Chapter 4

Lamir was as proud of his new apprentice as he was overwhelmingly impressed each day. About six months of training had gone by since the day they first met, and Volondove had already learned more than any other student lamir ever had. And he was able to apply what he had been taught with flying colors as well.

He had achieved near master level education in such a short amount of time. All he needed was some extra first hand experience in his teachings to really get the hang of the minor details. But that will come with time.

Through out the duration of the training time, Volondove had been taking Lamir's teachings to heart. He had been focusing most of his time and effort on the spiritual seperation ritual Lamir had showed him on day one. He had been practicing the ritual again and again untill he was able complete the spell without exhausting himself. And now, on his final day of training, it was time to show it.

When lamir finally arrived for his final day of training, He came with some interesting news.

"Volondove." He began. "I think this should come as no surprise that this is your final day of training."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Volondove asked out of sarcasm.

"Absolutely." Lamir said. "You have proven that you are ready for your next lesson. Well, almost."

"Almost? What do you mean by almost?" Volondove asked with a sudden change in enthusiasm.

"While you have nearly mastered healing, protection, augmentation and restoration magic, you are just barely close to mastering light magic."

Volondove figured he would say something like that. He hadn't told Lamir about the time he spent practicing his spiritual separation And was prepared for a demonstration of his level of mastery. All he needed was a target.

As he dashed his eyes around the property for something to separate, a small blue bird pirched itself upon the railing on his front porch right next to Lamir.

"How is this for mastery?" Volondove asked rehetoricaly. With a flick of the wrist, a bolt of golden light flew from his hand and struck the bird square in the chest. With no knock back from the impact of the bolt, the bird slumped forward onto it's face and layed there dead.

Lamir whipped his head to see the bolt as it wized by his head, and saw the bird laying lifeless on the railing. He then turned back to face Volondove and began slow clapping.

"Why am I not surprised anymore." He said as a smile stretched across his face. "Once again you have exceeded all expectations."

"So what do you think? Is that master level for you?" Volondove said feeling confident in his abilities.

"Hands down!" Lamir replied. "Congrats to you kid. You completed part one of your training."

"Part one?" Volondove asked.

"But I thought we covered everything there is in divine magic."

"And you have." Lamir said.

"I have taught you everything I know about the Eam and his divine properties. And you have proven to be proficient in the divine practices. As such, I believe it is time for you to move on to your next master."

"Next master? What other master?" Volondove asked.

"Surely you remember that there are five staff bearers right?" Lamir said. "You have already mastered one form of magic and have adapted one fraction of the eam's original magics. So it is time to move on to another."

Volondove had forgotten all about the other staff bearers. He had been so focused on his training with Lamir and practicing his spiritual separation that he had erased all thought of the other four staff bearers.

"Very well." Volondove replied. "Who might this new tutor be exactly? Is it that Nethiel the black character you mentioned a while back?"

"No, not him yet." Lamir said boldly as he gripped his staff with both hands. "The art of necromancy is a valuable asset to your magical arsenal, but there is another form of magic more important that that. You shall be training with Zangar the green." He answered.

"If you are to save the world, you will need to know how to get across the world at a wim. And be able to create the proper tools needed for the task at hand. The creation of portals and the art of conjuration as a whole will be a vital asset to your god given arsenal."

"Speaking of magics, have you finished that special project I asked you to do?" Lamir said leaning forward into Volondove's right ear as if it was some kind of secret.

"Yes, I finished it this morning." He replied. Lamir moved his eyes to the left and then to the right before looking back at Volondove. "Come inside." Lamir said in a secretive manner. The two men walked inside in a haste. Lamir was in a state of paranoia in fear of having some nosy bystanders witnessing what Lamir was about to do. He looked around the area before shutting the door behind him.

Once they were inside, lamir explained what was going on with the special project he had.

"Now, the project, where is it?" He asked.

"I have it in the work shop." Volondove replied. Without hesitation, he went to go get it. He went down the stone stairs leading to the basement.

As he stood atop the stairs, memories of the past began to reappear in his mind. The many nights he spent down there trying to heal Natilda. The many nights he spent without sleep or proper rest for a task that would have been in vien.

Lamir saw him reliving his past as he stood atop the stair way and noticed his pain coming back to him.

"Are you alright my boy?" He asked concerned. Volondove was staring off as his memories came back to him. He was so deep in thought that he couldn't even hear Lamir getting his attention.

