Book Capture and Recovery, Chapter 3: Under Cover of Darkness

Hey guys. Sorry this one took so long. I haven't had a chance to get on the trampoline until today, so I'm back at it now with some new ideas to really make this story shine! Also, chapter 1 and chapter 2 links are here. Click on them if you haven't read either yet, otherwise this story will not make much sense. With that, enjoy chapter 3!

Chapter 3
[P.O.V. Gala]
Before the journey​

Water spells, air spells; elemental magic was so difficult to contain. It was hard enough learning to control them​

while in nature, but I was far out of my comfort zone now. Elves grew up in the forests to the north. It was secluded and out of people's reach there, so we had never been taught how to find our own air, our own rivers. These things were foreign to us and we had to learn them on our own. I stuffed another water spell into my pack and stood up. There were no trees here in blackout. Everything was made of sandstone and brick. It was difficult to see such a change in environment. Regardless, I had been hired to do a job and I was going to see it through to the end. After all, elves were loyal, proud people. I began restringing my bow and noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. Chaos was heading towards the fountain in the center of town. I grabbed up my bag and the rest of my spells, swung my now restrung bow across my shoulder, and ran to join the crowd gathering there.

"...been picked for a very special mission and I just wanted to let you all know that I am proud to be your captain​

through this time of turmoil. Your commitment and loyalty have not been overlooked and I personally thank you for your sacrifice." Chaos was just beginning to speak when I ran up. I stood near the back and continued to listen as he made his speech.

"You don't think it's going to be too bad over there do you?" Tele, our ninja, asked under his breath. I started to​

answer, but Deplicasus got to him first.

"There's no way a group of rag-tag thieves are going to be difficult to beat! If it comes down to it, I'll take on whoever​

is giving you trouble!" He was yelling now, and I noticed Chaos had stopped talking and was staring our way. Deplicasus didn't seem to notice and continued bragging. "Heck, if it comes down to it, I'll take on the whole dang team!" By this point the entire squad was quiet and Tele was slowly inching away from all the gazes. My face flushed from embarrassment.

"You idiot! Everyone can hear you!" I whispered between my teeth. Deplicasus looked at me with a quizzical look​

and I was about to tell him to shut up. Then I heard a voice; Chaos's.

"That isn't going to be necessary Deplicasus. A heavy is wonderful for tanking a lot of damage, but this plan revolves​

around stealth and waiting for the right moment to strike." Deplicasus looked at the ground and shrunk back a little. I breathed out a little sigh of relief that Chaos wasn't too upset. Tele seemed to be a lot calmer too. Our captain continued and all eyes turned back to him. I stood up just a little bit taller. He'd be talking about the battle plans soon.

"The point of moving out at noon is to be at their encampment by dusk. We sent out a recon team earlier and​

they've given us CAP's position. They're situated in the clearing of a forest about half a day's journey from here." My heart soared at the idea of being back in nature again. I'd have all the resources I needed to create my spells there! "As such, since we'll be attacking in darkness it's important to use stealth to our fullest advantage. I'll be splitting the group up into three groups. We will form a triangle around their group and attack from all sides. they won't know what hit them. Group one will be composed of Nuke, Deplicasus, Stlast, and Sporty. Your job will be to create a diversion. Nuke, you'll wait for..." I'd stopped listening for now. It wasn't important to me and I didn't want to be distracted with other people's jobs. I had my own to do. A wind picked up and I let it race through me. It was a little stale from minor pollution, but it brought scents of home with it. I breathed in the memories and thought of my elders back at home. They'd be proud of me, wouldn't they? After all, it had been their idea to put our talents to good use. I was struck with loneliness. My family was back at home, and I was at war. I sighed.

"Latias, Tele, Gala, and I will be a part of group two. We'll be taking out everyone that's distracted by group one, and​

splitting their defenses in half." I perked my ears up. I was in group two it appeared. Fine by me. I was a good shot, and my spells rarely missed. Again I thought of my elders. They'd always taught us about honor and loving nature and all of its creatures. The same inner conflict I'd felt when I first joined came back to me now and I leaned against the back wall to steady myself. Should I do my duty to my elders, or my leaders? I shook my head to clear it and looked back up to where Chaos was just finishing up.

"Their job is to rush the main headquarters and recover the flag. After that, we high tail it out of there and avoid​

any casualties. Groups one and two will be the side flankers. They won't expect two attacks from opposing directions, and they certainly won't expect group three to come from head on. They'll be split in half with no way to stop us. Now get ready. We leave in 15 minutes." He jumped off the fountain and headed off with Ducksfan at his side. I started to turn but noticed Birdgirl run up to him. I saw what appeared to be her pleading with him, then him shake his head and put a hand on her shoulder. She bowed a little and shuffled off. I remembered that she was probably in group three. Of course they'd need a field medic. I felt bad. Birdgirl hated unnecessary violence. I sighed deeply and moved off to collect more elements. I understood where she came from.

