Dexter

We spent the next two hours trekking through the woods. The trails led us deeper and deeper into ever denser forests. The hybrid mage kept his morphed muzzle low to the ground, tracking the scent of elves as we went, while Salthu gently drifted his hand left and right, squinting for the path of essence Orthan had left behind. The chitter of animals and the rustle of leaves barely masked our slow crunching progress over loose dirt and fallen trees. The thick canopy of leaves towered over us menacingly, showering us in a slowly deepening shade of green. The whisper of a babbling brook faded in and out as we went, adding to the sights and sounds of our stalking. I kept glancing around nervously, turning sharply towards every sudden sound that snaked through the silva, expecting the next corner to reveal a camp of some kind or one of these elite guys jumping out at us. My fingers ached as they gripped my blade. The cold steel grew warm in my clutch, causing sweat to pool in the crack of my palms. The others were on equally high alert as we gradually made our way further and further into the forest, further and further away from a lockdown that was looking rather appealing right now.

I forcefully stretched my fingers as I urged myself to remain calm. “You’re perfectly safe.” I assured myself. “You can take these elite guys on. You’ve got an entire team at your side out here. Besides, this solves the root of the lockdown and remedies an equally dire problem. Cowering in the city won’t accomplish that.” I forced a long sigh as I glanced around again, heart hammering in my ears. The dull brown trees gave off an eerie creek as they swayed in the wind. The budding green of spring did nothing to calm my nerves. For all I knew, the elites might have been hiding in the canopy, waiting for us. If this scene were in a horror movie, I’d be yelling at the screen in frustration, “Don’t wander into the woods, dumbasses.” Yet I was here, going headlong into the danger I’d be screaming to avoid. I looked towards Amelia, trying to distract myself from my own paranoia. She was biting her nails nervously as she watched Salthu, her eyes darting between the trees and the orc. She was shaking. I tapped a hand on her shoulder, causing her to tense for a moment. “We can handle this,” I said again, trying to seem self-assured. “They’re just elves. You heard what Dumag said, they don’t have any combat magic.”

Amelia pursed her lips nervously as her eyes fixed on Salthu. “I hope you're right about that.” She muttered; her finger tense and turned a pale white. “I honestly thought I was finally done dealing with Almar. I guess I was wrong though. It’s … unnerving to be walking towards him like this. Every part of me is shouting for me to run, to get away from the elites. I can just feel my heart pounding in my chest…. It doesn’t help that we’re laughably under-equipped for this.”

I nodded as I reached back and tapped the pouch on my bag holding the shieldstone. “To be fair, I didn’t anticipate something like this happening,” I muttered dismissively. “If I was smart, I would have had us put more effort into making a combat spell. It should have been the first thing I considered when we started this group. Instead, I let Almar sneak up on us.”

Amelia shook her head as she finally stopped chewing her fingers. “It’s not your fault.” She assured me, crossing her arms. “You couldn’t have known this would happen. Besides, we couldn’t have done anything if we did. The elites would have just kidnapped someone else. If they need blood to support their potion, they might have taken multiple orcs anyway.”

I let out an annoyed growl at the thought. Amelia was right, of course, but that didn’t mean I liked the statement. I sighed as I glanced at the trees again. The branches swayed in the breeze and made me grip my sword again. “All the more reason to find them,” I muttered. “Let’s just hope we get the drop on them. I don’t want to find out you were right about them.”

“Right about who?” A new voice suddenly asked, causing me to jump. Amelia and I turned sharply to see one of the guild mages walking beside us. The satchel at his side was strained at the seams, exposed thread giving me little confidence in its ability to hold its contents. His dark brown hair was tied behind his head with a frayed piece of string. His face was twisted into one of nervous concern. He gripped the leather holding his satchel as he repeated his initial question. “Right about who?” He asked again.

I let out a relieved sigh as I finally confirmed who had spoken up. “Jesus! Don’t sneak up on us like that.” I growled. “You practically gave me a heart attack.”