"Volondove? Are you alright?" Lamir asked again. This time, Lamir's voice was all he could hear. He jumped a bit as he was startled by the sudden speaking.

"Huh, what?" He said turning back to face Lamir.

"Oh, yeah. I'm alright." He said turning back to the basement. Without saying another word, Volondove went down into the work shop.

He then came back up a moment later having retrieved a small, glass vial that was resting on the book shelf just to the right of the door frame in the basement. It's contents were thick and pulpy with a neon greenish, yellow color.

"Here it is." Volondove said bringing the vial back up stairs. Lamir took it from his hands and admired the concuaction. He inspected the creation to see if he had done it right.

"Thick and pulpy. Yellowish tint. Smells like oak sap. This is perfect." Lamir said impressed with Volondove's alchemy skills.

"Care to explain what it is you made me create?" Volondove asked.

"What I have in my hand, is a portal elixir." Lamir explained.

"All of us staff bearers are the only ones who know the recipe for it. With the exception of Zangar, he can conjure his own portals. But this here is how the rest of us get around so quickly. With this concoction, you can travel to any pretty of the world in the blink of an eye. And now, you know the recipe too. Unfortunately, this is only enough to get you to Zangar's location. I had expected there to be a better outcome.

"Yeah, there was a bit of a spill with the heralds weed and the dragon thorns." Volondove explained.

"Well this shouldn't be too big of a problem. When your training with Zangar is complete, you will be able to create portals on your own, without the use of alchemy. You should be able to come back here on your own."

Lamir pulled the rubber cork off the glass bottle with a little squeek as it rubbed against the rim of the bottle. He then dumped out its contents on the floor. As soon as the last drop hit the floor, a stream of golden light rose up from the puddle, and began to form a loop in the air. In a matter of seconds, a six foot tall portal emerged in the main room, right over top of where the puddle would have been if it hadn't been sucked up into the portal.

"So where exactly will this portal take me?" Volondove asked.

"Zangar is residing within the shadow glades, night elf territory." Lamir said.

"Be warned though, The night elves do not take kindly to outsiders. So keep a sharp eye, and keep your wits about. Good luck."

"Wait, so you are just gonna send me half way across the world into the heart of a hostile environment with no form of protection?" Volondove asked getting worried all of a sudden.

"And you're not gonna come with?

"I'm afraid not." Lamir replied.

"I would be more than happy to come, but I sense something ancient is on the horizon. So.ething dark, something powerful, and coming closer by the minute. I must stay behind and confront this entity my self. You go on and find Zangar. I'll be waiting here untill the entity is made known."

Feeling a bit unsettled about going into hostile lands alone, volondove swallowed his fear in the form of saliva and stepped through the portal.

"Wait!" Lamir called out. Volondove turned around to see what else he needed to say.

"Take this with you." Lamir said holding out the staff fragment he had.

"You are giving me your walking stick?" Volondove asked.

"No, I am returning your staff fragment." Lamir said. "It is part of the elder staff, remember? Show this to zangar, and tell him it was from a friend. He will know what it means."

Volondove took the staff fragment from Lamir's hand. And looking back at Lamir one last time he entered through the portal for good this time. The second he stepped through to the other side, the portal collapsed behind him, leaving him trapped withing the fungal regions of the shadow glades. He turned around to see the portal now gone, and knew there was no turning back now.

He now stood in the midst of the only fertile part of the continent of Celemor, a vast mass of land to the south of Varamath across the ocean. While most of this continent consists of desert, the north most peninsula (Wich is separated from the vast deserts by the homeless mountain range), is one of the most lush and vegetative lands in all of Lamenreal. The dense forrest is the perfect place for the reclusive night elves to build their villages. As it provides cover from the scorching Celemore sun and provides many obstacles for foreigners to navigate through.

The night elven race has had many rumors told about them. Though no one has been able to prove these points due to their hostility and their isolation from the rest of the world. One of these rumors was that underneath their savagery, are the most beautiful and physically attractive form of humanoids to ever walk the face of the earth. They say that their beauty, both male and female could charm even the strongest of wills through seduction.

The night elf race has also been given a rather sinister reputation with the rest of the world, as many believe them to be violent and unpredictable. In the past, they had started a war with the dwarven empire. They made thier way in to the dwarven heart land within the mountains, and launched many surprise attacks for seemingly no reason.

