"You must have a story to tell, sir priest," Sei asks the orc.
The orc chuckles. "I've got plenty, but we'll set that aside first. Right now, we need to get to the dungeon as fast as we can before your friend gets the glory."
And once they've reached the border of the village, Riya unrolls a map.
"If we can reach this spot, we'll set camp before night falls." The orc said, pointing halfway to the dungeon. "And I know a faster way to reach that destination before sundown."
"Thank you for helping us." Sheila gave the orc a bow.
"No need; I've been itching to give this old partner of mine a good swing." The orc replied, lifting his warhammer. "And call me Ugvar."
"Understood, Sir Ugvar." Sheila nods before hastening their way towards the forest.
As the sun leaves its highest peak and the clouds shift from one place to another. Passing miles of forest terrain, Chifya returns to her alchemy, seemingly unbothered by the corpses of monsters lying twenty meters away. Then again, Natalak sits one meter away from her apparatus. Watching her dissolve strange hornet-like creatures that are the size of a kingfisher. Over time, with their essence taken and mixed with various strange liquids, a luminous-hued liquid was created.
Giving a good shake, Chifya placed three drops into her eyes, after which she quickly closed her eyes, clenching her teeth in silence whilst tilting her head. And when she finally opened her eyes, her sclera now glowed cobalt as it emitted a light sapphire mist.
"I might have overdone its potency." Chifya took a deep breath. "Here, take only two drops, you hear? Two drops. And no matter what, don't open your eyes until you feel its effect fading, understand?"
"Aye-aye, boss." Natalak nodded, following her instruction, but only after three seconds—
"MY EYES!" Natalak tried to rub his eyes.
"Don't rub it!" Chifya shouted as she quickly restrained both of his arms and forced him to the ground. "And don't open it!" she added, casting her druid magic to entangle Natalak with luminous vines.
"IT BURNS." Natalak shook his head frantically, as if acid were eating his eyes. The pain subsided after half a minute. To be certain, he waited another minute before opening his eyes. Curiously, his eyesight remained intact, and he saw four aquamarine lights shining in the sky. There was also a strange, persistent pungent smell in his nose.
"Do you see that?" Natalak pointed towards the nearest light. "That glowing radiant blue thing—"
"Yes, I can see it. And I can smell it." Chifya wearily respond. "And prepare yourself when we reach that light. If ever, stay in a safe place."
"I think I'll just stay in a safe spot," Natalak said, though he was eager to find out which monsters Chifya was after. He really wanted to ask, but knowing Chifya—asking too many questions might make someone lose interest or get frustrated.
In their journey, however, Chifya had to slow her pace; even then, the traveller could barely catch up to her.
"Can you brew me a potion that is good for running nonstop?" Natalak pants, legs shaking.
"We're close, stay low." Chifya kneels, pressing Natalak to the ground.
Eager for an answer, and before his tongue could respond, he quickly understood the monster she was after. It was the same hornet-like insect that Chifya had dissolved to extract its essence. And the concocted liquid they used helped them trace their hive, since those insects leave scent trails. Still, one question remained on Natalak's thoughts—
"Should I ask her what kind of things she's seeking with these insects? Nah, I better watch."
"Here, take this." Chifya offers a small flask filled with swirling black clouds, and before Natalak can ask a question, Chifya breaks the flask, releasing a black smoke that quickly engulfs her.
Natalak follows, and very soon the two are cloaked in black mist. While Natalak couldn't help but be astounded by such alchemy, Chifya stood and freely walked towards the hive, unbothered and unfazed by the hundreds of swarms. Natalak followed, and much like her, the insects didn't attack him.
"Now, where are you hiding?" Chifya scans the surroundings, the ground, the trees, until— "There you are." Chifya smiled.
Ten meters away from the swarm, Chifya saw a very different colour buried beneath the collapsed tree, whose trunk was rotting. Using swords and hands, the two slowly dug underneath the tree; only after more than a meter did they uncover an isolated queen. Beside the queen was a small sack covered in silk, yet the queen quickly attacked the two as if the insect perceived through their disguise. However, Chifya was quick to slice it in half before grabbing the sack and dragging Natalak as the swarm sensed their cover.
"SCREW THIS DAY!"
Driven by fear and a surge of adrenaline, the two covered more than two miles, enough for the swarm to lose interest. And within less than an hour, nightfall arrived, and within that small time, Chifya immediately unveiled her small alchemy. In that short time, Chifya concocted a small green vial, and Natalak could tell the volume she fashioned was 20 millilitres less. And by the time she was finished, sunset had already faded, and darkness loomed in the surroundings—a great time for predators to quarry what bellows their food chain. Devious monsters from the shadows are now playing in the unlit lands.
Letting the scroll swallow all the apparatus, Chifya assessed the surroundings. And when she saw that clouds had begun to leave—
"We'll make camp here." She said, gazing through the large, tall tree.
"I'll go start a fire—" Natalak paused when Chifya leapt through the tree, nails turning to claws, scaling before leaping through the high branches in mere seconds.
"Okay."
Feeling quite upset, he starts looking for any burrows or a more secure hiding spot. Unexpectedly, a thick vine slowly dropped to the ground, and not long after, Natalak was slowly lifted until he reached just below the tree's canopy.
"We'll rest here," Chifya said.