The mage’s concern deepened as he gripped the strap tighter. “I apologize.” He said meekly, his voice carrying genuine remorse. “Those were not my intentions. I-I was merely curious about your discussion.”

I let out an aggravated sigh as I stretched my fingers away from my sword again. “Just be careful next ti-”

I stopped suddenly as Amelia elbowed me in the ribs and gave me an angry look. “What Dexter means to say, is that a warning would be appreciated.” She said firmly, staring down my more than annoyed expression. “In any case,” she continued as she turned to the intruding mage. “We were just talking about how many others the elites might have kidnapped. They must have quite a few to sustain their transformations for so long.”

The mage nodded in agreement as he looked towards his leader. “The validity of your notion was most unexpected.” He admitted. “Surbag seemed rather displeased at sending us, but Garahk is not one to be denied. Unfortunately, we appear to be more and more necessary with each passing moment.”

Amelia nodded in agreement as she gave the mage a comforting smile. “Not exactly thrilled about this development either.” She admitted sadly. “The elves we’re tracking have a nasty reputation in Nione. They’re the group that bastard Barron uses when everyone else fails him.” She rubbed her cheek timidly as she flinched slightly. “He gets really angry when that happens.”

I felt a swell of anger as my head tilted to the side and my necks let out a burst of soft pops. “God damned cunt.” I growled. “He won’t be seeing his elites again. We’ll make sure of it.”

Amelia nodded as she lowered her hand, her face carrying a nervous expression once more. I felt my anger subside as I noticed her hand trembling. “W-we can do this.” She confirmed shakily. “There are a dozen of us now. So we should be able to handle them, right?” She glanced at me and I felt a pang of unease at her questioning gaze. “Right?”

I sighed as I looked away guiltily and scratched my head. I’d considered a lot of possibilities for this, but ever since I got here, this place has just thrown all my expectations back at me and slapped me for being stupid. At this point, I couldn’t give anyone a guarantee about what would happen. I wasn’t even half sure what we would find, or what we’d face. The troll and a damn giant statue were surprises all on their own, but this entire quest has been one unexpected development after another. It was daunting to think of all the obstacles I hadn’t considered at all. There could be mythical creatures that inherently sabotage my plans. I shook myself to pull me back to the moment as I let out another sigh. I couldn’t let myself worry too much. It wouldn’t help us at all, even if I despised not thinking about it. “We can do this,” I said, not meeting Amelia’s gaze. “I don’t know how yet, but we can do this.” I turned and gave Amelia as reassuring a look as I could manage. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Amelia nodded as she turned back to the guild mage, giving him her own reassuring smile. “We-We haven’t thought of all the possibilities.” She admitted reluctantly, seemingly reading my mind. “We’re still too new to this world to know what to expect. We’re both kind of nervous.”

The mage nodded understandably. “As would I, were I in your position.” He sighed. “I too am uneasy about our search for these elves. If they were truly capable of plucking their general from our own prison, …” The guild mage shivered at the thought. “I shudder to think what other feats they are capable of.”

Amelia sighed in agreement as she glanced behind us. “I’d rather not think about it too much.” She muttered. “I'm freaking out enough as it is.”

The guild mage gave her a curious look. “You do not appear so distressed.” He remarked aloofly. “Are you truly so impacted at the prospect of discovering these elites?”

Amelia pursed her lips as she nodded. “They were there when I was Banestormed.” She explained, crossing her arms. “At least one of them was. That was honestly more than Almar needed though. … Being pulled from your home is one thing, but being grabbed from your bike immediately afterward puts a whole new meaning to the word terror.” A shudder ran through Amelia as we continued walking. “That was just the beginning of a god awful month too.”