The dwarves should have had a clear win. As they attacked the night elves have shown to lack modern technologies in war. Where as the Dwarves were masters in the workplace and in the laboratories. Their skill in the blacksmith shop was like nothing anyone had ever seen before. and their ingenious minds in creativity and inventions gave them a superior advantage to any one who opposed them.

But what should have been a clear win for the dwarven defenders, became a humiliating defeat. the night elves shocked the world when they beat the dwarves out of the mountain range all together, forcing them into the vast deserts.

The dwarven mountains were now in the hands of the night elves. But instead of plundering the rich dwarven cities of their gold and precious dwarven technologies, the night elves retreated back into the shadow glades after the war, leaving only a handful of sentinels to watch the border of the mountains to the south east.

Although a few of them set up outposts along the dwarven mountain rang to keep an eye on the desert borders. Just Incase the dwarves ever thought about starting a second war. The elves had stayed back in the Shadow Glades and The dwarves had never set foot in the mountains ever sense.

But as time passes, the dwarven empire has grown strong once again. Both military and economically. Their trade routes and merchant outposts span along the south coast of Varamath, and have established a mining colony along the white mountains along the west most regions of Varamath. They have also set up trade outposts along the eastern coast of the land of Isakaal. It would only be a matter of time before the dwarves had the fire power to not only re-take the mountains, but to completely destroy the shadow glades all together.

Not only that, but through the use of alchemy they have learned to not only survive in the deserts, but to thrive. They have erected massive cities and citadels in the middle of nowhere. Cities large enough to house hundreds of thousands of dwarves in one city. This essentially made each dwarven city a massive fort with a throng of defenders. And would also lead to a drastic increase in population for the dwarven empire, reaching the millions.

The dwarves had never forgiven the night elves for ruining their lives and desecrating their heritage. And when war comes back to the land of Celemore, they will stop at nothing to wipe the night elf race off the face of the earth.

There had also been rumors of a secret weapon the dwarves have been developing. A weapon that would change the course of history. Though they have been saving it for the second dwarf-elf war.

After the portal collapsed, Volondove looked around for any signs of the green wizard. But it soon hit him that finding this one guy in the fungal peninsula would be like finding a needle in a hay stack. And in such a hostile place like this, that chances of surviving this alone were very slim. How did Lamir expect him to find the wizard before any night elf found him first?

Within seconds of the of his arrival how ever, his fears were quickly realized when seven armed warriors emerged from the thick brush. They moved like a blur through the green environment around them. Dashing around here and there in seemingly a blink of an eye.

Before he could comprehend what exactly was going on, volondove was knocked off his feet all of a sudden, falling onto his back. He moaned in pain as he hit his head on the ground. When he opened his eyes again he found himself laying down with a blade held up against his throat. The violet skin of the night elf warriors glistered in the sun light as one of them held him in place on the ground.

As much as Volondove was afraid for his life, he realized that the one of the rumors were true. These night elven warriors were rather handsome. For a savage race that is. He looked to his left to see the two female hunters each armed with metal speers and light armor. And just like the males, they were rather attractive in his eyes.

"Keep your eyes off my wife you sickening beast!" Bellowed the elf holding the blade to his neck. Volondove quickly turned back to his captor as he barked at him. "what is the likes of a human doing in our sacred groves?" One of them said as Volondove admired the lusture of the hunters. But Volondove was in a trans. He felt like he was being hypnotized as he admired the beauty of the night elves. It was as if he was put under a spell or a charm.

"What are you looking at human?" The hunter said again. "Speak your business or I will split your neck like a ripe melon!" He shouted moving the blade closer to his neck. Volondove could feel the razor sharp blade rub up against his flesh as he laid there.

When he returned his attention to what the elf said, he was taken back for a moment. He had no idea the night elves could speak in the tongues of man, nor that they knew what a human was. He had assumed that being the isolated people they were, they would have spoken in their own language. He also didn't think that a human would ever come here so far away from home.

Volondove swallowed his spit in fear for his life before giving an answer. "Uh, I - I am loo-looking for a powerful wizard he g-goes by the name of z-zangar? Zangar the green?" He stammered Nerviosly. The elven hunters looked at each other while speaking in their native language this time.

"Ti zedz Zangar, thuz ti yeem siminayv Zangar?"

