POV A poor scapegoat:
Two men sat behind a small table in a dark room filled with smoke from cigars. The heavy smell of alcohol and tobacco tickled their noses. Garbage was lying all over the floor, and the moaning of women and the laughter of drunkards constantly resounded through the room.
“Who the heck wanted to meet in such a place?” The first player with a bald head and a pirate patch over his left eye couldn’t help but feel disgusted.
His friend, a blonde player with a scarred face and sharpened pointy teeth, quietly responded, “A scum…”
Without warning, everyone turned silent, and a heavy and dangerous aura made breathing hard.
Two figures hidden under plain, traveling cloaks, their faces obscured by shadows, slowly walked straight to the duo, no one daring to stand in their way as the drunkards cleared the path for them.
One was comically short, and the second was tall and bulky, his steps making loud thuds and the old wooden floor creaking under his boots.
“It looks like our clients are here…” The blonde, scarred player grinned, showing his pointy, sharp teeth.
The two newcomers stopped by their tables, and the short one pointed at the tall one and said, “Here, big Bobo has some peculiar taste… he is hungry for some elven meat straight from the forest.”
‘What the hell?!’ He was a scumbag, but even he flinched at the disgusting request, his stomach almost turning upside down, but in the end, he managed to keep his grin and the content of his stomach.
A small pouch hit the table, with three small shiny diamonds glittering inside.
“This is just a down payment. Go catch some fresh meat for big Bobo, and you will gain even more!”
‘Why the fuck does she sound like a small girl…’ He looked at the big Bobo with even more disgust, shuddering at the thought of the small girl being close to him, ‘Well, the quest is the quest…’
With greed, the blond’s hands moved and snatched the pouch from the table, his eyes almost popping at the immense reward. He knew it was risky to provoke the elves, but he felt the reward was worth it.
His grin grew even wider, the vision of the rewards pushing back all his disgust and fear, ‘Haha, no one will know if I just kidnap some random elf from the cit….’
“Don’t try to cheat and trick us! Big Bobo is a gourmand. He can recognize the taste of a cheap city elf and a naturally fed elf from the elven forest! If you trick us, you will end up in big Bobo’s special dungeon!” He froze, the eyes of the small girl brightly shining under their hood, making him feel like he would die if he moved.𝑂𝑽𝐿xt.𝗇t
“Bye, get the meal for the big Bobo!” Suddenly the masked girl turned away, cheerfully skipping away, followed by the monster by her side.
//
New quest
Objective: Capture an elf from the elven forest.
Quest items: 3 small diamonds
Reward: 1 x Instant Level Up; 5 x Small Diamond
Failure: Big Bobo will be angry and hungry.
//
Few hours later:
POV Alesia:
Two horned beings walked through the lush green woods, birds singing in the crowns of the tall, towering ancient trees growing everywhere.
The fresh green grass rustled under their feet. Everything was bright, even with the thick tree canopies above their heads, as if some illusion enchanted the entire groove.
Alesia deeply breathed in the fresh air, smelling nothing but nature. There wasn’t even a trace of burning, waste, or other disgusting odors perpetrated throughout human cities and even in the city of her master.
The only thing souring her mood and air were dead bodies lying on the ground, arrows sticking out of them. Alesia immediately recognized the scarred idiot and his bald sidekick, even with the blood covering their faces.
‘Stinkers… But they are only the first batch, more fools will come after them. All blinded by their greed.’
Suddenly the trees above them rustled, and sounds of drawn bows came from around them.
The tall knight by her side moved and drew his sword in a split second, creating afterimages.
“No, wait!” Alesia hastily put her hand on his armored chest, his movement stopping.
“What happened to you… you? What have you done!?” A tall elf landed behind them, his long pointy ears slightly twitching as he stared at the horns poking from the head of the young elven girl.
“I have ascended!” The branches of the trees creaked, the leaves rustled, and the air became blazing hot as an aura exploded and spread from the small elf.
Everything became quiet in the blink of an eye, the birds singing and insects vanishing as if they had never even existed.
Her eyes were torched in fire and lightning, and miniature storms spun in her irises.
“Y-you! What have you done? Why are you like this…”
“Be quiet… Your superior is speaking! I was blessed by my new master and lord.” Alesia stared at the elf but no longer felt the expected familiarity.
Instead, she felt her pride at her superiority push back her other emotions.
“I am bringing you all new hope! You were hiding in this forest for generations while you let the inferior humans encroach on it, meter after meter. Even now, I see dead humans lying and staining the soil of our forest.”
She knew elves too well. She knew their weak spots. A smile formed on her face while the elf’s eyes blazed in anger.
‘Elfs always believed in their superiority. They were always better than humans in every aspect. Their society was better and more peaceful, and their bodies were superior and overflowing with vitality and mana far beyond any human, giving them a long lifespan and power. Yet, they were still getting pushed back by the sheer number of humans.’
She was ready to fully use it and radicalize them to awaken their ancient desire for retribution. She was going to help her former people see the world as it is, without any pretense.
