NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

Elina's Point of View

This event happened before Kouran left the group to meet with Okami and Ryoshi.

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"You need to hit harder than that!" Kouran, the dark elf who managed our village, shouted at me.

Upon hearing her instructions, I jabbed my fist towards the training dummy and finished it by slicing its insides. When my blade came into contact with the target practice, the scarecrow shattered into a million hays. It even turned into its original form, thanks to the empowered spell from Kouran.

"Grandmother La Finta would not let me fight like this!" I exclaimed, while crushing the remaining scarecrows in the training field. "It would be nice if I could have my break right now!"

However, before Kouran could even reply to my request, she dashed behind me and readied her blade. She thought I would fall for her trick, considering that Kouran was a dark elf. And long-eared elves knew that these dark elves took pride in their assassination skills.

But when I thought I had Kouran, she already got me. That short-eared girl leapt in front of me and hit me with the pommel of her blade. I got instantly knocked out from the damage while falling to my knees. That slam created a crater on my forehead, marking my ignorance of this fight.

"Again?!" I exclaimed, and crossed my arms. "You tricked me, Kouran! You're supposed to hit me in the back!"

"Why would I?" Kouran replied. "Just because I'm an assassin, that doesn't mean I would attack you at the back or at your sides. I could even fight you in front if I have to. Remember what I'm going to say, Elina. You're a general that excels in strategizing forms and attacks, but that doesn't mean you're a great fighter. Even the weakest and youngest dark elf could kill you if you're not careful."

Despite gritting my teeth, what Kouran said struck the nail. My grandmother and the elves praised me for being a tactician. They even remarked on my fighting skills as superb and unique. I could even use my bow elegantly among my peers.

But take those away; I was just a slime on the battlefield.

So, all of this training meant to shape me into a warrior that could wield both bows and blades. It would be a shame if I could not use a knife as a weapon against a hoodlum who could do better than me.

And now, after spending countless days practising the blade, I finally had the chance to strike Kouran…. That's what I thought until Kouran got the better out of me.

"Congratulations!" Kouran said, while walking away from me and back to the cave. "You barely passed, and could defend yourself from melee weapons. Before ending things, would you like to use your bow as a warm-up?"

Kouran activated the dummies and suggested that I take them all down in one go. I gladly nodded my head and conjured the remaining arcane stored inside of me. As soon as I condensed my mana, my enchanted bows and arrows appeared in my hands.

Elves had this power to summon our recurve anytime we wanted. It was our unique ability as elves since we called ourselves rangers of the forest. Some of these abilities got inherited by the players and took advantage of them.

Fortunately for us, we were too skilled against those bastards. Players had no match against short and long-eared elves.

I fired consecutive arrows in all directions and hit every scarecrow, including the ones hidden in the trees. A normal hunter would not hit those targets, but I did. I trained the bow as if it extended my life. And because of those sleepless nights, I could master it for this battle.

"As excellent as always. No wonder Grandma La Finta chose you to be her successor," Kouran exclaimed, while proceeding towards the cave.

I followed her footsteps and returned my magical bow and arrow to my storage.

The two of us trod the narrow roads and passed by dozens of bushes along the way. We had a long trip back to our shelter, away from the player's sight. Kouran and I had been collecting NPCs and invited them to our guild. Considering our lack of strength, we needed more numbers if we yearned to fight against the players.

Kouran mentioned we need not strike against the players right now. We would wait for Wolf to return and give us the cue. He would message us via chat box, which he taught to the two of us. He never disclosed other information from the NPCs, since he thought there could be spies among them.

"When are we going to fight them?" I asked.

"For the millionth time, Elina. We need to wait for orders before launching ourselves in the den of players. So, I need you on standby before doing anything stupid."

"But is waiting here consider us being stupid when we could fight on the front lines?!" I retorted.

"Those who are 'fighting' the front lines are Wolf and Hunter, and other dark elves gathering NPCs. And since the dark elves are the only ones capable of vanishing in the night, you're not going anywhere beyond the borders. Did I make myself clear, Elina?"

I could not give Kouran a reply, since I did not want her explanations. Kouran kept containing me inside the village like a golden fish meant to swim the ocean. Even when the players conquered our kingdom, I still stood my ground and fought them with all I had. Thanks to Wolf protecting the two of us, we survived and ended up here.

As I concluded the conversation, the two of us finally arrived inside the cave. We jumped into the rabbit hole and closed the lid since we did not want any players entering our base. The two of us slid down the tunnel and landed on the other side of our place.

Before going to our headquarters, we needed to solve the road leading to our shelter. But since we already knew the way, we entered the place.

I raced towards my room and met Eve waiting for me on the bed. She got herself drenched in a cold sweat, telling me she had just finished training.

Eve trained with the rest of the mages to enhance her magic prowess. Since she was a mage that could control all the elements, Kouran thought she would be a valuable asset to us. However, she never included Eve in the army, considering the comparison of age between her and the rest.

If we allowed a nearly ten-year-old girl to fight with us against the players, Queen Guinevere and King Arthur would haunt us in our sleep.

"We're training her to defend herself in case of trouble. We cannot always be there to babysit Eve. So she needs to learn a spell or two to defend herself in trouble," said Kouran, and tossed Eve together with the rest of the mages.

Because of Eve's dedication, she learned a couple of spells at her disposal. Some of them even packed a punch, considering the mana she had in her bloodline.

"You're back early," Eve said, while reading the set of spells handed by Kouran.

"Yeah. The training was tough! And Kouran beat my ass into a pulp! I wish I could use my bow instead of blades, Eve," I exclaimed, while resting my entire body on the bed.

Eve bounced upward as I landed on the bed. Despite these actions, Eve continued reading the book clipped in her hands.

"That's awesome, Elina! You could teach me next time! I always wanted to try using knives! But... I might end up cutting myself, right?"

I gave her a nod and answered, "You better stay away from sharp objects. It's for your good, after all. And besides, you're the most powerful mage inside this village! Nothing can outmatch you, Eve!"

After our exchange, Eve continued reading the book while I stared at the ceiling. It was a peaceful day for us, since we were only training our powers while the dark elves rally NPCs.

She kept wanting to memorise all of them in one go. Eve may even surpass her mother after a few months if she kept learning all these arcane things at once.

I always supported her at everything she planned to do, since we only had each other to rely on. After getting saved by Wolf from the players, Eve and I had been great friends after that day. We even bath and eat together in our free time.

However, that silence finally ended when the warning sounds blared in our ears, warning us about the incoming players on the surface.

Kouran's voice echoed through our speakers, telling us to help evacuate the NPCs effective and immediately.

"Is that a drill? Sometimes, it's just a drill!'

After saying those words, a loud blast echoed at the back, signalling that those players breached our shelter. Eve and I prepared ourselves for a fight as we planned on facing the players.