"Ti yab di. Tin yiz mu utin di teeb yaiy."

Volondove couldn't make out what they were saying. But at the same time, the language they were speaking sounded some what familiar. As if he had heard it some where before. Though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

When they were done speaking to each other, The one holding the blade to his neck looked down at him again seeing the fear in his eyes.

"Follow us." He said as he removed the blade from his throat. "Zangar shall deal with you properly, trespasser." At that moment one of the other elves then took a thin vine hanging off a nearby tree, and tore it down to use as restraints for Volondove's wrists. Once his arms were tightly bound behind his back, the band of hunters marched off to Zangar's base of opperations.

Volondove had never seen such vegetation before. The northern Forrest's of Varamath we're most fertile place he had ever known. But the dence taiga regions of the northern Forrest were nothing like this. He had never seen a jungle before. It was so green and rich in color. The trees alone were a sight to behold as they reached up to the sky, and we're as thick as a small house sometimes.

Some parts of the glaves were shrouded in darkness from the lack of sun light as shade from the massive trees covered much of the Forrest floor. Volondove felt like it was night time when they wandered through the dark. Even though it was still early in the morning. But the elves knew exactly where they were going. It was as if they could see better in the dark than they could in the light. It's no wonder the dwarves never made an offensive into the Shadow Glades.

As much as the trees were impressive, the rest of the vegitation was equally admirable. Mushrooms of various shapes and sizes and colors littered the Forrest floor. Some were smaller than a pinky toe, while others were the size of a small human house. Some were a bright scarlet, others were a deep ocean blue. Some had spots on their heads, others were all one color. Some were deeper in color and some were more bland of a color.

And that's not to mention the different kinds of fruit plants that abound. Berries of all colors the size of a cherry filled the shrubbery, while some of the larger fruits being the size of his head or bigger. Some sprouted from vines along the forrest floor, and others grew from shrubs and bushes others were dangling from the trees high up within the canopy.

Two hours had passed Sence Volondove's capture. Though it only felt like a couple minutes. Soon the elven hunters arrived at the wizard's supposed residence, a night elf village just a ways north from where the portal first opened.

The village was surrounded by a thick wooden wall made out of entire trees, shaved of their branches and leaves. Creating a wooden palisade to serve as a defensive barrier for the village. This gave Volondove a sence of concern. There were no other major races in the shadow glave peninsula. If there were, the elves would have killed them all. So what would they need a palisade for? Unless there was something else in this jungle they were defending against. This was a strange and dark place. Who knows what kind of creatures were lurking in the shadows of the jungle. Vampires Werewolves Undead minions Or perhaps worst of all, Valemies cultists.

As the elves arrived at the wooden palisade at the village borders, two violet guards in light metal armor slowly opened the heavy wooden gates from the inside. They didn't bother to ask why they had brought a human with them. As they knew very well what happens to trespassers when they meet Zangar. The elves marched Volondove through the city to get to their leader.

Although Volondove was now a prisoner to the hostile natives of this land, he couldn't help but admire the night elven village. He had never seen such a variety of architecture before. Many of the homes and shacks of the commoners were built of old stone, most likely salvaged from some tistive ruins in the area. Vines grew up all around the smaller houses and dangled from the taller trees.

Other homes were made completely out of wood. No nails or hinges involved. As if they were some kind of crude log cabin. Though these houses were made of petrified wood that had been dead for some time.

Others were constructed along the palisade walls for extra security and as foundational support. Most of these wooden homes also had what looked to be a leafy roof top on them. Large palm tree like leaves. Leaves that measured half the size of a grown man stacked together by the dozens.

And it wasn't just the architecture of the village that caught his eyes, but also the people within the village. As an outsider, he got many weird looks from the towns folk. Who were all just as physically attractive as that of his captors.

The gang passed by a stone well near the edge of the town on their way to their leader. There, Volondove caught the eyes of two beutifull young elven girls who were fetching water from its depths. They both turned to look at him like the others were. They had most likely never seen a human before. But they too didn't take kindly to this outsider.

While they're violet skinned bodies were appealing to his eyes, he had to remind himself of his vow constantly.

"There is only one woman in my life, there is only one woman in my life voly." He thought to himself. As His mind still lingered around the realm of fantacy, He began to think that if the night elves were anything like their cousins back in Varamath, those elf girls were probably older then he was. Easily by a hundred years. Though their appearance made them look like that of a young teen. The long life spans of the elf breeds made human and Elf relationships more difficult than usual.