My heart sank further as I saw Amelia glance nervously towards the trees again. Even after all this time, she hadn’t told me what Almar had done to her, how she spent her time before I was pulled away too. I’m not sure if I wanted to know the levels of cruelty he was capable of. They would just enrage and distract me. I needed to remain grounded in the present and focus on helping the orcs in the hopes that they’ll be willing to go along with my plan. Though it did make me wonder, why was she so insistent on confronting these elites then? I had assumed she was more focused on Almar like I was. As if the guild mage had read my mind, he asked Amelia my question. “Then may I ask, what drives you to pursue them so? Surely you know how dangerous they are. Would it not be wiser to remain behind? I mean no offense, but you outsiders are still quite new to this discipline.” I gritted my teeth as a desire to slap the mage welled up. Sure, we were new, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t help out where possible. I stifled the impulse though as I noticed Amelia’s reaction to the query.

Amelia was silent for a moment, her eyes unfocused as we continued our trek through the forest. She finally let out a sigh as she rubbed her eyes, wiping away a bead of dampness as it formed. “Because I’ll never be able to confront Almar if I don’t.” She admitted solemnly. Goosebumps sprouted on my arms as realization dawned on me. Her time with Almar was more impactful than she was letting on. All of this magic study was just a distraction, a focus away from the glaring blister in her past. I cursed myself as Amelia continued and my suspicions were confirmed. “I’ve learned a lot since coming here. Things I never thought possible with laws and conditions that I’ve never had to consider before. It was honestly exciting, probing what was known and considering the possibilities. No matter how much I tried though, the nagging questions remained in my mind. Will I be able to fight when I need to? Or will I freeze up? … like last time.”

The sinking feeling returned and my grip loosened on my sword. I’m not the best people person, but even I knew when someone needed comforting. I let out a sigh as I patted Amelia's shoulder comfortingly. “You’re not alone this time.” I reminded her. “You’ve got me. You’ve got this group. Hell, these guild mages are kind of on our side now. If you ever feel overwhelmed, you can rely on us for help.”

Amelia gave me a sympathetic grin as she let out a relieved sigh. “I appreciate the thought.” She replied. “But it’s not about being safe. It’s about knowing I can move past Almar. … I-I’d rather not talk about why. I just want to get this over with.”

I nodded understandingly as I turned back to Salthu. “The feeling is mutual,” I muttered in agreement. “Let’s hope we find this camp so-” I stopped as I realized Salthu and the hybrid had diverged. They were no longer going in the same direction. Salthu had drifted left while the hybrid was sniffing the forest floor to the right. The rest of us stopped in our tracks as we looked between the hybrid and Salthu. “The hell is going on?” I asked aloud, breaking their concentration and causing them to turn back. They gave each other a look of confusion as they realized they had begun splitting up.

The hybrid gestured insistently along his route. “The elven scent is this way.” He barked. He was surprisingly coherent for someone that lacked human lips, or in his case orcish lips.

Salthu shook his head, being surprisingly insistent as he pointed in his direction. “The essence leads over here.” He countered.

The lead mage stepped forward as he gestured dismissively. “You cannot be certain the trail will lead to the elves.” He scoffed. “I am no fool. Your sample is tainted with countless externalities. You cannot be certain the orc is who you are following.”

Salthu let out an unexpectedly annoyed growl as he massaged his temples. He looked tired. “Indeed, but we can be certain that a trail is only possible if a viable target is found. If we know the origin of our samples then we can be reasonably certain that any trail will lead us to that target.” He then pointed at Amelia. “You know of these chro-mo-somes. What were the odds you foresaw for finding a proper target?

Amelia blinked in surprise as everyone turned to her. She remained silent for a moment as she bit her lip. I recognized the intense expression of thought currently on her face. “I- Uuuhhh. Maybe a one in threeee?” She finally stuttered. She started rubbing her head as she rationalized the rest of Salthu’s previous actions. “The shard should have some remnant samples from the rest of his family too. It was theirs after all. Assuming they don’t clean it, which is likely, there should be a fifty-fifty chance that we have enough to find him. Even if the trail is weak, it should still be there.”

