Chapter 11: The Golden City

Finally, arriving at the precipice of the Kingdom of the High Elves, Iskatl and Amani found themselves staring at a beautiful city of gold and ivory.

"Well? Let's head in, shall we?" Iskatl asked as he offered a hand to the Moon Elf before him, who nodded.

The pair set out here so they could seek out the Adventurer's Guild, and then a mage who could open a Gate for them so that they could get to the Empire of Thulvane quickly and join the war effort.

Approaching the guards at the gate, they both wore bronze plate armor, one wielded a large shield with a spear, the other had a spear double the length, and a crest on his helmet, gesturing he was a higher rank than the other. The end of his spear was slammed against the ground with their approach. "Demon, and Wood Elf. State your business here, now."

Amani nodded and reached into her bag, drawing an emblem which resembled a crescent moon. "I am the Moon Maiden, Amani, and my village was slaughtered by the Dragon Priest, Zyelt. We seek passage to the Adventurer's Guild so we might join the humans' war effort. This is my dear friend, Iskatl, who's the son of a renowned Adventurer, formerly known as the Hellfang."

The pair of guards looked to each other, then began muttering amongst themselves before the one with the shield cleared his throat. The one with the larger spear stamped his spear yet again before he spoke. "Very well. You may enter. Before heading to the Adventurer's Guild, I would ask you to head to the Palace of the Sun and gain a travel pass for your friend here, Moon Maiden. Scylla's insignia should suffice for you, but not him." She'd nod and bow before the two entered.

"So my friend Amani is a big deal, hmmm?"

"Not necessarily. Lady Tiruiel is revered by all of Elvenkind, and her children, Scylla and Crithune, are revered just as much. The Moon Maiden, as well as the Sun Wardens, are considered Arbiters of Scylla and Crithune's will, so us elves typically hold a lot of respect for them and their actions."

Iskatl grasped his chin and nodded softly at her words. Respect and reverence seemed important to the elves; he could tell that much. Within this city glittering in gold and solidified by ivory, there existed one structure larger than all the rest. Ornate and beautiful was the Palace of the Sun. It seemed to burn within the sunlight, and it had one steeple that met the sun at its crest, a gold material which seemed to have a fiery mana laced throughout it; it absorbed the sun's rays and reproduced them, sending them forth throughout the city to illuminate it. Thankfully, Iskatl had trained his eyes to only point out to him mana properties which were interesting, and blocked out all the rest.

Despite such an interesting monument, Iskatl found his vision elsewhere. He was more interested in the city streets than the house of royals. Who cared about them, anyway? Something did catch his eye: a much smaller, yet large, building with a sign on it with the word "library" in Elvish. He'd look to Amani and gesture to the library.

"Could we go there?"

Amani blinked twice as she tilted her head, "Why? I didn't know you liked reading..."

"Katja has the only five books in the entire village. Why do you think I enjoyed staying at her place so much?"

Amani nodded and smirked, "Makes sense. Come, come. I can buy you some books."

Iskatl nodded softly as he followed her into the library. The inside looked much larger than the outside, and there were plenty of elves within the library, looking at various books and grimoires. Iskatl looked like a kid in a candy shop, and Amani couldn't help but giggle as she watched him scamper around.

"Amani, look!"

He held up a grimoire about Resonance. A book about Scylla and a couple of random history books.

"You want those?"

He nodded. After so long having such limited information, Iskatl seemed so happy he was beside himself with joy. Amani has never seen him so animated; it was as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Amani beckoned him over to her as she approached the counter. A tall, lanky elven man wore green robes and a monocle, silver with a gold chain that attached it to an emerald cuff on his ear. He had long, blonde, shoulder-length hair, which was up in a bun of sorts, and his eyes were a piercing green and shone with an immense amount of mana. Iskatl closed his eyes and then opened them to look at the interesting man; his entire body seemed to course with mana, which reached to his eyes and expanded out to the entirety of the library in an odd manner, as if he was scanning the entire place at all times, yet his eyes were on Iskatl.

"You seem quite interesting, boy. Traces of demon.. beastkin. Ah. A snake, too?"

He took a step back before Amani's laugh interrupted Iskatl's tense reaction as she placed her insignia on the table, alongside a bag of gold.

"Melyun, please don't startle my friend. His trust is hard to gain, and there's no reason to examine him with your Grace. Come, Iskatl."

She'd gesture for him to put his books down on the counter, and he would without question, causing Amani to giggle. Melyun would examine the books before taking the bag of gold and smiling.

"It's been many a year since I've had the pleasure of seeing you, Moon Maiden. Please…do come again. My door is always open to you. And you are?"

"Iskatl."

He'd nod and speak curtly. "As an apology for my earlier rudeness, I would like to grant you an item that may interest you and your dormant genes."

Clearly, his Grace gave him a startling amount of information. Iskatl nodded and Melyun raised his hand, and a book began to fly to it before gently occupying his hand. It was a dusty tome that seemed ancient, and it didn't even have a title. He held it out to Iskatl, who took it gently.

"Do not open it unless you are within the moon's glow. Even Amani's moonlight isn't enough for it. Understood? Now, I'd assume you two have other business."

Amani smiled and nodded before she gestured for the two to leave. Iskatl breathed a sigh of relief before she leaned in to whisper to him.

"So... Snake? What's that about?"

"I can't explain in a way that makes sense."

A growl escaped her lips as he pointed to the Palace of the Sun.

"Well, let's go, shall we?"

Shaking her head before nodding, the pair made their way to the Palace, a heat radiating from it unlike any other, as Iskatl looked at the mana laced within all of the material, and upon closer inspection, it felt like he was looking at a zoomed-in photograph of the sun. How interesting.