His attention was soon taken off the girls as he saw the bucket they had rise higher and higher into the sky, held on by a vine. His eyes followed the bucket as it rose higher and higher to see that it was attached to a really long pulley system. Within the canopy top of the village was a whole new section of suburban structures.

Volondove was breathless at the idea and the enginuity these people had. Wooden huts and walking platforms stood up high within the canopy like childrens tree forts, though used for more practical reasons.

Many of these tree houses were connected by rope bridges stretching from tree to tree. These tree houses spanned all along the outskirts of the village, thereby adding nearly double the living space for the city.

But one question suddenly popped into his mind. How did the elves get their hands on these technologies? The night elves (as far as anyone else knew) were a primitive race and a people of tradition. It isn't like them to adapt to the inventions and customs of the outside world.

And the more he looked the more he noticed that the night elves were very similar to that of the wood elves. They had proper farming and harvesting equipment, primitive concepts of village defence, and even the armor of the guards was not something they would normally use. As demonstrated by the way with the dwarves.

Perhaps they are not as savage as everyone else claims they are. Maybe somewhere beneath that violet skinned husk were people of legitimate intellegence.

As volondove admired the scenery, (and the the inhabitants) he hadn't noticed that they had already arrived at Zangar's place. The hunters stopped dead in their tracks right outside a commoners shack.

Volondove was set back for a bit. For the home of a powerfull staff bearer, he was expecting something a bit bigger and more extravagant than what there was, or at least something that would stand out a bit. But the place was rather small, no bigger than the rest of the common homes. Probably no more than two rooms. A stone hut with poor maintenance and long thick vines covering the walls. Finished off with an old, worn down wooden door.

The leading elf then knocked on the door three times before stepping back a bit. When the old door did open, the band was greeted by a tall, menacing looking warrior. A man so tall he had to bend over just to get through the door. His armor was thick, massive and dark in color. The giant stood nearly nine feet tall, with jagged spikes and hooks sprawling out from the heavy metal plates.

The sheer size of this behemoth struck fear in the hearts of the elves. They were just as intimidated buy this giant as much as Volondove was. they trembled at his feet before speaking in tongues again. "tyz teeth dibin di yjunthim." The tall warrior bellowed.

"Wiz, yeezbin peemsain, ri hamth tyz athzythin bu tanz zat." The leading elf said with a nervous expression.

The mountainous man looked down at volondove behind the elf hunters, his eyes piercing into his very soul through the jagged helmet he was wearing. Volondove dealt like he might turn to stone or something with the way Zangar looked.

After what felt like a days time, the men began to speak again.

"Vik yi reet ti imbnathyn." Zangar bellowed.

"Y teev zi bu ib teeb tyz yeem yz famytith."

As the leading elf got back up to his feet with a bow, Volondove was shoved forwards by the two elf women, and fell into the arms of the giant. The metal man then threw him inside like a rag doll before slamming the door shut. Volondove slammed into the stone wall as Zangar threw him inside.

Volondove was in shock at this sudden hostility. Why would Zangar be so aggressive with him? He wasn't one of the elves, So what was going on? Did Lamir not inform Zangar of his arrival?

but before he could piece things together, Volondove was then suddenly slammed up against the stone wall violently. He let out a cry of pain as the shock of a sharp stabbing pain spread up his back. The shear force that Zangar used to pin Volondove was enough to kill a small animal.

"Who are you human?!" Zangar said like a rabid beast.

"What does an outsider like you want from the elven commune?"

"I a-am v-v-Volondove Caladian m-mister Zangar sir." Volondove said confused and frightened.

Zangar's eyes widened when he said his name.

"How do you know my name human!?" He bellowed.

"How long have you been spying on me!?" He said escalating his tone to a more vicious like manner.

"Not long sir. I only just arrived today." Volondove replied.

In a fit of rage, Zangar then grabbed Volondove by the shoulder with a hulking grip, and threw him to the side.

As he fell to the ground in pain, he accidentally dropped lamir's staff on to the stoney ground. Zangar saw the staff roll along the ground, and was both intrigued and angered. He bent over and took the staff fragment, and then examined his own staff fragment. He looked at them for a moment before turning back to scream in his face.

