With three kobold ears now in their possession, they walked back to the town and turned in the ears to claim their reward.

Sylra counted the coins in her hand, frowning slightly. “This is chump change. We’ll starve at this rate,” she muttered.

Elron glanced at her, his tone reassuring. “I won’t let you starve,” he said, adding the coins to his lighter pouch.

Sylra gave him a skeptical look. “You can count, right? Five coppers is just the room for a night. Ale is three, and food is three,” she pointed out, her voice tinged with frustration.

As they walked into the tavern, Elron tried to lighten the mood. “So, a dozen some coppers a day, and you’re sweet as a hutch fruit then?” he quipped, a small smile playing on his lips.

She shrugged with mild agreement. “Eh, more or less,” she conceded, her tone still a bit doubtful.

They both laughed as they sat down at the bar.

Sylra grinned and waved the bartender over. “One beer, my big man,” she ordered with a wink, her tone flirtatious.

“And you?” the bartender asked, turning to Elron.

“Just milk,” Elron replied in his even tone.

Sylra gulped her ale, eyeing him curiously. “Why always milk? Did your mother not feed you enough or something?” she joked.

Elron set his drink down a little too forcefully, his expression darkening. “Don’t talk about my mother,” he warned, his voice low and serious.

Sylra finished the pint and sighed apologetically. “It was just a joke, Elric. No need to turn into a stink bat,” she said, trying to diffuse the tension.

Elron took a deep breath, calming himself. “You’re a lot like a friend of mine,” he said, his voice softening as he recalled some memories.

Sylra raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile forming on her lips. “You have friends?” she teased again.

Elron grinned this time, a hint of playfulness returning to his eyes. “Yeah, I have one. She’s—” he began, but Sylra interrupted him.

“Woah, a she? Don’t tell me we’re heading out here to see your love interest,” Sylra teased, her tone half-mocking, half serious.

Elron waved her concerns away, shaking his head. “No, just a friend. I think you two would get along quite well actually,” he replied.

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She ignored him while continuing to down her ale, the conversation momentarily halted.

He cleared his throat to get her attention and then proceeded to say, “We need to clear up our strategy. We could have died if they didn't flee,” he pointed out, his tone growing more serious.

Sylra slammed the mug down and smacked her lips, “Ahhh. So, what do you have in mind?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

“You let me hold all their attention while you focus on taking out targets,” Elron suggested firmly.

“Isn’t that what we did today?!” she exclaimed.

“No, unfortunately, we both ran around like idiots and only pulled off what we did out of luck. It wasn’t because of strategy,” Elron clarified.

“Pfff, if you say so,” Sylra muttered, dismissing his concerns as she went upstairs to retire to her room.

Elron wasn’t going to fight her. He needed her, so he followed suit, downing his drink before crashing into his bed. A few days later, the two traversed the paths they knew to be safe, or at least paths they had already scouted days prior. Things had been different since the first encounter. The forest felt more empty, and the kobold’s traps were all but gone.

Sylra pushed Elron down in front of a bush and whispered, “Look,” as she pointed toward a tiny clearing.

There, inside the clearing, was a cloaked figure who appeared to be directing the kobolds. The suspicious commander pointed and whipped his staff at the much smaller minions as they produced pathetic barks. It was clear why the normal behavior of the kobolds had changed so suddenly.

“This is odd. We should go report this to the town,” Elron whispered, his tone cautious.

Just as the two were about to crouch-walk away from the scene, they were ambushed again. This time, it was a couple dozen kobolds. Their demeanor was different from before. They did not speak; they did not waver in the slightest. It was clear they meant business this time.

As the spears came closer, Sylra asked with concern, “Same old plan, huh?!”

A strange, singular bark then rang out, followed by someone yelling, “Stop.”

The two looked at one another in mild confusion before their eyes became ever focused on the cloaked man who was now in front of them.

The figure pulled his hood back, revealing his calm demeanor. “Hello. What are your names?” His voice was steady, as if they were meeting under normal circumstances.

Sylra’s eyes narrowed, her body tensing as she spoke. “You’re no monster, you’re not even a man. What’s an elf doing running around with kobolds?” Her words sharp and full of accusation.

“If you promise not to attack me or the kobolds, then I’ll tell you,” the elf replied smoothly, his invitation firm and unwavering.

Elron exchanged a quick look with Sylra, urging her with his eyes. They should agree now before things got worse. Lucky, in the moment, they both nodded in agreement.

The kobolds, still holding their spears at the ready, slowly lowered their weapons as the elf gestured forward. “Follow me, there’s a better place to talk,” he suggested, his manner polite but leaving no room for refusal.

They hesitated, glancing around nervously at the hostile creatures surrounding them. But with no other choice, they finally sheathed their weapons and followed him. The presence of so many hostile beings near them, kept them on edge, their senses heightened with every step. They knew they could be attacked at any moment, and it was clear that even together, they couldn’t defeat both the elf and his kobold minions.

As they followed the cloaked elf deeper into the dense forest, a tense silence settled over them, the shadows growing long and twisted. Every step took them further from familiar paths, and it became clear that they no longer knew where they were going.