Chapter 40: Stories
"You must be Luisa..." The elf Witcher started.
"Luisa, meet Klein Reynolds." Zeke added.
"Nice to meet you, Witcher Klein." Luisa responded politely.
"Likewise Luisa." Klein replied.
"You may sit down Luisa," Zeke offered and Luisa sat on the arm chair adjacent the elf Witcher but opposite the couch where Zeke was sitting. The room where they were was an office.
"Luisa, I just heard from Zeke not quite long ago that you'd like to speak to me." Klein continued.
"Yes. I wanted to ask you if you still retain your gifts as an elf even though you are now a Witcher." Luisa questioned.
"Yes I do. I was of wood elf origin before I became a Witcher and I do have my gifts as an elf though now a Witcher too," Klein answered.
Luisa was elated.
"How did you get them? Please teach me how I can get my abilities as an elf. I'm a mixed breed of wood and high elf origin-"
"You don't have your gifts yet?" Klein asked.
"Yes I do not. And I'd like to get them, if you can teach me on how you got yours," Luisa requested.
"I had already gotten my gifts before I became a Witcher, so I don't know if you being a Witcher before getting your gifts, can delay or hinder you from you from getting them," Klein commented.
"Is that so. But recently I did get a glimpse of my gifts as a wood elf," Luisa told.
"I see. That means there is a chance for you to get them. But I don't really know how to help you Luisa, after I became a Witcher, I mostly became focus on my life as one and haven't even involved myself in any elven activities. I do use my gifts sometimes, but a few times." Klein explained.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help. Maybe Zeke, you can ask the other Witchers who are elves."
...
"You look so disappointed shortie," Zeke pointed out as he and Luisa took a walk.
Luisa sighed, "A little. I was really hoping to get help from him."
"Zeke, how many elf Witchers in total are in Kimoira," she asked.
"We don't easily take in elves and vampires-"
"And male witches?" Luisa cuts in, just asking.
"Funny that you asked that. Elves and vampires have a low population and it's not easy to get them into witchery, the few vampires and elves are of lowly backgrounds, average vampires and elves that are not high elves.
Witches are even lesser in population, they bear more female children so the male population is so small. The males are treated so highly as a coven of a hundred members may only have about five to ten males. On top of that they are even more isolated. The witches are a no no." Zeke elaborated.
"Now back to your question. Humans are easy to get into witchery, they are very populated and a lot of them are peasants. In the whole of Kimoira, there's only ten elves who are Witchers, all wood elves-"
"Wow just ten?!" Luisa questioned surprised.
"Yes ten that are alive-"
"I can ask of help from them! Maybe they story would be different," Luisa cuts in again.
"Woah, slow down shortie, let me finish. They are not in Kimoira shortie, Klein is the only one assigned to Kimoira, the others are spread out on the fours lands with various missions or just earning coins from any on-site beasts." Zeke told.
"Oh, is that so." Luisa sighed.
"Yes. Now what I'm trying to point out again is that they aren't much, we even get more average vampires than elves." Zeke continued.
"Most elves are isolated, apart from the high elves. Most isolated species are so rare, I haven't even seen some species yet." Luisa stated.
They stopped walking, Luisa leaned on a tree while Zeke just stood close to her as he played with his dagger spinning it around with his thumb, middle and index fingers.
"How many species of elves have you seen? Aren't there like seven that are known? I've seen a couple, high elves, wood elves, I encountered some dark elves sometime on a particular mission, then uhm... I think I have came across a clan of water elves," Zeke recalled and listed them out to her.
Luisa smiled. She was really enjoying the conversation with him. He might just be conversing without being much interested but she was so excited that he was talking with her about her kind.
"Well, I don't know how true it is or even if some of them really still exist but elven legends and myths has it that eight kinds of elves made up the lands of elves in this empire. I don't know if you might have heard stories of it but we were always told stories of it as children.
The high elves, the wood elves, the dark elves, the water elves and the snow elves. These are the ones I've actually seen, while the ones that I think might actually really be myths are the sun elves, the moon elves and the winged elves, but who knows." Luisa shrugged at the end of her narration.
"Winged elves? Like fairies?" Zeke questioned, a little smirk hanging at the corner of his lips.
Luisa chuckled.
"Yes." She replied.
"I didn't know all these, really didn't concern myself with the matter of the elves." Zeke mentioned. He bent down and kept his dagger in his boots. Then he started walking away slowly, Luisa joined him almost immediately.
"Well now you do. The teacher can learn things from the student sometimes." Luisa grinned widely.
Zeke found himself smiling, "You know a lot of things for a ten year old that you were before becoming a Witcher or have you been reading a lot from the Reigns household?"
"This is the second time you're saying this to me. Well, I have been learning a lot from the Reigns but I already know these things. My parents and clan makes sure to educate the children about their roots from a young age." Luisa answered.
"Well Luisa, even if you don't get help from an elf Witcher, I know you'll get all your gifts someday. Just be patient, okay shortie?" Zeke assured.
Luisa smiled and nodded.
***