"Where did you get this?!" He bellowed in an intimidating voice. His large metal hand pressed up against the floor by Volondove's head.

Volondove wasn't sure what to think of this. Zangar was supposed to be his new mentor. Why is he being so hostile? Doesn't he know that he is attacking the new Eam?

Then he remembered what Lamir said. To tell him about where he got the staff from. "It wa-was a gift, from a fr-friend." Volondove replied. Still trembling.

"A friend?" Zangar asked, gripping the staff fragment he had in his other hand with a bone crushing force.

"How do I know you didnt kill the owner of this artifact and take it for it's power?!" Volondove looked up at the giant, his arms shaking in fear.

"No no sir! I would neve-"

Before he could finish what he was saying, Zangar took out the staff, and struck volondove across the head with a mighty blow. When the weapon made contact with his flesh however, the whole room was instantly ignited with a flash of bright green light.

Volondove once again fell violently on the ground in pain, his head was now bleeding out all over the concrete floor. He looked up to see Zangar towering over him in intimidation. Still in a state of fear and confusion, Volondove closed his eyes and prepared to be finished off.

But instead of ending him, Zangar just stood there for a moment. He looked down at the injured man and very quickly realized what he had done.

"By the gods. What have I done?" Zangar said with a sudden change in attitude and tone, going from a bold and intimidating one to that of an ashamed one. He grabbed volondove by his hand, and pulled him up off the ground.

"By the gods, I nearly killed the prophesied eam." Zangar mumbled to himself, immediately regretting his attack. He hit himself in the head with his giant metal palm when he realized the sin he had just committed.

"I am terribly sorry for my actions." He said

"Let me patch that up." He said as he conjured a bandage for his injury out of thin air.

Blood was dribbling from his forehead as he wrapped the cloth around his head. His head was throbbing with pain from the attack, and he was a bit dizzy as well. But he was still able to remain consciousness. dispute everything.

"What in the name of the underworld was that for Zangar!?" He yelled in confusion and anger.

"Lamir said you would-"

"shshshshsh!" Zangar said as he placed his giant metal hand over his mouth muzzling him quiet.

"Keep it down boy. We don't want them to hear you are still alive or we'll both be in trouble. Understand?" Zangar said quietly. Volondove nodded his head in agreement, though it hurt to move it too much. Zangar then slowly withdrew his hand from volondove's mouth.

Volondove took a few deep breaths as he let go of his face. As Zangar's hand was large enough to cover his mouth and nose, thereby preventing Volondove from breathing.

"But why in the name of the underworld did you attack me?" Volondove asked again with a quiet and frustrated voice. He was still feeling angry at his recent hostilities.

"Because they believe that I am one of them." Zangar said. Although he was in great pain, Volondove tried not to chuckle at the thought.

" You? A night elf?" He said. "You're like twice their size. How can they mistake you for one of their kind?"

"Because they believe that I am a demigod." Zangar replied. "They believe that I was send by the gods themselves to serve as the protector of the Shadow Glades."

Volondove was confused about this. Everybody knows that the demigods left Lamenreal back in the first era. With the exception of the Eam. But he didn't question it. He was in too much head pain.

"Besides I'm not really this big." Zangar said. Volondove looked at him in disbelief as he said this.

With a clank of the armor plates, Zangar removed his large helmet, revealing the wizard's face. He had a rather skinny appearance. His face was just as aged as Lamir's was, with a bald head, head structure as thin as a pencil and a pair of lime green eyes.

As the helmet fell to the ground, the rest of the armor suit slipped off his body, one plate at a time. What was once a giant, menacing warrior was now a short old man in green robes. Skinny as a twig, and about as tall as a grand father. a long, unnaturally green beard that stretched down to his chest as the metal plates fell to the ground.

"For nearly a thousand years, I have lived among the night elf commune as their sworn protector." Zangar explained as he recalled his back story.

"They took me in as one of their own. And in return, I used my powers given to me by the first eam to make these people's lives better. I gave them food when they were hungry. I gave them water when they were thirsty. I gave them shelter when they had none. I was a hero to their people." He explained.

"And as time went on, my reputation among the shadow glades grew bigger and bigger. And before long, I eventually captured the attention of their leader."

"Wait, they have a leader?" Volondove asked. "I always thought the night elves were an anarchist race."

