Hykings - {Progression Fantasy}

"Tilla! Where are you?!"

Jurgen rushed behind the counter, checking left and right for the former princess. Picking up the apron which was left behind, his fingers shook into a fist.

"How did they take her?! We were all just standing here-"

"Jurgen!"

"?!"

Rob's call snapped the half elf back into action.

"My girls, where are they?!" The masked man asked.

"T-they went to see the doctor again."

"Again? Did something happen?"

"They should be back anytime now." Jurgen rested a hand on Rob's shoulder. "You should go!"

Behind them, a dark elf had taken out a secret stash of daggers hidden away under one of the wooden tiles.

"Luci, they have to be nearby!" Jurgen called out to her. "Let's go! We'll take the fight to them!"

Naturally, this hadn't been the first time the three elves were pursued or attacked ever since leaving Blumenheim. It had always been the same, their enemies would target the former princess, and the ship made from the roots of the world tree.

Which meant, if they had directly kidnapped Tilla, they would have to be nearby to get Skidbladnir too. At the very least, Jurgen was hoping for it.

"Let's get this party started!" A young, spry-looking adventurer strolled into the bar with his arm in the air.

Before he could scan the room, two individuals passed by him faster than he could blink.

"Eh?"

One tightened bandana on his forehead, while the other took off her apron and adjusted the dagger holster strapped around her waist.

"But my drinks…?" The young adventurer called out, then shrugged his shoulders and strolled back into the bar. "Fine, I'll just pour some drinks myself and pay you later."

They seem to be in trouble… The Kage clan trader thought, having watched everything go down from the sidelines. No one here is helping them. What should I do?

Jun clenched a fist and narrowed her eyes slightly. Outside the side door, the outside area was barely lit by the moonlight.

**👑**

Skidbladnir had been docked in an abandoned fishing spot. Beside a Keymen Lock, there were no other built structures that could house anyone, just a wide open space which stood between the ship and the dense trees around.

Directly opposite to the sapphire ship, amongst the forest overlooking the plain area, some movements alerted the birds nearby.

"Fear, worry, confusion and anger…" A soft, gentle voice began. "Those are the colors I'm seeing the most."

Sitting on her knees, a young woman blocked the moonlight from hitting her face. She squinted her rainbow-colored eyes as she leaned forward. Her light amber hair was both tied in a small ponytail, as well as coming down to the sides of her face where they took on other colors such as blue or green.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

She wore a tight, short dress which suited her small, but curvy figure. The colors matched with her eyes and hair, especially the light blue fur and feathers adorned subtly included in her outfit.

"That's expected, considering the situation."

Behind her sat a young man not much older than her. His outfit matched hers in colors and aesthetic, although he seemed to prefer a vest and pants with the same adornations.

Both his short hair and eyes remained light amber, but as he spoke, a few colors escaped through his mouth.

These were the siblings known as Cecilia and Albion, from the Nebulae clan.

"Good."

"!"

Cecilia turned towards the deeper voice walking her way. Her eyes softened slightly when she saw the one she had been reporting to.

"That's how it should be."

The tall, imposing figure focused his gaze on the docked ship in the distance. His skin was a pale shade of lavender, contrasting sharply with the ghostly white of his wild, tousled hair. Eyes like molten gold burned beneath sharp, arched brows. Faint sideburns adorned the side of his face, right in front of his long pointy ears.

An ornate coat of deep crimson and ebony hung around his shoulders, reaching up with a high, wavy collar. The rest of his attire included a navy blue vest adorned with golden buttons, a black coat with intricate silver patterns and a ruffled cream cravat that covered his neck fully. A long, wider sword hung in its leather sheath to his left, hidden within the coat.

Vlad Sonnenblut exuded the air of authority as the leader and guildmaster of Midnight Mass.

Having checked on Cecilia's progress, Vlad turned upwards above the trees and spoke again, barely showing his pointy fangs.

"Anything up there?"

"Not at all."

The response came from one with long, black wings on his back, and a halo to match it hovering above his head. If that hadn't been enough, his long, flowing black hair blended with them, contrasting the blue eyes radiating his smooth-looking skin.

Nathaniel Divus of the royal Divine clan wore nothing but light armor around his limbs and waist. Beside the black under the silver, some white and blue cloth surrounded his middle piece of armor, clearly showing a wing emblem engraving in the center.

"Good, you can come down then." Vlad nodded.

Nathaniel descended, and with him, the halo and the black wings crumbled and like controlled black ash, came together on his forehead showing the Divus clan's emblem.

"Vlad, is this not a bit much?" The angel spoke, planting his golden and red spear in the ground. "We should try to negotiate first! We are royals, after all! We should act as-"

Cut off mid-sentence, Nathaniel's eyes widened as he found himself hovering back up. Around him, a golden, almost translucent bubble imprisoned him.

"You keep going on and on about this, Nathaniel." Vlad clicked his tongue and moved the prison bubble to the whim of his index finger. "You're making me lose face in front of our guests."

"But-"

"Enough already! We won't kill anyone who doesn't resist!"

"Get your act together, all of you!"

"?"

Vlad turned back to the ones keeping their distance from the Midnight Mass guild members.

One of them, standing in the front within the shadow of a tree, blurted orders at the guild master.

"We are here on an important task!"

Vlad clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes. A moment later, he deactivated his Sign and dissipated the bubble, dropping the angel in the process.

"Are you okay?"

"He's not usually like this, don't hold it against him."

Cecilia and Albion rushed to Nathaniel and helped him get back on his feet.

"I know, thank you…" He let out, before casting his gaze downwards in thought.

"Guild master! I'm back!"

"?"

Turning to the side, Vlad saw another one of his members. The short, child-like figure hovered slightly above the ground, pulling his long and ornate scarf behind him. The hood over his head still covered most of his face.

"Stitch, you're back already." Vlad walked up to him, making him land on the ground. "I see you've been successful. Good job."

"Hee hee…"

"So…"

Vlad turned to the prisoner behind Stitch, tied up with the scarf which connected her to him.

"This is the elven princess. She is indeed quite the beauty."

With her arms in the air, and her mouth gagged by the same scarf, Tilla could barely sit up. Her head was low, her hair almost touching the ground.

Still, as she came to herself, she raised her head and glared at the guildmaster with her sharp blue eyes.

This wasn't the first enemy that had tried to take her back. After everything she had been through since leaving her clan, her family, she wasn't going to give in so easily.

And yet, there had been one new element she hadn't accounted for this time.

"Hello, Mathilda." The one who had given orders earlier stepped out of the shadow of the taller figure. "How have you been?"

Before his appearance, it was his voice that sent shivers down Tilla's body. Her heart began to beat faster, then jumped to a speed that threatened her rib cage. Her body quivered in place, her constricted pupils shook with renewed anxiety.

As the moonlight revealed the leader, a young elf flicked his cloak open. Long drapes of green and gold covered his body, matching the golden circlet around his forehead which housed a shining emerald gem in the center.

"Are you done playing house with that fake family of yours now?" He asked, narrowing his blue eyes at her. "It's time to come home now, sister."

Aymeric Liamen'Iur, the prince of the elf kingdom and the Blumenheim clan looked down at his shaking sister. With every second that passed, his eyes grew sharper and narrower.

For Tilla, his piercing gaze felt like daggers being stabbed directly into her heart.

After running away from the royal clan, she had naturally had some fears about the future. However, she could not ignore the possibilities of what her actions would entail, what the consequences would be to the people she cared about in her previous home.

Now, she was forced to face one of her darkest fears as it came to fruition.