Chương 57: The Third Bell

The third bell rang from deeper in the forest. The sound fell from above the trees. Small bronze bells hung between thick branches rang in succession, and the clear metallic sound spread beneath the leaf roofs. The elf village was not only on the ground. Beyond the low stone markers lay moss-covered trails, and above them, stairs wound around wooden pillars, layered with leaf-covered balconies. The first and second bells had sounded like the kind the elves rang when adding to the agenda.

At least, that was how they sounded to Kichan. With the whole village moving over one marker, one Dust, and one human fallen from the sky, by then he thought the bells were just another procedure. But the third was different. The faces of the elves standing between the low stone markers changed at the same time. The hands that had been drawing bowstrings briefly stiffened, and the dry eyebrows of the elder with the silver ear ornaments went up.

From the treehouse roofs, young elves poked their heads out and were immediately pulled back inside. The leaf cloth hanging from the balcony swayed, and the sound of running feet on the upper paths traveled down the branches. Kichan's head turned toward Riphiel.

"Is it another agenda item." This time, Riphiel did not smile. Without even brushing the mud from the tips of her white hair, she lowered herself on the sabertooth tiger's nape and looked beyond the forest. The tiger's black-striped shoulders slowly swelled.

"No. The third bell is not a meeting." Kichan felt slightly relieved.

"Then it's fine."

"It is an invasion." Kichan's face immediately crumpled. From the opposite side of the village, shouts burst. Then came the sound of metal striking wood. Something hard broke, and someone let out a short scream. The elves on the tree paths jumped over the leaf railings to the ground below, and the elves on the ground scattered between the stone markers. Several bows that had been aimed at Kichan moments ago turned toward the outer forest. The leaf and eye marks carved into the stone markers lit in succession.

The low light ran along the village boundary line, then was roughly cut off on one side. That was where the orcs pushed in. The orcs were not many. Instead, their bodies were large and their movements fast. They wore beast hides over greyish skin, and their arms were caked with dried mud and old scars. Leather shields and horn trumpets, axes for chopping through trees, shoulder armor decorated with bone. Two orcs in the front line kicked a low stone marker, and the marker rolled across the dirt.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Kichan stopped walking for a moment. Elves and orcs fighting. The business of an elf village that had just been treating him like an intruder. There was no reason to get involved.

"I'm leaving." Kichan shouldered his wake-up rod and stepped back. Several elves looked at him but could not stop him. Beyond the village, orcs were coming in, and within it, children and the elderly were moving beneath the treehouses. Just then, the water droplet shot out from the end of his sleeve. It did not come out with its usual playful pop. The water droplet shook violently above his wrist, then wrapped around Kichan's wrist like water. Kichan frowned.

"What's wrong with you." The water droplet could not answer. Instead, it stretched its body toward the inside of the village. Toward where the high branches of the World Tree were visible. The leaves of the colossal tree were still far away, but below it, young branches and root markers stretched out. Several orcs were running toward that spot. Seeing the water droplet, Riphiel's eyes widened.

"Where did you obtain that water droplet?"

"I don't know."

"Not knowing is a bigger problem."

"If you know something, you tell me." Riphiel opened her mouth, then looked deeper into the forest again. This time the words did not come right away. That silence was more unsettling. The water droplet was trembling as if almost in tears. Within its small body, the water-light shook in fragments. Kichan looked down at the water droplet stuck to his wrist, then raised his head toward the inside of the village again. One orc leaped before the low fence where the young World Tree marker was planted.

The fence did not even reach waist height, and inside it, thin branches still leaned against their supports. The orc shoved the low fence with its foot and raised its axe as it was. The water droplet stretched from Kichan's wrist as if tearing itself free. It could not shape itself into a shield or a blade. The water split sharply and tried to shoot out toward the axe-wielding orc. Kichan reflexively grabbed his sleeve.

"Hey, why are you going crazy too." The water droplet did not stop. It pulled at his wrist. The strength was small and weak, but the direction was clear. Kichan gritted his teeth.

"If I just stop that one, is that enough." The water droplet went pop. Riphiel said.

"As if one would be enough?"

"You be quiet." Kichan straightened his grip on the wake-up rod. The foot he had pulled back to run now turned toward the inside of the village. The orc's axe came down over the young branch. Kichan did not run. He simply walked over and, from the side, tapped the axe handle with the tip of his wake-up rod. Tak. The axe handle broke. The orc's wrist bent backward, and the axe blade buried itself in the dirt beside the branch. The orc's eyes flew wide and looked at Kichan. Kichan looked at the orc.

"Don't hit that." The orc did not understand Kichan's words. Still, it saw the tip of the wake-up rod and the broken axe handle. And the orcs around all looked at Kichan at the same time. The elves who had been drawing their bowstrings at the village boundary stopped. Riphiel, on the sabertooth tiger, inhaled deeply and shouted.

"As of just now, he's on our side! Probably!" Kichan slowly turned his head.

"Who says?"