transforming and swelling to become bigger, taller, more muscular than anyone his age had a right to be. When he was done, he stood over 12 feet tall.

His clothes had ripped through, and at the moment, only a scrap of cloth at his groin hid whatever was beneath it. Everywhere else, bulging muscles and veins could be seen, and with a deep bellow, he raised both his hands high.

"You dared cause trouble in Athwarf on my watch? OUT!"

Alex slapped his forehead. Daneel gulped, looking at the fists that were the size of a full-grown man. And between them both, the elf said dryly, "And this is why I didn't want to kill. Well, nothing can be done now…so, its time to depart. If you are not fond of being ground to paste…I suggest we run."