Fear Not The Elf Who Knows 10,000 Spells - Chapter 15

Fels. 7 years old.

Wiesel. 10 years old.

Hell. 4 years old.

Sacht. 12 years old.

Frost. 16 years old.

Zart. 11 years old.

Wild. 8 years old.

Staub. 9 years old.

Traum. 9 years old.

Raschel. 10 years old.

Laut. 14 years old.

Weit. 11 years old.

Mut. 12 years old.

Zorn. 15 years old.

Ruf. 9 years old.

Klein. 13 years old.

Herbe. 13 years old.

Blass. 16 years old.

Sturm. 15 years old.

Leise. 7 years old.

Glanz. 7 years old.

Rot. 9 years old.

Nervös. 10 years old.

Ungeduld. 10 years old.

Lässig. 18 years old.

Routine. 6 years old.

Rein. 6 years old. 

Twenty seven names. Twenty seven kids.

My first thought was: Wait, wasn't it twenty six?  

Did they get a new kid this past year? Which one of these is the new one?

Hell. Has to be that one. I don't know if that's a boy's name or a girl's name in this world.

Also, 'Routine'? There was another kid Rein's age? Since when... Wait, maybe they're the new kid? Or where they always there?

Rein was the youngest, I'm sure of that. ...Okay, she was the shortest, like, smallest kid here. That I know for a fact.

So another one of the kids was Rein's age, but looked older?

Was Routine someone I met before? There was one kid whose name started with a 'R'.

Was that her? No. The name started with a 'Ra' sound, so it has to be Raschel according to the matron's book.

Maybe Routine was a new kid, and Hell just look older.

No, wait. There is no four year old that looks older than a five, or six year old.

Hell is the new kid. Routine is... someone I just never noticed.

I tried to put name to faces. Trying to write a small description next to each name so I can recall what they looked like, but I kept drawing a blank.

Calm Orphanage Notes:

Matron Gütig. Old. Late 30s? Early 40s? Patient. Nice. Makes great pies. Makes good cold medicine. Guilt-tripping face. Never loud. Hard-working.   

Lässig. 18 years old. Guess his birthday passed. Lazy. Blond. Cocky smile. ...Half-assed wise quotes.

Rein. 6 years old. (Happy birthday, Rein. I'm sorry I wasn't there to say it) Black, blue tinted hair. Cute. Clingy. Energetic. Funny bad cook. 

Rot. 9 years old. Redhead. Keeps playing with the brook, acting like it's a spear.

Nervös. 10 years old. Sleeps with a teddy bear. Rein lends him hers. Glasses. Quiet kid.

Ungeduld. 10 years old. Jittery. Always wants to play outside in the mud. Raced him a few times. Doesn't admit defeat. Loud.

Glanz. 7 years old...

I stop writing as the Coalition soldiers are nearing the building.

Right. Time to deal with that.

I close the notebook I picked up and wrote all those notes in, and placed it in my bag.

I already don't remember much about the kids. But they should at least be remembered. I should at least put a name to face.

After I finish my apprenticeship with Schroff I should find a mage specializing in Mind Magic to learn from. Although I planned to learn swordsmanship after I finish my time with Schroff.

...Am I being disingenuous to wanting to learn Mind Magic just because I feel guilty for not remembering them? Should I put it off till later and focus on what I originally planned. Would that be more... authentic?

To who?

Who am I doing this for? ...Myself.

I'll think about it later. After today is over.

I head to the building's entrance, sword unsheathed.

The enchanted sword still feels heavy. I'll only have a few seconds where it's light once I use body strengthening.

Thankfully Jilwer doesn't cause the sword's magic to activate. Nice.

There are five of them total. Three in the front and two in the back. Standard formation it seems.

The ones first attacking will be warriors, and those in the back will be archers.

I'll need to take out the archers first. Hmm, but that will give the warriors a chance to attack me in the meantime.

Hmm...

Overwhelm them. Flink did teach me how to use a bow, quite well in fact. But I kept mind at home. It felt like too much equipment, and I already have Offensive Magic for long range.

Using full sight mana detection I got a good look at the Coalition soldiers. Good thing they're color coded with their red outfits, unlike the Elves Shield with their blue.

Anyways, while I don't have my bow and arrows, their archer does. Nice.

Time to make them into Red Shirts. 

I went up the stairs to the second floor, then used a window me and the other kids used when we wanted to sneak up to the roof.   

