The wolves are dead; their master was unconscious. The group had two choices: to end the man and move to their desired location. Or take the more civilised approach.
"We should first heal him; his wounds are dire," Sheila suggests, checking the man's wounds.
Inspecting the cut, Sheila uncovers something. The wounds were festered by an ink-like goop, vaporising dark mist; its function was to devour flesh, nothing more, nothing less. Studying more closely, she saw how the druid's natural aptitudes were fighting the ink-like goo. It is to be seen that the druid's healing capabilities were outpacing the black ink.
"Should we tie him first? He might regain his consciousness and would cause another storm." Natalak blurt. "But are ropes good enough for these kinds of people?" He continues looking at the group, giving an awkward atmosphere.
"Rope won't be enough; I think I do have something that will keep him locked tight," Sheila responds, the only person who didn't give Natalak a gauche look.
Sheila then opens her bag and sees only a few scrolls left. As she gawks at the parchments, her face hints at a disappointed look. Natalak can tell, those are expensive ones, the gold bearings and their lurid design. As a trainee adventurer, Natalak understood Sheila's hesitation to use the scroll.
A few seconds of unwillingness, Sheila finally took a deep breath. "Riya, can I borrow your dagger… Reith, if you could position him." Sheila commands.
Riya nods and quickly gives Sheila her pointy dagger. For Natalak, he was full of uneasiness; a dagger and a scroll are things for death and uncomfortable rituals. However, his quick convictions were wrong after Sheila used the scroll.
Cutting her fingers enough to draw a small drop of her blood, she then stained it on the scroll before releasing what was inside. Once Reith positions the man, the scroll released a rope of fire wrapping around the druid's waist and hand. Safe and nothing to worry, Sheila then heals the man's wound.
"This should be enough." Sheila gave a deep sigh.
Once the druid was finally incarcerated, the atmosphere in the forest turned silent and peaceful. Tired, too tired from the past battle, the party decides to take a rest.
"Where are you going, brother Natalak?" Reith asks.
"I'm going to shower the plants. Want to join me?"
Moonlight gave vision to the sight, no need for torches or magical orbs. There, in a certain area, Natalak was relieving himself, spraying sideways.
"Taco bell-taco bell, I want to eat some taco bell-taco bell…" Natalak hums, singing on a very windy night.
Suddenly, in the midst of his discharge, a woman slowly emerges from the moonlight. Panic he was; Natalak then runs to a tree even as he releases water.
"Shit-shit-shit…"
"S-Sheila, Riya, is that you?" Natalak calls while he glances at the woman.
When his eyes took a glimpse, it was not Sheila nor Riya, but a different person or rather a distinctive mortal. Her hair was gleaming in silver-white, covered in tight black leather armour. Only ten meters away, the woman collapses, leaving Natalak to wonder what was happening.
"HEEELP!" Natalak calls.
Only seconds after his words, Sheila and her friends came running with their weapons drawn.
"What—" Sheila paused the moment she saw what Natalak was pointing at.
"A moon elf?" Riya said.
"No… it doesn't look like a moon elf to me, is she a dark elf?" Sei replied.
"Certainly not, perhaps she's a half-half," Sheila suggests, while she positions the elf for a better view.
A dagger-like ears, her skin was that of moonlight, a balance between a moon elf and a dark elf. For her looks, it was enough to captivate many men; she has quite a solemn face. A desired figure, one that men dream of. But when Natalak saw Sheila and her companions, they were more worried than dazzled by her beauty.
"Um, I don't have any knowledge about elf species or things… are there any words that I should be informed about?" Ask Natalak.
"This is a bit of a difficult situation," Sheila said. "If she's a dark elf, chances are they are on the hunt."
"On the hunt?" Natalak follows.
"It's a dark elf's custom," Sheila answered, pondering for any solutions.
"Well, I found some of her weapons." Natalak drew the woman's curved dagger.
"We really are in trouble." Sheila nervously said after checking her ebony daggers.
Upon unsheathing, the dagger both gave a malevolent and powerful impression.
"Natalak, do you feel something from this dagger?" Sheila spoke, giving him back the dagger.
"No, nothing at all," Natalak spoke, bagging back the dagger.