I grinned at her creativity. I hadn’t even considered other samples. I suppose I should have considered Dumag as a source, but using the trowel was particularly smart if a bit desperate. Then again, these were desperate times. The guild mage suddenly scoffed loudly, drawing my attention. He was giving Amelia a look of derision. “I have never heard a notion more idiotic.” He growled. “A shard of timber cannot possibly have what you seek. It is incredulous that you outsiders claim such understanding if you cannot grasp that simple concept.”

I let out an audible growl as I massaged my temple. “Blue, I swear to god, you’re being such an ignorant dick right now.” I spat. The mage sneered in response, but I didn’t notice as my annoyance suddenly started boiling over into rage. “I was holding out hope that you’d be a little civilized, but it seems your dumbass can’t see past the next ten minutes. What has Salthu been following all this time if not the essence trail we’ve been looking for?”

The mage’s sneer deepened as his necklace began to glow. “Choose your next words wisely, outsider.” He muttered. “They may be your last.”

I took in a sharp breath and heard a familiar hum as Dumag prepared a spell. “Is that a threat?” He growled in response.

The guild mage just sneered as his arm began to glow with blue energy. “I suppose you think yourself a formidable deterrent. I hardly think an aged soldier poses a significant threat. Your history is known and your inexperience is blatant.”

Dumag’s scowl deepened and he stepped forward to strike, but Bruga grabbed his shoulder and held him back. “It’s not worth it.” She whispered.

The mage’s sneer turned into a smirk as he noticed the concerned expression on Bruga’s face. “Yes, little soldier, listen to your mistress and scuttle home.” He said mockingly. “You would not wish to displease her.”

That was it. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. A coiled bundle of bramble suddenly shot from Dumag’s outstretched palm, barreling towards the guild mage. The thorny tendrils sprouted and reached towards their target, the offending orc himself. The leader merely flicked his wrist and caused the dry branches to burst into flame, smoldering to ashes and turning the pointed shot into a puff of black smoke. I dove out of the way as the guild mage summoned a spike of pure energy and fired it towards Dumag. Bruga was quick to respond as a sturdy barrier materialized in front of Dumag. The spike shattered against the field of energy, quickly followed by more bolts of energy that originated from the guild mage as he shot more energy towards Dumag and Bruga. I scrambled to my feet as quickly as I could and prepared a waterjet spell.

Amelia let out a shrill “STOP!” as I fired the beam of water towards the offending mage. I let out a gasp and a frozen chill ran down my spine as one of the bracer donning guild members intercepted my jet and fired a stream of his own, freezing my water on contact and pushing it back toward me. I flinched in surprise as the water flowed over my hand and continued to freeze, binding my hand in place in a prison of ice. My entire forearm was caked in warped solid before I had the common sense to stop firing. I growled in frustration as I turned my attention to the mage. He met my gaze, hands splayed beside him in preparation for my next move. I maintained my expression of disgust as I turned my body, giving him as little a target as possible as I used my unfrozen hand to prepare Move Earth. In a moment, the ice began dissipating as the water that made it disappeared. I didn’t wait through and instead used Move Earth to launch myself up and towards the mage, catching him off guard. My right hand was now unfrozen enough to cast something and I quickly summoned a shield to absorb the panicked torrent of flame that spewed from the mage’s hand. The flames lapped uselessly around my barrier as the last of the ice disappeared and I prepared my newest spell. I released the shield as the flames finally died and I hurled my fist forward; it’s knuckles cloaked in the Impact spell, intent on slamming into the mage. Unfortunately, my target had enough sense to dodge as my fist smashed into the tree behind him; shaking the timber, sneezing a shower of seeds, and sending a shuddering shock up my own arm.

