After Astrid mourned over the deaths of her people, she and Hazel took the bodies and buried them nearby. They even held a little service where Astrid talked about all three of them and how honorable and brave they were before their deaths. Since Hazel didn’t know them personally, she simply watched in silence, not wanting to ruin the moment, and waited until the dark elf captain was done.

Finishing her sermon, Astrid walked away from their makeshift graves and made her way back to Hazel. When she did, the mage noticed that the dark elf had a very dark expression on her face. One that displayed hatred and anger. And Hazel could guess as to why she looked like that.

That was a face that said she wanted revenge. Which meant she wanted the person responsible dead. That being Dolk, the Dark Elf Rogue.

“I’m going to kill that bastard…” Astrid seethed, clenching her hands into fists. “He is going to pay for this. I swear it.”

Hazel stared at the dark elf for a moment, letting her vent out her rage and hatred for a moment before speaking.

“While I agree that this guy needs to be stopped, how do you plan to do that? We have no idea where he is and what he’s doing now.”

Initially, Hazel believed that Dolk would be waiting for them, or at least Astrid. Knowing the Dark Elf Captain, she would obviously come back for her people and try and save them, to which Dolk would then ambush her, using her subordinates as bait.

But that didn’t appear to be the case here. If anything, Hazel couldn’t have been more wrong about this assumption. And that bothered her even more. Not because she was wrong about what Dolk was planning, but because he wasn’t doing something so simple and easy.

If there was one thing that she learned about Astrid as she spent time with her was that she was predictable. Not in a bad way, but in a sense that her actions are easily seen.

For instance, as a Captain of the Greyvolk Legion, Astrid had a duty to protect both her people and subordinates. To the point that if her subordinates were in danger, she would run off to try and save them, which was what brought them in the first place.

And yet, for some reason, Dolk wasn’t here. Which was very concerning.

Could he be here at this moment, hiding from Hazel and Astrid and waiting for the right time to strike? No, if he was, Astrid would’ve already sensed him. Or more importantly, Dolk would’ve already attempted to kill Hazel for being so close to his obsession.

If he was the Yandere that Hazel believed he was, her life should’ve been taken by now. Despite that, there was no sight of the Dark Elf Rogue. So, where was he?

“Even if I don’t know, I will,” Astrid declared. “I don’t care if I have to scour this entire forest to find him. I will avenge my people.”

Hazel could tell that Astrid was determined to search Dolk no matter what. Just seeing the fire blazing within her eyes was enough evidence to convince the mage that this Dark Elf wasn’t going to stop until she found and killed the Rogue.

“Well, since it’s come down to it, I’ll help out as much as I can,” Hazel said confidently.

Although she believed that Astrid could take on Dolk now that her body was fully healed from the potion, she couldn’t risk her dying and losing the only ally she had to help her get out of the dungeon. So, helping her against the dark elf Rogue was the best option for both of them.

Astrid stared at Hazel for a moment, looking a bit anxious. "As much as I appreciate that, you shouldn’t get involved in my affairs. This is my fight. Dolk was one of my subordinates and he had committed a very grave crime. And I must be the one to make him pay.”

Hazel sighed mentally. Why wasn’t she surprised that Astrid would say something like that? Despite only knowing Astrid for almost a day, she already knew that this was going to happen.

Astrid was a very prideful yet honorable person. Someone who didn’t involve others in her affairs even when it would help her greatly in the grand scheme of things. This was why she was so predictable.

But that wasn’t going to stop Hazel from assisting her.

“Doesn’t matter,” Hazel shook her head. “I’m helping whether you like it or not. You’re the only person I’ve encountered in this dungeon, and likely the only person considering how dangerous and deadly this place was.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

It was pure luck that both of them managed to encounter one another on this forest island. If certain events hadn’t transpired, they likely would’ve missed one another as they left this place. Although Hazel was still grateful to run into Astrid, a part of her wished that she didn’t go through so much trauma.

Which was also why the mage planned on helping Astrid no matter what. It was the least she could do since they were still working together.

“Hazel,” Astrid started before Hazel interrupted.

“I’m not going to be hearing any objections. You’re stuck with me, and that’s final.”

She had no plans to leave Astrid on her own, no matter what.

