Dragonbone Pass
By early afternoon, they had made it through the Dragonbone pass. As they reached the Far Towers, the Southernmost extent of the Kingdom of Gilnas, Elias and Francisco noticed a series of runes along the canyon walls, and noticed specific ones were exploding.
"Hold." Elias said, raising his hand. "Why are the runes on the canyon walls exploding?"
Mabel retrieved binoculars from Elias's bag and fixed her gaze on the nearest set of runes. Just as she suspected, early warning detection runes. She could make out ones for dragon, divine, fey, and even one just for Sirene Ignitis. The triggered one was the problem, though. Demonic.
"Gentlemen, we have a problem. One of us is setting off demonic detection runes." Mabel said, lowering the binoculars.
"Nalaea, take point for the moment." Elias gestured in front of them. "I'd like to know what's what before we encounter the welcoming party."
Nalaea nodded, but before she reached the front she suddenly pulled out her bow and 3 arrows, one already nocked.
"You up on the cliff!" Nalaea shouted, aiming her bow toward the bushes on the cliff. "Don't move."
Keeping her bow nocked with one hand, Nalaea jumped up the cliff in a single leap, roughly grabbing what was revealed to be a Royal Gilnan Scout and taking him back to the party.
"How the fuck did you do that?" The man asked, shaken by the experience.
"She's a Void Ranger, scout." Elias said, answering the question with another. "Be a good lad and tell the Garrison the High Priest is on his way."
The scout nodded and ran off up the road as fast as he could, leaving the four of them behind.
"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Nalaea asked. "I could have easily taken him out."
"While tempting, attacking the Royal Gilnan Army would be a career limiting move." Elias replied as they resumed their walk down the pass, past the Far Towers and into Gilnas. "Never shoot first with the Royal Army."
"Why not?" Francisco asked, but Elias just shook his head.
As they rounded the turn at the end of the pass, bringing Dragonpost into sight, Elias was completely unsurprised to see a contingent of soldiers waiting for them at the narrows, close to the Near Towers. Motioning for them to keep going, he also pointed up. Nalaea nodded, and completely vanished from sight.
"Where'd she go?" Francisco asked as they grew closer to the soldiers.
"As part of the Lady's blessings, Nalaea can now step into the place between the planes." Elias said, vaguely explaining Nalaea's reality defying power. "Let's just say if they try to detain us it'll be an... experience. Remember, follow my lead. Or don't, I'm just a Priest."
---
"Captain, one of them just disappeared." One of the soldiers whispered to the Captain, who nodded.
"I can see that, Lieutenant. What do we know about them?" The Captain asked, drumming his fingers on the hilt of his sword.
"Middle one wearing the bishop robes called himself the High Priest." The Lieutenant answered. "Referred to the vanished elf as a 'Void Ranger', whatever that is. Other two didn't talk at all, but looked human. Scout said the elf looked normal except for the streaks of black hair."
"Hasn't been a High Priest in what, 30 years now?" The Captain asked, looking thoughtful.
"Think he might be telling the truth? Where's the proclamation from the church? Seems fishy."
"Lieutenant Drescher, the surest sign of a fool is to dismiss the improbable as impossible. I have a plan." The Captain continued, as he fiddled with something in his left hand. Drescher couldn't see what it was, and was about to ask him about it, but Elias and the others had arrived, and he leapt into action.
"Halt!" Lieutenant Drescher shouted, pulling out his sword from its hilt, the steel glinting in the afternoon sun. "We have detected a demonic presence in your party and you must be inspected!"
"Put that sword away." Elias said angrily, grabbing it by the blade and forcing it into the ground, his hand slightly cut by the action. "Don't fucking raise your blade to me. I will speak to your Captain, and no others."
Elias inwardly smiled at the reaction of the other soldiers, all pulling out various weapons, hearing the cocking of the crossbows and guns. A stunning spectacle that only awaited the final player. With a sharp whistle, Elias signalled to Nalaea, who smoothly appeared out of thin air, arrows nocked and already flying to their targets.
"Too slow!" Nalaea shouted with a grin, as she shot weapons and hands, the arrows seeming to curve to reach their marks. "It'll take more than that to beat a Void Ranger!"
Arrows continued to dart and fly through the shocked soldiers, as they smashed through crossbows and guns, hit swords with such force the blades snapped, and wedged themselves firmly in the chains of flails.
"Nalaea Herydark, Void Sentinel of the Great Destroyer. Don't forget me." Nalaea said with a wink as she slipped back out of reality in the blink of an eye.
"Captain, if you would? Mabel and Francisco will assist your soldiers with their weapons." Elias said, gesturing toward one of the towers with a smile.
"Captain I must protest! This man-" Lieutenant Drescher began to say, before being interrupted.
"Has an invisible ranger that can disable a platoon's weapons in seconds." The Captain said quite sternly. "You've made your point, Priest. Let's go."
The Captain walked off without a further word, Elias following after him after gesturing at the twisted and broken weapons.
"Uhhh what are we even supposed to do Mabel?" Francisco asked. "I'm no blacksmith."
Mabel winked in response, but said no more.