“This be a fool’s errand!” Bragden growled, looking every inch the stubborn dwarf with his folded arms of corded muscle. “If’n ye had an ounce of practicality, ye would see the quest be impossible to accomplish.”
“Oh, I’m not disagreeing with ye that finding the Shadow Elves be a right good challenge,” Bragden said. “But this be a golden opportunity sent by the Mother herself! Ye know that a fraction o’ the reward alone would pay our taxes to the King and then some!”
Glade was a heartbeat away from getting involved in his second round of dwarven politics. The two had been arguing nonstop since receiving the quest about the pros and cons of accepting it. Only this time, Glade was leaning toward supporting Bragden.
Needlessly exposing themselves, especially Kedryn, to greater scrutiny by the royal elves’ assassins was the exact opposite of laying low.
“And where do ye suppose we’re gonna find the bleedin Shadow Elves?” Bragden barked. “Just waltz right up to their home and knock on their front door? Bah, ye be even denser than I thought if’n ye think we can do that.”
Krazzik opened his mouth to argue further but was stopped by the last person anyone thought would interject.
“Just before I was rescued by Glade and Kedryn,” Riya spoke quietly, her voice filled with reverence as she carefully cleaned off the dirt and cobwebs of the heir’s remains. “I had run from a battle where my father, grandmother, sister, and the rest of our caravan were ambushed by feral goblins.”
Not a whisper came from the others as they gave the young elf their full attention.
“For reasons unknown to me, our honor guard was at the rear of the caravan, leaving only a handful of low-level hunters to intercept the wave of frenzied monsters. My father and sister joined the hunters and held back the first wave. Even my grandmother helped with alchemical munitions she had tucked away.”
A tear slipped down Riya’s cheek, her voice trembling with emotion.
“All of them told me to run,” she sniffed. “You see, I wasn’t allowed to fight on account of my brand. And so, being the coward I am, I followed their command.”
Riya paused in her story, wiping her face with her sleeve.
“I have no idea what has become of them,” she breathed, her voice so quiet they could barely make out the words. “And I would give anything to know if they are still alive. Every time I sleep, the images of my father’s face, a mask of rage and pain right before he charged into the sea of goblins, comes to the fore front of my mind. You wouldn’t know it from the way I’m describing him, but he was one of the gentlest souls I have ever known.”
“I also hear the last words yelled by my younger sister, Val, echo over and over again in my mind. She told me to run. To get away as fast as Bryst, my Gen’sheld, could carry me.”
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Glade’s internal understanding of elvish translated the term Gen’Sheld as bonded horse. While he didn’t quite understand what that meant, the way Riya spoke of Bryst meant that it was more than just someone’s horse.
“I never even turned to look at my grandmother. All I did was take off on Bryst, away from the fighting. I have no idea how she reacted, other than the sound of explosions as I ran. Those could only come from her.”
She finally looked up, taking the time to look each person in the eyes.
“I have kept going ever since that fateful day, pretending to be brave in these Adjudicator forsaken tunnels that should have killed me 10 times over. Why? Because I must know what became of them. It isn’t a want, or even a need, really. It’s all I have left.”
“I will be accepting this quest, not because of the rewards, or to be part of another quest chain, but because I know the anguish of not knowing. Just like those on the other side of this quest, I’d give anything to know what happened to my family. And if bringing them word of their loved one’s demise will bring their heart peace, then I will do so. It is the right thing to do.”
Her gaze fell on Bragden.
“If it was a dwarven family, or of your blood, would you even hesitate?”
Bragden’s stubborn demeanor melted away like ice on a summer’s day.
“No lass,” he breathed, his head bowed.
She turned to Glade.
“And if it was your team?”
The question caught Glade off guard. It really shouldn’t have. Even a blind man could tell Riya’s thoughts were headed in that direction. But still, it forced Glade to think.
His mission here was simple and direct. Find his people and take them home. He had no illusions this would be more challenging than he could comprehend, but it had been his goal from the beginning.
So why had he strayed from that intention at the first opportunity? Glade had literally faced down an adjudicator to demand he be given the responsibility to care for this girl before him. Why? He had no obligation to her. Even his leadership back on Earth wouldn’t have batted an eye if he left her to her own fate.
Yet, he had chosen to protect her. Fought for the responsibility, really.
Sure, he could justify to himself that she was the best option for a guide in this new world. But deep down, he knew that wasn’t the case.
Later, he had strayed from his purpose a second time in helping the dwarves. It would have been easier by far to ignore their plight, like he had done so many times on Earth because aiding the locals went against his mission’s parameters.
Again, why did he intervene?
Like all answers to complex problems, the answer was simple. Because, just as Riya had said, it was the right thing to do. It was who he was, and as he came to that conclusion, he found that his decision about this quest reflected his simple answer.
It was the right thing to do.
Glade selected yes on the quest prompt, shortly followed by everyone else.
Congratulations, you have gained skill level 5 in Reflection! +10% skill advancement to any skill while actively using reflection.
Glade dismissed the notification, almost snorting in response to the note. One of these days, he would have to try using the skill for its intended purpose - enhancing his skills instead of constantly reflecting inward.
“We still don’t know how to contact them,” Bragden reminded the group, refolding his arms.
“Remember how I said my house was connected to the Shadow Elves at one point?” Riya asked. “Well, we still have… a loose connection. Needless to say, we can send them a message when I return home.”
Krazzik’s crazed smile split his face as he turned to his friend. “I told ye the quest be sent by the Mother herself! She even provided a way for us to see it done!”
“O’ course a slagging Treeless has connections to a mythical elvish house of assassins, because why not?!” Bragden said, throwing up his hands. “Stupid, slagging brands.”