“Now then,” Hazel rubbed her hands together while changing the topic. “How do we plan on taking down this Dolk guy? Is he even alive? You said before that you left him with Orcs while he was injured.”

Considering that Dolk was wounded when Astrid abandoned him with the monsters, the chances of him surviving an encounter with them were next to zero. At least, that was what Hazel believed anyway.

She didn’t know Dolk personally. And from what he had done in this dungeon, she was glad they were never acquainted with each other. Just the idea of encountering the Dark Elf Rogue as he menacingly glared at her and made sure Hazel was nowhere near Astrid made her shudder with fear.

Meanwhile, Astrid paused, likely pondering over the status of her former subordinate. Her expression then darkened as if she reached a grim conclusion.

“He’s alive,” She confirmed. “That I am sure of. Dolk is a very tenacious person. It’s one of the reasons why I took him in as my right-hand man.”

Hearing this, Hazel mentally sighed, realizing that she was bound to encounter the Dark Elf Yandere one way or another.

She crossed her arms while wearing a pensive expression. “Well, since you’re certain, we need a plan to deal with him. Any ideas?”

Astrid tapped her chin methodically. “I have a couple, but…” She turned her gaze to Hazel. “You might actually be essential for my plan to work.”

The mage’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Me? What can I do?”

Although Hazel was confident in her power, she doubted that she was a match for this Dolk elf. There was also the fact that the Rogue had been fighting his whole life while Hazel had only been doing this for a couple of days. So, her best chances of dealing with Dolk would be…

“Dolk is still out there searching for me, I know it. I don’t know why, but I’ve been getting this nervous feeling like something is after me.”

That was likely Dolk emitting his yandere energy while desperately searching for his object of obsession; which was obviously Astrid.

“But he doesn’t know you,” The dark elf pointed out.

Hazel cocked a brow, slowly realizing what she meant. “So, you’re saying that I ambush him?”

Astrid nodded. “I am. Dolk was only able to catch me off guard because I didn’t consider him a threat since I thought he was my friend and ally. Even when my instincts warned me of his betrayal. That was when he used those makeshift crossbows and wounded me.”

“Makes sense…”

Hazel had already heard about how Astrid was wounded by Dolk. She received the wound on her leg from an arrow, and the slash on her side from Dolk’s dagger. She only managed to leave with those injuries because she caught him off guard and tackled the rogue to the ground, then stabbed him in his side.

And if Dolk was still breathing, that meant he was wounded much like Astrid. However, if this dark elf was anything like the Yanderes from Hazel’s world, then a simple stab wound wasn’t enough to keep him away from Astrid.

Though, Astrid’s plan was certainly plausible. Dolk was only expecting her and not Hazel, so the mage could easily hide herself and ambush him when his guard was down. Then again, this guy was experienced and would expect a sneak attack. Even if Hazel used Baneful Sickle or Decay, it wouldn’t be that simple.

Rogue Classes were known for their stealth and perception. And since Dolk was a skilled hunter in his world, his senses would likely warn him of an attack, much like Astrid’s instincts alerted her of his betrayal. So, if Hazel planned to catch the dark elf by surprise, his guard needed to be low. Extremely low for her to get the chance.

And she knew just how to do that. Hazel eyed Astrid for a moment, a sly smile appearing on her face.

“It seems that we’re both essential for this little plan of ours to work out perfectly.”

The dark elf captain returned a fierce grin, realizing that Hazel was slowly catching on to what she was planning in the first place. Despite the two of them being from different worlds…they appeared to be more alike than either of them expected.

…

Dolk tirelessly sauntered through the forest, disregarding the rabid fatigue that was weighing on his body. Each shallow breath he took pained his lungs as if he were inhaling large razor-shards of glass.

And yet he couldn’t stop. He needed to find Astrid. He needed to protect her. From this dungeon, from the enemies that roamed this place, but most importantly…from her own pride and reckless responsibility.

“S-she has no idea what is going to happen to our village…she doesn’t know that it's too late to save them.” Dolk manically mumbled to himself, aimlessly wandering the woods of the Forest Island. “Kollr had already won…she just doesn’t know it yet.”

Clutching his wounded arm as it continued to bleed, Dolk’s legs continued to move forward, as if they had a mind of their own while his psyche slowly broke down, bit by bit, leaving only his desire to find and protect Astrid.