I bellowed in pain as I turned to the mage again, but my senses were suddenly overtaken with a wet slap, blackness, and a slimy cold coating my face. I let in a muffled gasp and tasted wet earth on my tongue. I started to panic as I suddenly realized what had happened. A thick coat of mud had engulfed my head and began to suffocate me. I began clawing at my face, pulling away clumps of cold mud; it was doing no good. I still saw blackness; still felt the cold slime covering my mouth and nose. My heart began pounding in my ears; the panic was now setting in. I let out a muffled roar as I abandoned my clawing attempts and began swinging wildly, hoping against hope that I could strike him. My fists tore through curtain low hanging leaves then scraped against the trunk of a second tree. The muted signs of a struggle appeared to taunt me as I helplessly fought against the air. I barely heard the yelp that sent me over the edge, an indication of a fight taking a dire turn. A single thought surged through my mind as my spellcasting turned frantic. “Burn! Burn! Burn!”

My swinging first began throwing fireballs in random directions, the pounding in my ears, and the muffled sounds of a battle being my only indication for any kind of reaction. I kept turning and casting, hurling spheres of plasma everywhere. My muted rampage was brought to a halt however as two more clumps of mud engulfed my hands, smothering any flame I tried to conjure up. I roared with what little breath I had left as I tried to overcome the suffocating cold surrounding my fingers. I felt a surge of hope as I felt the mud around my palm turn to dirt, but the hope quickly faded as I felt my concentration began to falter. I fell to my hands and knees as my wild swinging finally caught up with my limited air supply. I weakly began to clutch at the mud around my face but realized the futility as I pulled away nothing but the mud already surrounding my fingers. The strength in my arms began to fail as I tried to take a breath, but could only struggle feebly. My vision began to fade and I lost all hope for victory when a loud BANG that permeated my very bones suddenly rang out around me and I heard a muffled “ENOUGH!” through the layer of mud.

The slimy dirt suddenly fell away and I took gulping gasps and coughed up soil as my hands were also freed from their prison. I looked up to see the bag carrying guild member holding a black iron rod towards the sky, the dark metal humming with energy as the glow it was emitting slowly faded. I spat out one last clump of dirt before gazing around to see the aftermath of our scuffle. Amelia was cowering on the forest floor with her back to the tree, the shieldstone stretched out in front of her with a barrier between her and the fight as a whole. Dumag and Bruga were frozen mid-strike against the leader of the guild mages, all three having one spell frozen in preparation in their palms. Salthu and Gremach were fighting the second bracer donning mage, a blade of ice surrounding Gremach’s hand while Salthu wielded dual balls of fire. This left Brokil with the last bracer mage, both standing atop mounds of earth as they wielded tendril whips of mana, both frozen mid-swing at each other. Everyone’s attention was focussed on one person however, the one that still held a black rod triumphantly towards the sky.

He scowled angrily as his hand trembled with fury. “This Bickering Will Get Us Nowhere!” He barked. “The Presence Of The Elites Is Now Certain And We Are Wasting Time Fighting Amongst Each Other! For All That We Know, We May Be Clashing Outside Their Very Door And You Lot Cannot Look Past This One Petty Squabble!” I felt my anger rise at the accusation, but I bit my tongue to suppress the urge to lash out at the mage. Some part of me knew he was right, but another part wanted to stick it to the bastard mage currently frozen against Dumag and Bruga. I clenched my fist painfully tight as the bag-carrying mage continued to chastise us. “The Elder Mother Entrusted Our Guilds With This Responsibility And We Are Dishonoring That Trust!”

The lead mage scowled at the thought and turned to the bag carrying mage. “Who are you to speak to me like that?” He growled.