The moment the traveller drops the two daggers into his bag. Sheila remembers how Natalak pulls a spear out of his bag. Aware of such a powerful relic, she probed Natalak's mystery. The group waits for Sheila's command, but even she didn't know what to do. She had tried to send a message to the guild, but there were no changes to the barrier.
Eyes swaying back and forth towards Natalak, as if she was asking for something from the traveller.
"I'm a bit lost, any suggestions you might give?" Sheila asks.
Natalak was silent about her needs; instead, he first inspects the elf. She had wounds on her shoulders and arms, probably from a blunt weapon. Her breathing wasn't normal; it was fading, weakening as every minute passed.
"Do you have any healing magic left?" Natalak spoke.
"Yes, I do want me to heal her wounds?" The mage replied.
"Her bones are somewhat crushed, probably from internal injuries."
"I can do that; my healing magic can restore her broken bones. Is there any other suggestion?"
"Forgive me, but I'm not a woman; I can only give you the following advice. It might be a crude way, but we have no other choice."
"As long as there's no killing." The mage gave Natalak a serious expression.
"That won't be necessary. I suggest you strip her of her armour. Any items that might boost her abilities should be removed. We don't know; she might wake up, and bloody us all—a tent should suffice for privacy, and if there are sealing scrolls you have left, we should use them. And try putting her items as far away from her as possible. We might use her as leverage if her companions come looking for her."
"Got it, I'll ask Riya for help."
"Also, if she recovers, try showing her your guild's badge, it might help lower her resentment towards us… As for the other druid person, let's hide one of them, probably the druid one. Heck, that druid might be her prey."
Following Natalak's advice, the group moved her to their tent. Stripping all her armour and other accessories, Sheila then begins her healing magic. Once her wounds have healed and her breathing returns to normal, Sheila orders Riya to wrap all her belongings in a blanket.
"Take it to Natalak." Sheila orders.
Riya nods, and quickly she delivers her leader's orders. Once taken to Natalak, Riya quickly returns to the tent to attend to the mysterious woman. Shifting the night watch, the three men lit three bonfires around the tent. While the two guards the elven maid, the three men guard the druid chained by fire.
Towards a certain place, a dungeon where light penetrates the ceiling cavities. A bloodbath was on the loose, a battle of monsters and beasts. The underground cavern was wide enough to house hundreds of people. The ground was full of carnage— monsters from the veil, beasts of other realms, savage animals were all there. There was no leader, no powerful beings that commanded; instead, the place was full of vicious brawls.
Beast-tearing monster, innards spill from every corner. Heads being ripped off not by swords, but by mouths and claws. Wolves turn against each other, goblins ripping each other's throats, two-legged monsters swing their blades from every corner, slicing and dicing whatever the blade hits. The scene was full of brutality, enough that the ground was flooded with thick blood. The sound you hear is nothing but roars and flesh being ripped, devoured.
The night leaves, and luckily, there were no beasts or monsters that sought a skirmish with the adventurers. As for the women in the tent, Sheila opens her eyes to see the lady elf gawking at her. The elf's gaze was indignant, unblinking and dagger-like.
It is reasonable for the elf to show repulsion; all of her items were stripped. The only thing she had was her tight Gothic clothes. Her hand was bound, unable to cast her magic because of the magical rope that foils it.
Interestingly, the elf's appearance was altered; her long dagger-like ears now shrank to a human's. Her once-silver hair turns to raven silk, and even her elvish skin colour is revered by a human. Though her beauty remains, it's as if a different person came to take her place.
Quite frightened by the elven expression, Sheila gathers her confidence and shows her adventurer's badge. "You don't have to worry, I'm from the adventurers' guild. We've patched up your wounds." Her voice cracks.
"I presume you're the group leader of your party?" The lady elf implied.
Sheila averted her eyes, hesitating for a word. "I-I'm not the group leader."
A few twenty meters away from the camp, Natalak was in his slumber, tightly hugging his bag. It was early dawn when he slept, and only two hours later, someone shook him.
"Brother Natalak! You need to wake up." Reith said, steadily nudging him.
The only thing that Reith received was a mumbling groan, squirming and using the cloak to cover his head, from the slowly rising light.