Zhenyel was plucking the last bit of the healef herb when she heard a rustling from the nearby bushes, she immediately grabbed the healef herb and put it in her bag, rushing off to hide while she kept watch at the bush.
Just as soon as a hooded figure emerged from the bushes, Zhenyel immediately lunged at them with silence and the blunt edge of her swordstaff as leaves and twigs made noise on every step.
Before Zhenyel's weapon could even land on the figure, they parried her sneak attack then grabbed forward, wrapping their hand around her throat.
"Ack—!" She coughed out as she got held in the air, her feet lifting off the ground with a fit of breathless grunts.
When Zhenyel thought she's certainly in danger, the hooded figure suddenly released their hold on her throat and caught her in their arms.
"Shihoa?" The figure called out, their voice eerily familiar while they walked to a nearby tree trunk and set her down ever so gently.
Zhenyel blinked in confusion as she rubbed her throat, her skin was red and had a faint marking of bruise from the rough treatment.
"Who—?" She asked softly after she regained her composure, staring at the dark shade inside the hood.
As soon as she inquired, the figure removed the coverage over their head and bottom face, tugging the mask down and pulling the hood back.
It was Winford. Zhenyel blinked in surprise and disbelief while she gave him a pointed look, both amazed that he had such incredible reflexes and displeased because he didn't hold back on her.
Although she understood his reaction and didn't really blame him because she herself was also at fault for attacking him from behind even though both of them had no idea it was the other person.
"Lachlan. You almost gave me a heart attack." Zhenyel says with a shaky tone, holding her chest in her fist while looking over his whole form.
"I should be the one saying that, you came out of nowhere and tried to attack me." Winford says with a gruff snort, glancing at her with disbelief and acknowledgement.
Due to his words, Zhenyel couldn't help but offer a sheepish smile. She scratched her cheek in nervousness and murmured a quiet apology for her actions.
"Not to worry. We didn't know it was each other." He says as he pulls his hood back up along with his mask.
Then he saw the stuff she has, making him safely assume that she is doing quests from the Guild.
"Are you doing quests? I can tell you're done." He says as he nodded to the bags she had, both the slime blobs and the herbs were peeking out of the zipper while he smirked knowingly.
Zhenyel blinked in confusion before she followed his gesture, looking at her oversized bags that looked like it'll explode any moment if she added more.
"Ah. Yeah. I'm done. What about you? Running away from someone?" She asked curiously, pointing out Winford's attire of black enchanted robe, black enchanted mask, black enchanted boots—almost everything was black and enchanted.
She saw the faint glow and ripples of the magic enchantment done to the clothes while she leaned forward to take a closer look at the black brooch that held the cape around his shoulder.
"No. You assumed that because of my getup…?" He questioned her logical thinking but acknowledged it despite the weirdness of it.
When Zhenyel leaned in to take a closer look at his brooch in a safe distance, he cleared his throat and averted his gaze before unclipping it and holding it out to her.
"Here. And to answer your question, I'm doing a quest. Two of them to be exact." He said as he dropped the brooch on Zhenyel's outstretched palm, letting her examine the brooch with wonder and gnawing curiosity.
Zhenyel hummed in fascination before returning the brooch to him, watching Winford clip the intricate object back in place with a focused gaze.
"Need some help?" She asked as soon as he finished fixing the brooch upright, making him raise a brow and give her a cautious look.
Zhenyel didn't seem to be fazed with his reaction, already expecting it as if it's in the natural flow and giving him an expectant smile.
"Not really. But a helping hand and a pleasant company would be much appreciated." He said quietly, relaxing before he grabbed his quest parchments and showed it to her.
With the quests laid out to Zhenyel, she nodded and gestured for him to lead the way. Then they formed a temporary party, touching the tip of their Guild cards with each other and set an agreement with him as the leader.
Both her and Winford track to the said destination of the quest, faintly marking the tree they pass by to confirm their path before stopping in front of a cave.
"Shihoa, give me your stuff for a bit. Just the bags." He said as he brought out a magic bag, storing the oversize backpack into the magic storage.
Then he removed his black hooded cape, draping it over to Zhenyel and pulling the hood up. He made sure that the brooch was working properly before he materialized his greatsword weapon and wordlessly gestured to Zhenyel to follow him.
Winford lit up a torch as he led the investigation, walking a few steps ahead of Zhenyel to ensure safety precautions for her and him.
With careful tread of footwork and vigilant attention, Winford peeked at the corner of a turn. He scanned the chamber, seeing the glimmering ores inside and occasional patrolling creatures.
He took mental note of the creatures' inside walking back and forth in the chamber's entrance, looking around the cave while the others ate the ores from the walls.
"Shihoa, keep the cloak on. It's enchanted to conceal most of the wearer's presence." He said as he held Zhenyel's hand in his, walking deeper into the cave.