"I'm sorry Ren, I didn't mean to provoke them or anything... I just wanted to negotiate to keep us fed." I look up at my brother as I tell him the news. "We should try talking to them one more time."
"The Haienna are an unreasonable bunch. It could be that they were planning to turn on us anyways..." I look away as Ren speaks.
"Yeah..." My fingers tighten around my arm.
"We need to prepare for a battle. Go get the Great Shamans. I will mobilize the able elves." Ren turns away, then stops. "Don't blame yourself, Wren. This is an issue for Altous that we have let go on for far too long. If all goes well, we can enjoy meat in our dishes once more." He dashes away.
"Don't blame yourself," he says... how can I not, when people could very well die thanks to my meddling? My good intentions won't absolve me of the people who could be lost here. I should have learned my lesson about butting in when I died the first time... nothing good comes out of trying to be the hero.
--
"The situation is nothing short of dire. Altous isn't ready for another 'cleansing.'" Ipha taps her staff on the ground in thought.
"What should we do, Mentor Ipha?"
"We do not have any choice but the one we dread most. You must summon the other shaman of Altous. We're going to fight for our village's safety."
"In my time here, I've not met the other shaman."
"She spends her time hidden underground, beneath the largest Alt tree's roots."
"Is she perhaps skilled in combat?"
"Not simply so. She is a diviner. Call her Staria. It's my nickname for her, so she will know that your words are of my authority."
"Got it. Let the Winds push us forward, Mentor Ipha."
--
I descend the village's platforms on a steep staircase, now accustomed to the human-hostile (or rather, non-elf-hostile) construction. The largest Alt tree is also the oldest, said to be the namegiver of the village. In Elvish, Altous means "Alt sprouts." It's a bonded word, Alt and Ous, wherein Ous, when written last in a word, means "origination." I reflect on the tree's significance as I circle around its large trunk, searching for an opening. Between two large roots, a large tunnel leads downward, no doubt shaman Staria's location.
I step downwards with care, the melted snow seeping down and wetting the foremost soil-paved tunnel. After some footwork, I'm met with a mossy alcove and an underground stream. Atop a flat stone, an elf woman in thick, white garb and cloth blindfolds sits cross-legged. She reacts to my footsteps, lifting the blindfold and opening her sky-blue eyes. "Wren Altous. A human of our village?"
I bow to her. "There were some circumstances last spring that led me to this village, and I found myself attached to Altous, shaman Staria."
She lowers the blindfold to cover her eyes, smiling now. "Is Ipha doing well?"
"She is. She's taken on a mentor, though as you might have seen, he is still not quite up to her standards."
"She has done well for you, especially given one year of training. Were you an elf, you'd no doubt have plenty of time to practice with her." She chuckles. "But you are only human. You must long for change and excitement."
"Perhaps in some ways I do..." I look towards the ground, sighing. "I came down here to deliver news. Haienna seeks to 'cleanse' us in due time."
Her smile loosens. "That is indeed news I must know about."
"Shaman Staria, won't you help the village with us all?"
"Of course, it is not a question at all. You've done well to deliver this news to me, Wren. Take me with you to Ipha's abode." She uncrosses her legs, standing, surprisingly, near my height. "Don't be so shaken by my stature," she chuckles. "I am a half-elf."
"You also seem quite young to me, shaman Staria."
"I will take that as a compliment."
I peer at Staria's modest clothing. "Diviners always wear clothes that cover their body and faces. Mentor Ipha said it has something to do with the magic they possess. Can you tell me about it?"
"Status magic is perception and information discernment. Diviners who have spent their lives perfecting their Status Magic develop sensitivity to many things. One of them is the ability to view information with one's eyes. I wear these blindfolds to protect myself from the constant flow of information, and only reveal my eyes when I am ready, as for the clothing... well, that is just personal taste."
I nodded along. It made a lot of sense, how information overloaded the brains of those who perceived too much at all times. But I wonder how useful divining is in battle. Ipha seemed to be confident in Staria's skills for the cleansing.
After the short walk back to the platforms, we see a large crowd of people gathering around Ipha's home.
"That human company has overstepped their boundaries for the last time!" Old man Ser is dressed in a combatant's uniform.
I run to him. "Ser, are you recruiting elves to fight against the Haienna threat?"
"Wren! You're right. There aren't many of us who are skilled in combat, so I want to take as many people as possible."
"Do you know how Haienna fights? Just what kind of firepower can they put out to threaten a village like Altous?" I look at the surrounding bridges, high above the ground. "This is the perfect place to defend, as long as we have bows or stones to throw."
"Hm... you're not wrong, boy. It's not a bad idea either, for the elves who don't want to battle that company directly. But there is a mage who uses fire magic. And if they use fire... our village of wood is somewhat fireproof with the coatings we applied during construction, but it's not immune to the heat."
A mage. So it's a serious threat indeed. Fire magic is in the domain of Anima, a destructive force, wielded by a talented caster... "I'll take that mage on. If I fail, I'll have at least bought you all enough time to take care of the other attackers, right?"
"Don't be like that, Wren. A mage is no easy foe. You've only trained your magic with the Great Shaman Ipha for a year."
I take a deep, shaking breath. "She says I'm a talented student. I'll make sure her trust doesn't go to waste."
--
We had only a night of preparation. It was astute of the Haienna to attack during the day, when the elves would be fighting the urge to sleep. The stairs were pulled up on every end of the village, leaving the attackers no normal means of ascending. We have 2 groups of 3 bowmen each, Ren on the opposite side of where I am stationed. Non-combatant villagers were told to stay indoors, with anti-fire measures and to attack anyone who attempted to enter a house without shouting a secret phrase. Ser had taught a group of 18 elves, men and women, to use spears. They were split evenly into 3 groups of 6, one group staying near the middle as reinforcements for either side. All of this was jointly prepared by Staria, who positioned herself in the center of the village, where an open gazebo was.
Wren, can you see this? This is Staria. I'm using Status Magic to send a message to you. If you know how to respond using your magic, please do so. Otherwise, just know that I will alert you to where the fire mage is.
I watch the text float past my eyes. I see now. Staria is like a one-elf logistics team, relaying information and detecting threats. She's both the radio and the radar for this defense. Unfortunately, I don't know how to respond to Status messages like this, so I will simply await her messages.
The flame mage is the major threat of the Haienna, but they have a diviner of their own in Cass, wherever she is.
Haienna is attacking North side exclusively. South side, reinforce the North with half of your forces.
Wren, the flame mage is taking on the South side on her own.
There she is. She must be a serious threat to be able to attack one side on her own. "I'm going to the South side, everyone. Winds push us forward."
"Winds push us forward! We believe in you, Wren." Tyr clacks his spear on the platform.