Getting a better look at the group of humans had the pit in Thistle’s stomach deepen as she saw some immediate oddities about them. If she remembered correctly from thirty years ago, the humans there were a quiet village with a focus on lumber and woodworks with a minor bit of farming to sustain themselves. And while humans tended to very wildly in terms of looks, appearances, and builds most of them had some variety of brown, red, and orange hair with green, brown, or gray eyes. The humans before her had blonde and tannish hair with blue or amber eyes. Thistle knew humans bred fast, but not fast enough for an entire village’s general look to change that much in one generation. Not to mention the fact that all of them were in some form of leather armor, all the same make, color, and style with the symbol of a blue moon hovering over a white star. A clearly formed scouting team. Blade was right, something was off. These humans were definitely not from the village.

  As Thistle came out the group of humans all turned to her, hands immediately moving toward their weapons and eyes narrowed. She could feel a bead of sweat run down her forehead. “Hello, humans.” She started, hands raised in a placating gesture as the group of humans started to step toward her. “Easy, easy. I’m from the village to the west. My name is Thistle HornLeaf.” It wasn’t really her surname, aside from the nobility elves didn’t have surnames. Their low population made them pointless. However, humans got… antsy for some reason when you didn’t have a surname, so it was common for elves to just use the name of their village as a surname to prevent any cultural faux pas. “But… you guys don’t look like you’re from the village.” She noted, keeping her voice as even and patient as possible.

  A young woman with blond hair and piercing gray eyes stepped forward, looking Thistle right in the eyes with the confidence of a leader. She looked about Thistle’s age in terms of looks, so… about twenty, maybe? She also had some heavy gauntlets on her right side, massive heavy-looking metal that clashed with all the leather she was wearing.

  “Elf,” She stated, almost spitting out the words. “I don’t know what relationship you have with Trisdale, but it’s under new leadership. His lordship, Sir Mielecki, is consolidating his new lands. Tell your people to pay tribute and show deference to this land’s new lord.”

  …

  …

  … … …

  Silence.

  Complete and utter silence.

  Thistle stared at the woman for a moment, blinking at her to make sure she was actually there, and this wasn’t some figment of her imagination. Her ears twitched and wiggled, getting a few quirked eyebrows from the humans.

  “I’m… I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?” Thistle said, completely lost for words.

  The woman gave a loud huff, crossing her arms. “Hmph! I saw them move, but I’m surprise those big ears aren’t working.” She said with a sneer. “But I’ll repeat myself out of kindness. I said that these lands are under the care and protection of Sir Justyn Mielecki, the man deemed to rule over all of Porima and the man known by the moniker of ‘The Unbreakable’. And as the city of Trisdale wisely surrendered before his army and accepted his leadership, we’re coming to your village to grant you the same offer. Seeing as a representative is already here, I can save time and just tell you to go to your people and tell them to pay tribute out of respect and acknowledgement of our lord’s might and mercy.”

  The woman puffed her chest out proudly, her stoic face cracking into a confident and prideful smile after her speech. Several of the other humans nodded along with her words in agreement, some even giving quiet sounds of approval.

  And Thistle could only stare.

  Stare at this woman like she had- no, she was crazy. So much new information came to Thistle at once, the first being that the human village now had an actual name, and that name sounded so… weird. She took a breath, focusing all her nerves and composure to resettle before speaking. “Miss,” She said, keeping her tone neutral. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. HornLeaf is under the protection of the Nyblom House, an elven noble house that has made it clear everything west of the Nyblom River named after them is under their influence and protection. They don’t take kindly to outsiders in their territory without permission or explanation, nor any form of trade that doesn’t go through them first.” And that bloodthirsty doghouse of crazed hounds were the main reason elven territories like HornLeaf were usually so safe. No one, not even humans, were crazy enough to poke at the most insane group of elven nobility in the region. Or… so she thought.

  The blond woman only rolled her eyes, giving another huff. “You elves and your nobility…” She muttered, stepping forward and speaking with a bit more force. “I am Ruta Mielecki, daughter of Justyn Mielecki the Unbreakable. Under the authority given to me by my father I’m here to give the elves of HornLeaf his ultimatum.” She declared. “Either offer a tribute of lumber for the next year or be crushed underfoot by my father’s army in a battle you’ll only die in.”

  …

  …

  … … …

  And again, silence. Thistle was completely stunned into silence.

  “Are you a moron?” That came out a lot more sarcastic than Thistle intended, and the blond woman’s eyes narrowed.

  “Excuse me?” She growled out, her pitch going up.

  Ah, crap. Thistle really didn’t mean for that to slip out. She definitely thought that phrase, but it honestly just slipped out of her lips in her exasperation. She could even hear Sheath snickering in the distance thanks to her hearing and Ashroot giving a low, quiet groan of disbelief. Well, she already let her professionalism slip, no point in being cordial anymore. Might as well give Sheath something to gossip about.