[P.O.V. Pookey]
At CAP's base​

I kicked a pebble that was near my feet and grabbed a couple more handfuls of water from the nearby creek. Some​

air sprites danced on the surface and I quickly grabbed those too, mumbling an enchantment and giving my thanks for their service. I quickly brewed them into spells and put them away in my pack. Images of my people back at home flashed through my mind, but I cleared them as quickly as I could.

"You seem to be troubled by something. What's wrong?" I heard someone say behind me. I turned quickly to see​

Daniel standing there. His medic gear was already on and his healing sword gleamed in the patch of sunlight he was bathed in. I shook my head and looked back to the river.

"I'm fine. Just been thinking about this war. The elves wouldn't normally do this. We're stealing from other people."​

I turned to Daniel with tears in my eyes. "I'm stealing from my own people! There is another elf on the enemy's side!" I paused and looked back at my reflection, brushing the tears away with my arm. "I'm just not sure what we're doing." I heard footsteps and felt a hand drop onto my shoulder softly.

"We're CAP. We're doing what we are told to do and we're doing it with pride." I shrugged off the hand and looked​

up into the distance through the trees.

"I know we're CAP. Commitment and perseverance. That's what it means to be in our group. I remember the elders​

telling me that pride was the root of all evil. If that's the case, then what does that make us; a group of people centered around that very idea." Daniel paused for a moment and I could practically hear him thinking. Then he spoke.

"Everything has the capability of being either good or bad. It's like having two sides to every coin. Which side you​

choose depends on you and your outlook on the situation, not stereotypes." I glanced back at him and gave a questioning look.

"I don't get what you mean." He laughed and motioned for me to follow him. I grabbed up my bag of spells and ran​

to walk alongside him back towards the camp.

"Your entire life has been run by what your elders chose for you. The elves were always taught to be good,​

pure, regal, and dignified people. Who decides the measurement of that?" I shrugged and he continued, "You're assuming the stereotype of a typical elf, because that's all you've ever known. You don't have to follow the same path, though. Take me for example. A medic is normally this gentle, feminine girl that hates violence and wants only to heal people. I chose to follow a different path. I use the regeneration capabilities of my armor to my advantage. My sword is great for healing, but it's still a sword. I can defend my teammates and myself at the same time. I'm quite the tank when I need to be, but I can also heal. Don't let other people decide who you are. You're Pookey, a person who happens to be an elf. You aren't an elf named Pookey." I stopped then and thought about what he had just said. It was true. I always tried my best to be like my elders before me. Now, though, I was beginning to see another side to the elves. They were dignified, but they were also committed to what they chose to protect. I nodded my thanks to Daniel. He had taught me so much about myself just in that short walk back to camp. He nodded back and gave a quick smile.

"Glad we could have this talk. In any case, I should be headed back to Adam. He's an absolute idiot when it comes to​

getting ready for battle and I'd hate for him to accidentally lose his sword or something." We chuckled at that image and he turned to head back towards the mess hall. I was still laughing when I heard the whiz of an arrow heading straight towards us. Without thinking, I turned while grabbing a water spell out of my bag and threw it in the direction the sound was coming from. There was a hiss, a puff of mist, and an arrow fell right at Daniel's feet. He jumped back, alarmed, and spun on his feet to face me.

"What was that?" I asked, scratching my head in amazement. Without warning, Daniel turned back around and took​

off for the captain's quarters. I called after him and he called back over his shoulder,

"That wasn't one of our arrows. I'm going to alert the captain. We're under attack!"

There we go guys! I wanted to add the fight scene to this chapter, but thought I'd add a little suspense. Enjoy and let me know what you guys think! ^-^

Blue Team:

• Heavy (@Deplicasus)
• Soldier (@Ducksfan101)
• Medic (@Birdgirl)
• Archer (@LordCh4os)
• Assassin (@K_O_100)
• Engineer (@Lati4s_)
• Ninja (@TimelessTele)
• Necro (closed group)
• Elf (@GalaThundR)
• Mage (@stlast)
• Chemist (@sportyman56)
• Pyro (@TheNukerator)

Red Team:

• Heavy (@8BitCyber)
• Soldier (@SoCool21)
• Medic (@Daniellll)
• Archer (@BrandinoB)
• Assassin (@AdamLovesBarca)
• Engineer (closed group)
• Ninja (@YouAreBestBae)
• Necro (@Admiral_Munson)
• Elf (@pookeythekid)
• Mage (@lionafp)
• Chemist (@blackfurrykitty)
• Pyro (@Unifier)

@TheMaelstromsEye @BAWSS5​

 

I wanted there to be a story about the elves and their place in all of this. They're humanoid after all. There's a reason you were the target too don't worry.

Lol yea. I jump on the trampoline and act out the scene while speaking the dialogue out aloud. I call them my one word stories. XD

 

Each person in my story, with the exceptions of bawss, Maelstrom, and Eil, will have at least one point of view.