NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

Chapter 21 - Nirvana

Humans called their armies soldiers, footmen, and knights. Some kingdoms found on different continents had distinct terminologies for their militia. Elves hailed their soldiers as rangers and wardens who served the same purpose as the knights. However, instead of the usual blades, they equipped themselves with recurves, bows, and stout daggers.

These elves surrounded us as we ventured forward to our destination. They monitored and guarded our backs for any anomalies lurking in our surroundings. None of them uttered a word throughout the journey. If they wish to plead, the captain articulates for them. That was the protocol of these rangers on the battlefield.

"Again, we are dismal for attacking your carriage." The elf captain addressed Guinevere once again and expressed his apologies.

The queen had enough with his remarks. With a gesture of her hands, the representing elf and his army of rangers felt silent while we headed towards the extensive forest. Even my body jerked towards the side as I sensed the overwhelming arcane she released. It was the most intense magic capacity I saw in my life.

As we progressed to the jungle, I noticed a colossal window popping up in front of me. With a piping sound, I read the notification sent by the system.

[Warning. You are proceeding to the Elven Kingdom, Nirvana] Those were the words my system told me.

My mother always told me books about legends and the old. Among those stories were the long-eared elves and their empire hidden in the woodlands. Nobody had arrived to tell the tale about the scenery inside, my mother explained.

My system called this place Nirvana, known for the Elven Kingdom. The name ran into my ears as I remembered how my mother called the location. It was like the books that my mother told me about when I was a child. She explained Nirvana was a celestial place inside Code.

But that story turned out to diverge from the others, as I was one of the first few to experience such a place. If only Clementine were with me, we would have been the two villagers who would visit the Elven Kingdom.

Our group arrived at the bottom's mountain, where monsters were few, and the plants grew more. If I looked back at the terrain correctly, this must be the mountain I saw far off from the outskirts of my kingdom.

Nobody knew what was inside here, since it was a distant place that none of us had reached. All the villagers believed there was something otherworldly living here. And they were right all along.

Like any other forest, we saw magnificent trees blocking the rays of sunlight surrounding us. We could also hear a flock of birds in the distance, fluttering skywards and chirping up a tone. But no monsters attacked us despite the abundant number of animals lingering nearby. I thought that this must have been a fluke, since none of these events happened before. Usually, these creatures would prey on whoever crosses their territories.

I recalled those occurrences that happened to me before. Monsters waylaid me as soon as I was alone. Fortunately, Knights took their patrol and slain the vile fiend. It was a memory that I cannot forget.

However, I suddenly knew what caused their silence. I used my scanning ability and noticed an aura flowing from the elves. My system characterized the stream as a repellent of some sort for the evil beasts.

We could see the traces of the grizzly bears and other monsters on the soil, heading opposite from our direction. A pack of bears thought of coming in our direction, but took a sharp left afterwards, judging from the footmarks.

If we peeled our eyes ahead, we could see a set of vines dangling from afar, covering something that seemed commonplace. Upon arriving at the location, the captain halted our stride and commanded us to stay put and observe.

The queen stood by and held her daughter by her hand. Eve looked around and mesmerised herself with the garden of roses found beside the ancient tree. The two found themselves something to gawk at to burn the time.

They paid no mind to what was happening before us. But we were unlike the two royalties.

Match and I caught ourselves staring at the process by the elves. We found the performance queer and mysterious the more we gazed at the sight.

The captain had original plans upon seeing the ivies before him. He called out to his group and instructed them to control the plant with care. All the rangers moved and gingerly lifted the creeping plants aside. With a blaring grunt, the rangers shoved the plants, revealing a tunnel from the cave.

"We can move ahead, your majesty." The captain suggested, and gave a salute to Guinevere.

The queen and her daughter stood and trailed behind the marching elves. We followed close behind them and entered the dim cave.

We saw nothing but complete darkness as we trudged the unlit cavern. Our nostrils sniffed the damped walls enclosing us, making us jerked backwards to the ingress. It was as if we were inside a bucket filled with slimy water. Match and I touched the wet ground as we trod forward, but we carried on and awaited the other side.

A bright light flashed before us as we stepped foot on the adjacent end. I shielded both Match and my orbs, using my elbow while peaking through the gap. My eyes blinked multiple times before I could see the setting.

Within a matter of seconds, the brilliant luminance faded away, and I finally discerned what was in front of me.

A crowd of trees reaching through the clouds greeted our group. We saw thousands of tree houses and wooden taverns perched at different angles. Resting outside were the petite elves wandering around the bustling streets with other mythical creatures.

We saw children, whom we thought were the same age as Match and Even, playing with their cubby houses and swings at the park. Beside them were taller, long-eared elves armed with bows and arrows behind their back, guarding the children.

My eyes glided at the sides and saw the vines crawling everywhere near the trees as if they were alive creatures. These creeping plants wrapped themselves around the prehistoric barks serving as the wall. If we look closer at the panels, we could see grey hues coming from the stones outside. These piles of rocks served as a camouflage for Nirvana. It was the mountain's bottom, concealing everything for this vast place.

The rangers mounted with four-legged beasts perched themselves on the branches. They acted as sentries, observing the borders and the insides of their kingdom. Their principal task was to find any intruder wanting to enter Nirvana, including the dark elves and adventurers roaming around the forest.

As soon as our group walked down the road, all the elves stared at us with curiosity. These crowds kept murmuring to themselves while pointing fingers in our direction, guessing our identities.

"Citizens of Nirvana! Let us greet the queen of humans, Guinevere!" The general leading the way shouted at the mob.

With broadened eyes, the elves gawking at their houses knelt and paid their greetings to Guinevere. Even though these long-eared villagers saw us for the first time, the elves gave their respect to the royalties.

They drew a line for us to advance directly in the citadel in the middle of the city. Like the mainland, we saw an imposing castle ahead of us, with various plants entangled on each floor. Inside the fort, we discerned an emerald-looking obelisk soaring above the clouds.

However, we knew it did not show us that from the outside but a summit. So I used my scan to check the hole above our heads, thinking that there must be a layer of some sort that did these things. My system confirmed my hunch and told me that a thin transparent layer covered the site.

It meant to ward off any threats, wanting to discover the hidden city of elves.

"Where are we going, Red?" Match voiced out while looking at the stern faces of the rangers, guarding the ingress.

I caressed her head and answered, "We will just go to the castle, as the humans have in the city!"

"Will they have food? I am starving." The little girl added, and rubbed her stomach.

Match had a face, frowning while thinking of food. I discerned her mouth drooping with saliva while she thought of the plant beside us as a vegetable she can eat. The guard saw her sparkling eyes, so he plucked the scarlet berry from its sprout and gave it to Match.

The ranger was a gallant man for eyeing Match out for her needs, despite being a human.

With eager orbs, the girl swallowed the fruit whole inside her mouth. The juice cascaded from her dried lips, creating a puddle of blood-like liquid on the concrete floor.

I could not help but curl my lips up into a smile while looking at her with delight. Match reminded me of Clementine when she was still alive. My sister would also squeeze the berry dry and grit it with her teeth. She would often rush back at me, saying that the fruit tasted sweet, bitter, or even both.

"We are here, your highness,"

The general ordered the rangers to slide the mammoth-sized gates open.. It slowly revealed the interior of the castle as we entered the fort.