Against the yellow setting sun a tall, slender man sat on a white horse. He was dressed in a formal black military uniform with white gloves and a sword sheathed at his side. The young man himself had pale skin the color of marble and long jet black hair which flowed in the wind. His most distinguishing feature were his long dagger-like ears. The man was pondering over a map.
"An elf!" shouted Zetarnu.
The mage grinned sinisterly as he withdrew a scroll from his pouch. The scroll emitted a malevolent aura which made Rinero and Simon feel horribly sick immediately almost to the point of throwing up on the spot. It was clearly a high level magic scroll in Zetarnu's hands.
"This is an excellent opportunity gentlemen, follow me."
Rinero and Simon jumped out the wagon and followed Zetarnu who was walking over to the elf with his hands behind his back. Closer up they could see the elf more clearly, he was both handsome and beautiful at the same time and had an ethereal aura about him.
"Hello good sir, you seem to be lost. May I and my companions be of any assistance to you. I myself am quite the navigator," Zetarnu said in the most friendly tone he could muster up.
The elf looked him over with distain and disgust in the same way one would look at an insect crawling up their wall.
"What do you want inferior being?" said the elf in a cold and scornful voice which emanated superiority.
"Oh right, I forgot they usually act like that. Time to use some serious persuasion and diplomacy, only until I can catch him with his guard down," Zetarnu thought to himself.
"Well I simply wanted to help you o' great ethereal one," Zetarnu said while bowing down.
"Is this young man important Zetarnu sir?" asked Father Simon.
"I am not a young man by you're standard you cur! I'm 50 years old!" sneered the elf.
Simon and Rinero were surprised by this statement seeing the youth in the elf's body.
"Elves stop aging at 20," whispered Zetarnu to the two.
"Ahhh..." said the two.
The elf looked at the group of humans with disgust and turned away from them.
"Begone lesser beings, I can navigate perfectly fine on my own," said the elf while focusing on his map.
"Well you look like you would ne..." said Zetarnu.
"I SAID BEGONE!" shouted the elf.
A wave of strong arcane energy surrounded the elf so strong that Rinero and Simon nearly fell on their knees and made them sick. Ethereal energy shimmered around the elf as he raised his arm. Rinero's instincts immediately set off and he dropped on his stomach.
"GET DOWN!" shouted Zetarnu.
The elf made a sharp sweeping motion with his arm and a blazing white crescent shot out in front of the elf. The crescent spun through the air mere centimeters from the group's heads. The blazing crescent flew into the forest cutting down several trees with ease leaving only burning stumps.
Rinero looked up in time to see the elf gracefully leap off his horse and draw his long, thin silver blade. Rinero rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a downwards thrust by the elf. Rinero drew his dagger and saber and prepared for battle.
The elf dashed at Rinero and unleashed a quick series of slashes which Rinero dodged. Rinero countered with a swing from his saber which got parried and followed up with a thrust from his dagger which the elf swiftly sidestepped.
The elf made a wide swing which Rinero ducked and countered with a quick swing from his saber which the elf dashed backwards from to avoid. Rinero went on the offensive attacking with his saber and dagger in a whirlwind of steel. However the elf effortlessly countered every single one of the slashes and thrusts Rinero unleashed on him.
The elf sidestepped another thrust from Rinero's dagger and dodged a swing from his saber before thrusting with his blade. The thin blade pierced Rinero's left shoulder before slashing Rinero's chest open straight through his armor. Rinero fell to the floor howling in pain and dropped his dagger.
The elf raised his blade to finish him off but suddenly dashed away from him. A fireball passed right over Rinero and Zetarnu jumped in front of the wounded man.
"Back off you long eared, arrogant, son of a bitch!" shouted Zetarnu surrounded by a strong arcane aura.
Zetarnu fired off several magic blasts before sprouting spikes from the ground one of which grazed the elf's face scarring him below his right eye. Rinero stood up, wounded but still able to fight. His left arm was entirely useless now, the elf's sword trust was precise enough to break the joints in his shoulder.
The elf, now a few yards away from Zetarnu raised his arm once more and made several sharp sweeping motions. Five blazing crescents whizzed through the sky straight at Zetarnu which he was able to hop and dash through.
Then came a sixth one which got Zetarnu off balance and a seventh slashed open both of his legs destroying their tendons rendering him immobile. Zetarnu dropped to the ground now unable to move his legs writhing in pain.
While this was happening Rinero had sneaked up on the elf by hiding behind the ground spikes which were several feet high and raised his saber to strike. Yet the elf's senses were keen and he sensed the man behind him and whipped around slashing with his blade.
Rinero jumped over this attack and began a fierce attack on the elf. His saber slashed and whipped around at inhuman speeds yet the elf blocked these attacks with his quick and practiced motions. Then Rinero's leg bashed into the elf's side catching him off guard and putting him off balance.
Rinero's blade came again, yet now faster and stronger. Rinero strained and sweated with effort, muscles ready to tear from how far they were being pushed and his eyes began flickering with red. The elf began buckling under the steel onslaught while Rinero began roaring and grunting with rage like a rabid beast.
The elf thrust his blade once again yet this time Rinero was ready for it and dodged. Rinero's saber slashed open the elf's side making him shout in pain and dash backwards.
The elf went on the offensive, striking with quick and flowing attacks. Rinero countered these attacks and dealt some of his own. The two warriors unleashed their best swordplay against each other, blades whipping through the air at lightning speed and clashing with enough force to split a man in two.
Sparks and blood flew through the air as the two blades clashed and grazed their opponent. Through the storm of steel the two saw an opening in each other's defenses and pounced on the opportunity like a hungry wolf on its wounded prey. A blade slashed open a stomach and another cut a crimson streak through another's face.