The bag-carrying mage spat back a venomous response. “The Only One With Any Sense To Halt This Pointless Battle!” The lead mage remained silent at the remark, quietly seething against the vitriol of a response. The bag-carrying mage finally lowered the black rod as his trembling limb finally calmed. “Our Actions Today Extend Beyond This Petty Squabble! The Elites Have Penetrated Our Borders And Are Stealing Our Kin From The Very Heart Of Gashur! If We Do Not Stomp Them Out Now We Will Be Proving Our Subservience To Them! How Our Efforts Are For Naught Against Almar’s Forces! If We Are To Call Ourselves Orcs, We Must-“

The lead mage suddenly straightened, dispelling the spells that hovered above his palms. “Enough of this.” He muttered, cutting the monologue short. “I am aware of what must be done. I need no reminder.” The guild mages lowered their spells as the lead mage turned away and gestured for the others to follow. “Come. We still have a duty to uphold. You others may accompany if you wish. Just stay out of our way once we find the elves.” The bracer mages nodded obediently and began trailing their leader. The bag carrying mage hesitated for a moment, glancing in Amelia’s direction before sighing and following suit.

My fingers groaned in protest as I continued to clench my fist, watching the guild mages that had accompanied us begin to disappear into the forest. The hybrid mage conjured a new muzzle as they began tracking the scents once more. I crawled to my feet and nursed my fingers as I let out an exhausted sigh. “That was not pleasant in the slightest,” I muttered to myself. I then turned to the others as I stretched and extracted soft pops from my fingers. “Is anyone injured?” I asked concernedly.

Everyone shook their head as they finally relaxed, releasing the spells they had been holding. Amelia clutched the shieldstone to her chest as she panted heavily, climbing back to her feet. “You shouldn’t have attacked.” She chastised, staring poignantly at me. “There was no way that would be a good idea.”

I annoyedly wiped away a trace of mud as I glared at Amelia. “What would have me do then?” I practically spat. “The dude obviously wasn’t going to listen unless I got him attention.”

Amelia sighed in response as he gestured towards the departing mages. “Exactly what he did to get everyone’s attention.” She retorted. “Don’t attack him directly. That just makes yourself a target.”

It was my turn to let out an exasperated sigh. “You honestly think a waterjet is going to do anything but get him wet?” I countered. “It’s a basic spell for christ’s sake. We’ve both felt what it can do.”

Amelia shook her head as she finally put the shieldstone away. “That’s not an excuse to attack them.” She said dismissively. “You almost suffocated in a mudball; that’s a basic spell too.”

I let out a groan as I rubbed my face angrily. “You know I don’t have the skill to pull off something like that. The most I can do is make some temporary water. I have no idea how to control it after it’s been used.”

Amelia nodded as she gestured insistently. “I know you can’t but they didn’t know that. With how you attacked, you could have very well been trying to kill them.”

I gestured dismissively as I felt a surge of anger. “Now you’re just speculating,” I said accusingly. “There’s no way you could have known what I wanted to accomplish.”

Surprisingly, Amelia nodded. “They couldn’t have either.” She echoed.

I hesitated as it finally dawned on me what she was getting at. I muttered a curse as I pressed my hands to my face and stifled my swiftly surging anger. “God fucking damn it,” I growled. I hated making mistakes, and attacking might have been the worst of my recent mistakes; I just realized that fact way too late. I took three deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down as I reinforced the rational she was getting at. Attacking was not the answer back there. All it did was waste energy and time. Lives were on the line and I was being distracted by impulses and phrases. I let out a long sigh as I finally calmed and my emotions begrudgingly resigned to be in the wrong. “How much have we lost from this?” I asked, finally removing my hand from my face. “Are we still at full capacity; or have we used some of our reserve mana?”

Amelia shook her head as a grin briefly flashed across her face. “I wasn’t even part of all that.” She replied. “All I did was use the shieldstone.”

I nodded as I glanced at the others. They each had a concerned or guilty expression on their face. I gave them an encouraging nod as I felt a sobering calm wash over me. “If we still want to take on the elites we need to know what was expended here. Now, how is everyone on mana?”

There was a moment of silence as everyone glanced at each other. Finally, Salthu let out a deflated sigh as he glanced at the ground. “I have, perhaps, been mildly wasteful with my energy reserves.” He admitted sheepishly. “I may have been too invested in our duel to properly temper my energy.”