"In here?" Natalak looked down and saw the height was more than eleven stories high, his butt clenched tightly.
Grabbing the vines from before, Natalak then begins turning the vines into a harness as he secured it to the branches, which made Chifya embarrassed by the man's action.
"Is this man really a joke?" Chifya gave a facepalm. "You can stop that… just, let me handle this." She urged, pulling one seed from a small bottle. Then, with a simple infusion of her druid magic, she placed the seed on the branch.
Not a minute, not even five seconds, did the seed germinate. Sprouting roots, turning the round branch into a flat bedding, creating an open shelter for the night, allowing moonlight.
"Hot dang."
A hundred feet below the ground, the two rested opposite each other. One gazed out over the open forest, the open sky, the cold breeze— petrifying Natalak with its vast grandeur. On the other hand, Chifya was testing her purification version on the blight's sample.
"Finally." Chifya gave a faint smile as the glowing green liquid dissolved the black sludge, reverting it to clear, clean water.
"Boss, I prepared some dinner." Comes Natalak, offering her what seems to be two Italian sandwiches wrapped in a sheet of paper, a blank book page, to be precise. "And I do have some spare blankets for the night, cold." He adds.
"Thank you. You can place it right beside my side… there's still some work I need to finish."
Natalak nods. "I understand," Natalak said before returning to his side, quickly munching his own dinner as he tampers with the map of Adra, whilst journaling the past event.
After finishing his dinner, and with the three moons illuminating the land, something emerges from Chifya's hand: the Mark of Hackrash. And it didn't take long for Chifya to notice Natalak gawking at her gleaming mark, which she quickly bandages.
"You seem to be interested in this mark of mine. You must be very familiar with this kind of thing."
"To tell you the truth, I don't know anything about the mark on your hand."
"Really, you're not lying, are you?"
"No, I got the Eye of Adra if you want."
"I'll pass."
"Fair enough, but what does that mark do? Does it grant you power or some magic abilities?"
Chifya tilts her head and uses her arm for support, which catches Natalak's attention, as if alluring Natalak for the night.
The half-elf tithers. "Might so. Why? Do you want to have this mark? I can share it with you if you want. It's perfect timing for the cold night, don't you think so?" Chifya gave a seductive smile, signalling Natalak to take action.
On the contrary, Natalak wasn't a fool in heat. He pondered, eyes assessing the atmosphere and comparing it to Lavrish's temptation—Chifya was like a snare trap, while Lavrish was much more of a warm bed waiting for him to take comfort.
"I'm quite tired for the day; you can wake me up for the second night watch." Natalak quickly cocoons himself.
Left disappointed, Chifya then begins to devour the sandwich in a stressful way, as if frustrated by the failure of her seduction—
"This is quite tasty." Chifya's eyes widen before wolfing down the whole sandwich.
The night continues without any disruption from the Veil. But on the other side of the forest, Sheila and her companions gather around for a story to be heard.
"You were once a bandit?" Reith said.
"Aye… I could still remember my old, younger days… Not a good thing to recall for someone changed as I am. But life is full of unexpected surprises."
"So how did you become a priest of Adra?" Sheila leans closer.
"We raided a caravan, and dumb as we are, my companions thought it was a merchant's caravan. But we were wrong; it was nothing more than a convoy of small crusaders. And that's where I met a priest of Adra— a dark elf, and a female one at that."
"That's truly a strange meeting. Seeing a dark elf priest is uncommon, especially a woman." Sheila leans back in her seat.
"Indeed." Ugvar chuckles before sipping a mug full of wine. "We were utterly defeated, but thanks to her, a few of us were spared. That's where I got curious and offered myself as a companion. Perhaps I can say that she had already seen through my thoughts. And through time, I became a priest."
"That dark elf lady, did you ask how she became a follower of Adra?"
"Oh yes, and it's quite an interesting one to hear. Let's just say she was bored, tired of her society, but also wanted to change. But I believe she had other reasons too; that was fifty years ago, if I'm not mistaken."
"What's the other reason, if you don't mind me asking?"
Ugvar smiled, swirling the mug of wine. "Love." The orc said, taking another sip. "I think that's the best word I can give for her."
A sense of silence enters the camp as the orc awaits the humans' question to answer in the tedium of the night. But when Sheila utters a word, something dashes, circling their camp— ten? dozens? I don't know—
"Leave them." The orc suggests, undaunted by the creatures of the Veil lurking in the shadows and through the forest darkness, "It's best to conserve our energy for tomorrow." He adds, casually sipping his wine.
Assured and feeling a sense of sanctuary merely by the Ugvar's presence, the group waits another minute or so until the rattling sound can no longer be heard, leaving only the remaining crackle of the bonfire. And with the passing of the wind and the bitterness of the coming winter, the group continued for another round of words, of stories to tell, be they lies or not.
In the vastness of the land, Natalak awoke, peering through his surroundings without moving a muscle—there he saw Chifya staring through the three moons. And care say, he was captivated by her pure elvish beauty. Gleaming in silver ash, her hair fluttered in the soft breeze. The gleaming mark on her hand now fully covered her entire skin. Strangely, Chifya gave a melancholy look as she firmly clutched a certain trinket, the very pendant her mother gave to her. And just looking at the ornament aroused the thievery in Natalak.