  “No, you are a moron.” Thistle said, crossing her arms. “You just admitted to trespassing on our lands, being hostile toward a village we had a trade agreement with, and you’re trying to intimidate me, a local healer, into submission with eight people. Need I remind you there are universal laws against threatening healers?” She started, looking the group over. Three warriors, two archers, a vanguard and rearguard with spears, and… whatever position this woman has. Likely a captain in the center, but the gauntlet gives me a defender sort of feel to her. Not too different from her patrolling team, albeit larger. “Moreover, I don’t know anything about a Mielecki or whatever affairs go on in the human settlement. You could just be a batch of thugs trying to invade or some adventurers trying to poach elven goods.”

  The blond woman’s face grew redder and redder as Thistle spoke. “You… you…!” Several of the men were already drawing their weapons.

  Thistle let out a sigh, rolling her eyes. “And most importantly, you’re assuming I’m helpless.”

  At that the woman canted her head, about to raise a hand and give an order, but Thistle signaled her team faster, giving a quick flick of her wrist and fingers in a circular motion.

  An arrow flew from behind Thistle, nailing a human archer in the neck. A short gush of blood rushed out and he was down. There was only a short beat of shock and silence before the group of humans immediately moved.

  “Dammit, she’s not alone!” The blond woman tried keeping her group in check, but they started to quickly lose their footing as roots and vines started to move around their feet thanks to Blade’s magic. “They’ve got a mage!” She added, tearing her legs out of the coiling flora.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Sheathe and Blade jumped out at that point, immediately engaging one of the remaining warriors as another arrow hit the last archer in the shoulder.

  The surprise attack had the group of humans completely off guard, and Thistle had her team take full advantage. Sheath quickly took out the vanguard with a high-speed tackle and vicious jabs with her spears, cruelly pulling them out with a twisted smirk as her foe shrieked and panicked. Blade in turn poked and jabbed at two warriors with swords, keeping them out of reach with her quarterstaff and having her vines focused on keeping them pinned in place as she repeatedly struck at their necks, eyes, and nose for heavy damage. Ashroot was still unseen, shooting arrows into the feet of the remaining warrior and rearguard from a solid distance as Thistle ordered.

  With most of the others taken care of or occupied, Thistle turned her focus to the blond woman, Ruta apparently. She opened her mouth to try and order her to retreat, but the woman instead charged right for her, her gauntleted arm reared back for a punch. It was a heavy, but telegraphed blow, and Thistle easily sidestepped it, tripping the woman’s legs and knocking her into the muddied forest floor. The woman shot back up in a flash, shooting out several focused punches with her metal fist, each one Thistle parried and guided away from her body, pushing the woman’s arm out of aim by the elbow each time she punched. It was clear that the woman favored her armored hand, and it made for an obvious opening. It feels like I’m sparring with Master’s new students… She thought with an annoyed huff.

  After deflecting another punch, Thistle took a step forward into the blond woman’s space, gave a sharp inhale, and thrust her palm hard into the woman’s sternum, her hand emitting a white-hot glow as she felt bones crack from the impact.

  Ruta let out a wet cough, gritting her teeth and standing straight before Thistle swiftly slammed her leg against her opponent’s, a burst of white mana shining through her sandaled leg as it forced Ruta’s knees to quiver before she fell to the ground.

  Taking another deep breath and surging mana through her arm, Thistle spun around and slammed her elbow into Ruta’s head to keep her down, quickly bringing a glowing white hand to the woman’s neck in a knife-like fashion, raising her voice. “Everyone! Stop fighting!”

  The combat slowed down, Sheath and Blade keeping the three remaining fighters pinned in place and Ashroot still hiding, but likely having his bow still ready to fire. Thistle turned her head to the pinned group, seeing a few arrows in their body. Ashroot made quick work of them, two of them were likely dead thanks to Ashroot and Sheath, but the rest could be saved.

  “Anymore struggling and your leader is dead.” She stated, the mana in her hand glowing a menacingly bright white. “Take the bodies of your comrades and leave. Once our scout confirms you’re at a safe distance we’ll release your leader.”

  The warriors froze in place, glaring at Thistle, then looking to their leader for orders.

  Ruta’s piercing gray eyes glared daggers at Thistle, baring her teeth in fury. “You damn knife-ears…” She snarled, her voice cut off by the threatening hum of mana in Thistle’s hand as she glared back.

  “Don’t test me, human.” She spat back, her grayish green eyes now starting to glow an angry white.

  Ruta sneered, then turned her head to her group. “We lost.” She said flatly. “Go. Retreat to the rendezvous point. If I don’t return within an hour notify my father.”

  The remaining group hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded and started to retreat.

  As the group left, Thistle nodded to Blade as she called a sparrow to follow the retreating group of humans. After a quiet and intense ten minutes the sparrow came back, chirped into Blade’s ear, and she looked to Thistle with a nod. “They’re far enough.” She confirmed.

  Thistle nodded, pulling her hand back from the woman and bending down to her leg. Her hands went from a hostile, white-hot glow to a calmer, dimmer glimmer as she started to heal Ruta’s broken shin.

  Ruta gritted her teeth, feeling the pain of her body’s speedy recovery. “You’re so generous, Elf.” She spat out sarcastically. “And I thought healers took oaths to not harm people.”