I could see the group easily rounding the corner on the building opposite to the orphanage, and are now heading in.

The warriors seemed armored. Some have shields that gave off a magical feel to them. Magic shields? Hmm, gonna have to hit them with something harder than usual.

The archers weren't as heavily armored.

The two archer—No, wait. One is an actual archer, and the other uses a spear.

Is Spearman a Class? Or would it be Dragoon in this world?

Bah, doesn't matter. I had a Zoltraak ready, as I cast the flight spell and flew up when I was outside the soldier's peripheral vision.

I also cast Arggefahr just to be on the safe side.

Arggefahr was a danger sensing spell. It's a basic folk hunting spell, for when you're in a forest, for example, and can't see any predators. This spell gives you a warning on if something if giving off killing intent towards you and from where, and how far away. Just intent to do harm is enough to register for the spell.

I accidently combined it with my always active mana detection and body strengthening, that in active combat it gives me the ability to react to danger, near instantly. Unfortunate this danger sense-reflex ability combo only works with living beings and something that intents harm.

Wouldn't work with golems, or people not meaning to hurt me.

So, it's basically a discount spidey sense. A very cheap one too. I can only have it up for a few minutes before getting a headache, but usually fights don't last that long anyways.

I flew up in the air far away from anyone's sight and waited. I think I was, hmm, six? Seven stories up in the air. I should be able to tank the drop with body strengthening. Probably.

The warriors barged into the orphanage, going loud like they're a gang, while the archer and spearman stood outside.

Good. I still had eyes on every enemy, even behind the walls of the orphanage, and they don't know the danger they're in yet.

Hmm? Is that Löwenjunges speeding up toward here? The heck is he running here for looking so injured.

Okay, finishing this up fast.

I drew the enchanted sword, cancel Luftstieg and let myself fall.

Jilwer was active, the world slowed down. I waited to get close to attack. Don't want them to be alert to me from my mana.

The archer felt something and looked up. I clicked my tongue.

Damn, guess he has good senses.

 I fired the Zoltraak in its condensed speed form at the spearman. The beam went through his head and body just as he turned to his comrade, looking at him questioningly.

The archer's eyes only had time to widened as he opened his mouth to start to shout.

I Luftstieg to accelerate myself into flight again.

I reached him, swinging the enchanted sword down, the momentum of the fall-flight and swing, along with the weight of the sword, let me cleave right through the man.

He couldn't get a word out. I slammed into the ground with a grunt, my impact force made the ground dent in place, and annoyingly make a loud sound from said impact.

"Ow." My body hurt but nothing that I didn't feel in a spar before. I could still easily move.

From my full vision mana detection, I felt the Coalition warrior get startle as they began to call out to their comrades, one of them going out to investigate.

I let go of the enchanted sword, and with a telekinetic grab, I pulled the thankfully still intact bow and arrows to me. I instantly cast Wurfspeer to reinforce them, and improve the arrows piercing powers.

Then added Zoltraak to the arrows coating them with the spell. Neat trick I finally got down to fire weapons faster. Not good for hunting through.

I fired two arrows at the ones in the building. Like a sniper shot, it went through the walls and through their chests before they can react.

The warrior that got out to investigate saw me, and saw his dead comrades.

He shouted for them, and in that time he wasted I prepared an Offensive magic spell, while training my arrows at them.

"You damn demon child!" He shouted and rushed at me.

Huh, he's fast. He already cross a quarter of the distance between us, sword raised. And that's from my perception with Jilwer. Not bad zealot guy.

I let loose the Zoltraak coated arrow. The Coalition warrior brought his shield up, and I saw a primitive Defensive spell flare up upon it.

The Zoltraaked arrow went right through the shield both magical and metal, along with blowing the guy's arm off.

He shouted, he roared and even with a bloodied stump lunged toward me.

I fired a Zoltraak through his face, taking out his head.

The headless corpse fell to the ground mid-run. Points for preserving Coalition guy.

 I then heard panting as another warrior arrived.

"T-Trenn!?" Löwenjunges looked at me in surprise. "You're alive?"

Honestly, he should say that about himself. He looked bloodied all over, and there was now a massive cut over his right eye.

"Yo." I waved at him. "You look like shit."

For some reason Löwenjunges looked at me like he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.

===

AN: Sorry for the short chapter. Really trying to write more but I'm in a new gym and diet routine and it's killing my efficiency or motivation to do anything but laze around.

Good news, next chapter will be a Minus POV. Yay.