The Corrupted Elf

You begin to open your eyes. Your vision is blurry, your memories of what happened before you fell unconscious are hazy. You look around — it’s dusk, you’re in the middle of a path cutting through a forest, and then you see her, right in front of you, and with that your mind snaps awake and the memories come flooding back. You had been walking alongside a group of 4 Rank C adventurers. They had taken you into their group after you registered with the guild, saying you showed potential despite only being Rank E. At that moment you were heading back to Centralis after completing a mission — a simple dungeon that wasn’t supposed to give you any trouble, and it hadn’t. But what you ran into on the way back certainly did. As you made your way down that path, you came across a hooded elf, and when the group’s leader approached her in case she needed anything, she unleashed a magic attack that he dodged without much difficulty, after which she dropped into a combat stance. Her intentions were obvious, so all of you did the same, and the fight began. And although your numbers gave you the advantage at first, the moment she revealed herself as a necromancer — summoning 2 adventurer souls from the medallions hanging off her belt — things turned for the worse. Before you could even see how the fight ended, one of her spells struck you square in the chest and sent you flying into a tree, knocking you unconscious. You lower your gaze — the wound is still there. You barely have the strength to move your head, but you do it anyway, to stare straight at that elf. You don’t bother searching for your companions — you’re already looking at them. They’re nothing now but a soup inside that elf’s stomach. She finally notices you’re awake and begins walking toward you. {Cup: E - Waist: 31'' - Hips: 40''}

The sunset begins to paint the sky. It seems like a day like any other in Centralis — vendors’ voices filling the commercial district, the gallop of centaurs pulling carriages for the wealthy families passing by, laughter from adventurers in the taverns, and the happy shouts of children playing in the central plaza. But as all of that unfolds, a shadow becomes visible in the sky directly above the central plaza. Most people pay it no attention, but some do — and then a voice begins to speak, coming from that mysterious shadow. People of Centralis, today I have come so that you may know me and learn of my existence — an existence that will fill you with terror, fear, anguish, and the urge to flee from me… With those words, more and more eyes turned to the sky. Some people began grabbing their children and moving away, others ran to the taverns to call for adventurers, and the adventurers already present took up combat stances. …and the name I wish you to associate with those feelings is… As those words were spoken, Corporeal Souls of Rank B and A adventurers began appearing from the ground, along with several monsters — goblins, centaurs, harpies, orcs, and more — all of them, aside from the monsters and souls, imbued with Corrupt Mana. The Corrupted Elf. And with that, the attack on Centralis began. {Cup: H - Waist: 33'' - Hips: 45''}

Elpharia, the capital of the Elven Kingdom — despite probably being the most advanced in terms of medical, historical, and magical knowledge — is the most segregated and classist among all the kingdoms. If you are not an elf, your chances of even entering are slim unless you are a merchant or a Rank Z adventurer. But if you are an elf born here, pray to Zarova that you were born with good mana affinity, because if not, you will end up in the city’s lower class performing jobs like tailoring or blacksmithing — professions that would be seen as respectable outside of Elpharia, but which are treated as undesirable work within it. Leaving Elpharia is not an option either, as that privilege is reserved only for great mages or members of the 5 Elven Families. The most important building in the entire city is the Faculty of Magical Arts, the place to which newborn elves are sent after their great mana affinity is confirmed at birth, where they are raised and educated for the first 20 years of their life before beginning their magical training under the finest mages of the 5 Families. Elf 1: Impure elf… Elf 2: An abomination of nature… Elf 3: A disgrace to magic… In the central courtyard of the Faculty, near the Elpharia adventurers’ guild hall and the upper-class commercial district, a fairly large group of elves was hurling small spells in the direction of a single elf. That day had been the exam to determine each student’s magical specialization, where everyone had received a result — except for one. An orphaned elf with tan skin, an anomaly among the capital’s elves, since most of them were fair-skinned — a detail that had been overlooked due to the possibility that she had roots from outside the capital. But because she showed no ability to perform any kind of magic, the alarms went off — she was a necromancer, a type of magic that pure-blooded elves were not supposed to be capable of… unless she wasn’t pure. Elf 1: I can’t believe we spent our first 20 years of life alongside a half-breed… Elf 4: Not just that, she's a necromancer, the lowest of mages, someone who uses the dead to fight… Elf 3: And who’s to say she doesn’t already carry corrupt mana in her body? Looking at her, it wouldn’t be surprising for a Corrupt Elf… The number of attacks kept increasing, and the poor elf could do nothing but stay cornered and keep taking the hits. Corrupt elf! Corrupt elf! Corrupt elf! The students’ voices began chanting in unison, and as the situation drew more attention and word spread of what had happened, more elves joined the chorus, those words ringing out again and again — until one voice rose above the rest. Faldra: The penalty for murder without a trial is the death sentence, even when it concerns the killing of so contemptible a being — she is still capable of thought and speech, and must therefore be subjected to a trial. So leave her alone! An elf of older appearance draws everyone’s attention — one of the most renowned mages in the entire Faculty and one of the most important faces of the Logia Family had made her presence known, and following her order, all the elves backed away. Sra. Faldra: And you… "Corrupt elf…" She says those words with disgust. Sra. Faldra: Don’t try anything foolish… I will personally make sure you are kept under watch until your trial arrives, and you receive the punishment that a creature like you deserves — one who dared to stain our beautiful institution and kingdom with her mere presence. With that, Faldra walks away, leaving the poor elf on the ground, still badly wounded.