  “My oath requires me to heal those that need help and to not strike with either a weapon or my fists.” Thistle stated clinically, her eyes focused on healing the bruising of Ruta’s recovering leg. “I’m healing you because you’re hurt, and I didn’t throw a single punch your way in our spar.”

  Ruta blinked at Thistle for a moment. “I was fighting you.” She growled out. “I was trying to kill you, and you’re the one that hurt me.”

  “You were also telegraphing your punches, depending on your armored hand, and had your left side completely open the entire time.” She countered, maintaining her detached, mechanical tone as she focused on repairing Ruta’s cracked sternum next. “You might have been trying to fight me, but as far as I’m concerned, we were basically sparring. You fight as if you’re afraid of using your other limbs to strike, which is making you hesitate and obvious. Also, you confirmed that you were, in fact, trying to kill me and my team, so I’ll be reporting that as well.”

  Ruta’s body jerked at the admonishment, and she gritted her teeth. “We humans don’t have the luxury of learning things in a year or two like you elves.” She spat back through groans as her ribs and sternum forced themselves back into shape.

  At that, Thistle’s hand stopped glowing, and she looked up at the blond woman with a sharp glare. “Human,” She said, her tone now tired. “How long have you trained in martial combat?”

  “About a yea-”

  “Fifteen.”

  The woman froze. “E-Excuse m-”

  “Fifteen years.” Thistle snapped. “I’ve trained under my human master in martial combat for fifteen goddamn years. Yeah, that’s not a long time for me, but that’s still over a quarter of my life. Yes, I beat you, but that’s because I’ve trained for over half your damn life.” Her gray-green eyes bore into Ruta’s as her temper flared. “You know, we elves find it very irritating when humans assume we pick things up quickly. We don’t. We just live long enough to master two or three crafts and skills where you humans can only master one.” She was about to continue, but a hand on her shoulder from Sheath reminded her to settle down and focus on healing. With a deep breath, her hand again let off a white glow and she continued her healing, now tuning out any other words from the human until she was fully finished.

  It took about ten more minutes to finish healing Ruta’s body, and afterwards she marched to the remaining bodies to check for a pulse and vitals to make sure they couldn’t be saved. The one Ashroot shot in the neck was dead without a doubt, but the one with the seven stab wounds from Sheath’s animalistic assault was still breathing, if barely. “Sheath, you know I hate how you fight, right?” Thistle said. “It’s going to take an hour to heal this one.” And this is why I told them to take the bodies… She thought bitterly.

  Sheath shrugged. “Just heal him enough to walk back.” Sheath said.

  “Sheath, it doesn’t work like- ugh… Nevermind.” She turned to Ruta, who was still standing around. “Okay, I’ll send this one back in an hour. Don’t do anything stupid until they return.” With that she gave a deep inhale and got to work on disinfecting the stab wounds, wishing she had brought proper disinfectant herbs for the job, so she didn’t waste the mana.

  “You realize I can’t leave without my teammate, correct?” Ruta started, but Thistle whirled around with glowing hands and spoke with fading patience.

  “Human. I’m very tired right now.” She snapped. “I healed you, who attacked my friends and team. I’m about to heal your friend and teammate who also attacked my friends and team. And I need you to go back to wherever you came from so you can tell your father or… whatever to stay away from my village before I lose my mind. Believe it or not, wasting my mana like this drains a lot more than my reserves and I have little left to give you other than another kick to your shins. Now go.” Thistle must had put a lot more force into that last word than she thought, because the blond woman really shuddered at that last statement. Even Blade and Ashroot shivered at the tone of her scolding. Then, with a short glare and only slightly teary eyes, Ruta started to walk away with a minor limp, making sure her armored hand didn’t get wet as she crossed the river.

  “Sheesh, and you wonder why we call it the Thistle Thorns.” Sheath said. “She was totally about to start bawling like a kid.”

  “Don’t start.” Thistle said, turning back to the remaining warrior as she took another breath and started her healing. “Ashroot, Blade, go to the village and explain the situation. I’ll be back in a half-hour.”

  The two nodded and headed off.

  “And me?” Sheath asked.

  “Just… make sure I don’t snap again once this one regains consciousness.” Thistle said, focusing on her work. “And hold her down. I don’t have the mana to numb her nerves and you did quite a number on her.”

  “Blame me for everything why don’t you…” Sheath grumbled but complied. “But didn’t you say this would take an hour?”

  “To fully heal her, yes. But I’m going to take your advice and just have her up and walking again. Someone from her village can fix this mess.”

  Sheath snickered at that. “Yes ma’am.”

  True to Thistle’s words, it only took a half hour to disinfect the injuries, close up the stab wounds, and rouse the vanguard to consciousness. With a quick threat from Sheath the woman quickly made her way across the river, leaving the two alone as Sheath helped Thistle up.

  “Man… it’s gonna’ suck when we get back to the village.” Sheath complained.

  Thistle sighed, her voice hollow and tired now. “I’d scold you for the crass speech, but… I agree with you.” The pack of intelligent wolves and their massive pack leader, the apparently invading humans, there was a lot to discuss with the village elders today and it was just morning “Today has gotten too crazy too fast…”