"Many other people believe that lie as well." Zangar explained.

"But they couldn't be more wrong. The night elves are ruled by the lovely and fair mistress Lunue. She rules over her people as the undisputed dictator of her race. Her word is law, and anyone who disagrees with her will be punished harshly. And that is partially where I come in. I am her enforcer and protector."

"hold on a minuit." Volondove blurted out suddenly.

"You say she is a lovely and fair woman, but you also said she is a harsh dictator as well? How can she be both?" Volondove asked.

"Oh no, pardon my words." Zangar said.

"Don't get me wrong, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever met. But she is no tyrant at all." He explained.

"She cares for her people and her kingdom as much as I do. Her and I have similar hopes and ambitions for the future of the commune. She cracked down on minor rebellions for the greater good of the commune. And she was the one who invited me into her personal council in the first place." He explained.

"As my reputation among the people grew, so did her respect for me. Eventually, I was able to pull a few strings myself and was able to make a life for myself within her inner circle and among the commune. Infact, I got this here village to govern as a gift, and my own personal army as well. And under my rule and my power, I make sure that the village never goes hungry again."

"So let me get this straight." Volondove said.

"This Lunue chick just gave you some land and an army of your own? Just because you fed and protected her people?" Volondove asked.

"Yes, that is correct." Zangar answered.

"But you are not an elf." Volondove protested.

"Why would they give so much stuff to an outsider? I thought they put outsiders to death."

"Oh they still do boy." Zangar replied.

"Then how did you come to power then?" Volondove asked.

"If they knew you were an outsider wouldn't they have attempted to kill you years ago?"

"They would have indeed." Zangar replied.

"Do you remember the war they had with the dwarves?" He asked with a sudden change of subject.

"Yeah, how were they able to win that anyways?" Volondove asked.

"Going up against an economic and militaristic empire like the dwarves and still coming out the victors? How was that even possible?"

"Well you can thank me for that." Zangar said boldly.

Volondove whipped his head to face Zangar as he heard this.

"Hold on a minute, you are the reason the night elves won the war?" Volondove asked.

"When the war broke out, I was caught in he cross-fire. There was no where to run, no where to hide. I either had to choose a side, or perish."

"But why would you side with the night elves?" Volondove asked. "Why would you take the losing side?"

"Well...its a bit complicated." He replied abruptly.

"But ever since that day, I served as the border protector to the commune. Under my watchful eyes, no dwarf has set foot past their mountains in nearly nine hundred years."

"How ironic." Volondove said.

"Not only have they been beaten out of their homes, but they can't even go back to them either. And to think that it was all because of a staff bearer, of all people."

Zangar stroked his long green beard at this thought.

"I don't think that is quite the definition of irony but alright." He said.

"But don't you think that's a bit harsh for them though? To never set foot back in their homes again?" Volondove asked.

"Perhaps, but I didn't know the elves would take it that far." Zangar explained.

"And besides, that generation of dwarves is most likely gone by now. They probably don't even remember what it was like living in the mountains. And orders are orders. As the protector of the border, It's my job to keep them out. If not, I could be killed on the spot.

"The night elves? Kill you?" Volondove said in a humorous manor.

"Who would dare attack a staff bearer? I would like to see them try to take you on and survive."

"You sound a bit nieve for an adult human." Zangar said.

"I may have the most intimidating suit of armor in Lamenreal, and I may have the eam's courage and conjuration powers, but I am just as mortal as you boy. As are the rest of the staff bearers."

"But I thought Lamir said the staff bearers were given immortality untill the new eam was trained." Volondove said.

"Well yes that is true." Zangar replied.

"We can live for millions of years if need be. We were given natural immortality. But we can still be struck down by the sword like any other man."

"Oh, so you can't die of natural causes then?" Volondove asked for clarification.

"That is right." Zangar replied.
"And besides, if I hadn't kept them away from their own mountains, I wouldn't be here to begin your training. Time is of the essence, we must get started right away, if you are up for it that is. I mean with the head injury and all."

"Oh, yeah, it will be fine. Just a bit of a head ache and a little blood. No big problem." Volondove replied. With a bit of a sarcastic expression.

"I really am sorry about that." Zangar said once again.

"But on the plus side, conjuration is a relatively safe magic. If done properly that is."

Despite having his head busted up, volondove was relieved that he could finally begin his second round of training.