I nodded understandably as I made a mental note of Salthu’s response. “Do you have enough for the essence spell still?” I asked curiously.

Salthu paused for a moment as he thought then nodded hesitantly. “For a few hours … perhaps.” He replied equally apprehensively.

I nodded again as I scratched my chin thoughtfully. “We’ll have to move quickly then.” I mused. “Or we give you some manastones to use. Either way, we can undo the misstep. What about the rest of you, what’s your current mana situation?”

I felt a little better about their expectations after asking again. This time they didn’t seem as apprehensive. Brokil reached into his bag and rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a small pouch. “I still have a deal of mana to draw from.” He explained, hefting the pouch slightly. It clacked along, indicating it was full of crystals.

I felt myself grinning for a moment before nodding. “Perfect. Are you okay with us borrowing a couple of them if we need to?”

Brokil considered for a moment, then nodded. “I have not had the chance to obtain your refined manastones. Save for a few of them, I have no qualm with their eventual departure.”

I gave him a quick thumbs-up as I turned to Bruga, Dumag, and Gremach. “Any others that delved into their reserves?” I asked. “It’s best if we do a full inventory on this.”

Gremach shook his head as he absentmindedly tapped his own bag. “I was cautious to not expend too much.” He replied. “I lept into action once I saw you charge though. I was uncertain if you had a plan in mind.”

I felt my face twitch as he mentioned my charge. I was already regretting my brash decision. “That’s good,” I said, trying to reassure myself as well as everyone else. “I’m glad you showed restraint. I’ll try to follow that example better in the future.”

Dumag suddenly stepped forward, confusion plastered across his face. “Are we just going to let those fexting bastards walk away?” He practically roared.

I nodded as I glanced at Amelia. “They’re not worth the trouble,” I replied, gladdened by Amelia’s approving nod. I turned back to Dumag as his confused expression remained. “They obviously don’t think highly of us; and even though our targets align, our goals for this expedition clearly differ. There’s honestly no point in trying to change their mind. They’re too set in their ways.”

Dumag’s expression changed to one of disgust as he glanced in the direction of the guild mages. I could barely see them between the trees as they continued their journey without us. “You truly believe it was a mistake to fight them?” He asked as he turned back.

I paused for a moment as I thought through the events. “It definitely wasn’t the best move to make at the time.” I finally replied, turning to Dumag. “No matter how inflammatory or provoking they were, we should have just moved on.”

Dumag scowled, clearly reluctant to the idea. “They dishonor us and you wish to forgive their venomous actions?”

I shook my head as I cast one last look in the guild mages direction. They were out of sight now. We could probably still follow if we left now. “Now isn’t the time to worry about them,” I replied, turning back to Dumag. “We aren’t forgiving them though. Nor are we forgetting this; not yet at least. For now, we can’t let them distract us. A life is on the line and we’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

Dumag blinked in surprise, realization dawning on his face. He let out a string of curses as he pressed his hands to his head. “Sarding FEXT!” He roared in frustration. “I am such a fexting FOOL!”

I gestured for Dumag to calm down. “We can beat ourselves up about this later,” I said firmly. “For now, let's do what we set out here to do.” Dumag appeared to calm down from the prompting, but it was clear he was still distressed. I rested a hand on the pommel of my sword as I tried to put on an air confidence. “I know it’s hard, but we need to set aside our emotions for a minute. The elites won’t be an easy target. Garthan is counting on us to return with good news.” Dumag’s expression of distress did not change. I glanced at Bruga. She carried her own expression of worry. I let out a sigh as I formulated my next words carefully. I hated that I was about to push this button, but it was the only option left. I hesitated for one more moment before finally speaking what was on my mind. “I know Bruga would feel the same way if the tables were turned.”

A hush appeared to fall over the forest as Dumag’s expression finally changed again. His eyes grew wide in shock as he looked up at me. He looked at me with a mixture of apprehension and fury. I felt apprehension as I saw how this quest had worn down his resolve. I gripped my sword tightly as I held my expression, meeting his gaze with stony assurance. After a moment, Dumag glanced at Bruga, his expression softening as he gazed into her eyes. I felt a lump in my chest as I saw the two share a look. I hated pulling that card, but I needed a good analogy for Dumag to latch onto. After another moment, Dumag turned back, his expression now filled with stony determination. He nodded as he straightened and lowered his arms. “We have a quest to fulfill.” He finally replied firmly.

I gave Dumag a satisfied grin as I nodded at his confidence. “Excellent. I’m glad to see you back as your usual self again. We’ll find the elites in no time with that attitude.”

Amelia nodded as she glanced in my direction. “So what’s the plan?” She asked, gesturing towards where the guild mages had gone. “Should we follow them? Or do we want to follow Salthu’s path?”

I turned in the direction Salthu had started to walk before the fight broke out, weighing the various possibilities of this divergence in the two paths. “There’s a chance they just split up to find a camp. That sounds the most plausible. Then again, if I wanted to hide in hostile territories and magic was a possibility. ..” I finally pointed down the path Salthu had begun blazing. “I say we follow the essence trail. The elves might have gone the other way as well, but the essence route gives us the highest chance of finding their base and rescuing Orthan. They’d have to take them to their camp if they wanted his blood.”

Amelia nodded as she glanced in that direction, her expression of worry suddenly returning. “How much farther do you think they are?” She said in a concerned tone, crossing her arms nervously.

I tapped my sword thoughtfully, only now realizing I hadn’t drawn it during the fight. I once again considered what I’d do in their situation. I let out a sigh as I realized the cautious answer to her question. “Hopefully just an hour or two.” I finally replied. Amelia let out an exhausted groan. I understood her frustration. The sun was already rising high. We’d been traveling for hours. At this rate, it might be nightfall before we found them. I let out a sigh as I reached into my bag and pulled out the necklace, offering it to Salthu. “Use this if you get low. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”

Salthu nodded as he took the necklace, pulling it around his neck as he looked along the path he had begun tracing. “We are certain this is our chosen path.” He asked apprehensively, glancing towards me.

I glanced in turn towards the others, searching for someone that wished to object. They gazed at me expectantly waiting for my answer. I felt a grin creep onto my face for a moment before I turned back to Salthu. “We follow your lead,” I replied confidently. Salthu nodded as he pulled the sample vial out again and began to cast once more. I went back to gripping my sword tightly as we followed Salthu into the forest, the sun barely peppering the ground beneath our feet with light. The day was far from over.

Bag Mage

I glance back nervously as the strap on my shoulder pulled tightly. The bag at my side was overburden with my own as well as my guildmate’s supplies. The thunder-rod was still clutched in my hand as we followed Ungagh’s lead. “Are we certain we wish to travel without the others?” I asked nervously.

Kertug nodded angrily as he adjusted his toothy necklace. Its wolven origin designated him as a Lupus class guild member. “The outsiders are clearly deranged.” He growled. “We are better completing this alone. Now do not ask again. Your insolence is still fresh in my mind. Do not forget, Ushnar, I may choose to make your promotion more difficult; you have barely reached the heights of Felis.”

I felt myself shrink at the thought. “Yes, ferocious one,” I muttered out of instinct.

The remark appeared to lighten Kertug’s mood as a smile briefly crept across his lips. He quickly returned to his scowling expression as he glanced at the two mages flanking his either side. “Urug, Oodagh, keep a sharp eye out for blackened garments. The elites will surely wish to ambush us in this state.” The two bracer donning mages nodded as they began inspecting the treeline, squinting for movement of any kind. My fingers tightened around the strap across my chest as a thought nagged at the back of my mind. “That battle did not bode well for the coming fight. This day may still hold many surprises.”