Riona and Nyara hauled the 12 bandits (thirteen if you included Keir) back to the guild. Lydia's eyes went wide at the sight of the group.

Nyara grinned at her. "I told you I'd get your trouble making bandits rounded up, didn't I?"

The receptionist flushed. "I really should know not to underestimate you by now, Explorer Nyara," Lydia muttered.

The elf woman smirked in reply. "I don't suppose there's a bounty out on any of the rest of these losers, is there?"

Lydia shook her head and Nyara sighed.

"Too bad. In that case, please split the reward for Keir 50-50 between Riona and myself," Nyara requested.

Lydia's eyebrows flicked up, making slight creases in her brow, but she counted out twelve gold coins and twenty silvers, handing 6 gold and 10 silvers to each woman.

"Thank you, Lydia," Nyara replied, Riona echoing her own thanks.

The receptionist nodded. "Of course! Oh, and before you leave, you may want to check the quest board, Explorer Nyara. It seems your ah... other talents might be of some use to you."

Nyara silently applauded Lydia for not blurting out she had healing magic, even if Riona, the only person in earshot, already knew.

"I see. I will take a look. Oh, and Riona knows everything, so you can speak freely around her," Nyara added as she walked toward the board.

Riona was quick to catch up with her, the merc's leather boots making little sound on the polished marble floor. Nyara glanced at Riona as she stopped before the quest board.

"Ahhh, I see why Lydia wanted me to take a look. Seems like Frost fever is hitting Orchard Village pretty hard this season." Nyara sighed. "It's only a day's trip from here. Hopefully, I can get there in time to make a difference."

Then she glanced at Riona again.

"What are you planning to do now? We worked pretty well together to take down that ring of bandits, and I wouldn't mind teaming up for a while, but... well, I know most Explorers and mercs don't really like to wander around on healing quests."

The merc shrugged. "As long as I'm with you, I can get rewards for completing guild quests without having to actually sign up. That's worth waiting around while you do a few healing quests. It'll give me some time off fighting when you take them."

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Nyara grinned. "I was hoping you would say that. Are you good to head out now? The quest should take about three days."

Riona nodded, flashing her storage ring. "I've got a week's worth of supplies in here."

Nyara tore the quest off the board and handed it to Lydia.

"Mark me down for it. We are heading out now, so we should make it by early morning tomorrow if the weather isn't too awful."

Lydia glared at her. "Fine, but I'm not letting you take another quest after you heal those people until you have a full day's rest."

"Yes, mom," Nyara smirked.

Lydia just shook her head at the elf and marked Nyara down for the quest. Riona and Nyara thanked Lydia once again and headed out of the Guild's hall briskly. After they had been walking for an hour or so, Nyara pulled up her hood to conceal her sharply pointed ears. Riona looked at her strangely, but when a group of humans hauling a wagon containing two elf slaves came into view a few moments later, Riona's puzzled expression vanished, her mouth tightening as her eyes narrowed on the wagon. As the wagon grew closer, the merc and the Explorer were able to see that there were four human slavers—three men and one woman. Nyara's expression twisted in disgust as her sensitive nose twitched, picking up the reek of unwashed bodies and fear coming from the wagon. Riona made a point to subtly move slightly ahead of Nyara, positioning herself between the slavers and the elf. The slavers' wagon groaned to a halt, the silence hanging heavy in the air as they dismounted with practiced ease, their eyes glancing over Riona before locking on Nyara's hooded figure. Both Riona and Nyara tensed, the former resting her hands on her daggers while the latter prepared to shed her cloak and draw her exquisitely deadly sword. One of the male slavers, a brute with brown hair and cruel eyes spoke first.

"It's rather rude to conceal your face," he said, his voice edged with malice. "Whoever you are, you can't be any uglier than your friend." He gestured toward the long scar running down Riona's left cheek.

Riona’s hands tightened on her daggers, her glare promising pain for the man if he continued. Nyara stepped up from behind her, pushing her hood back in one smooth motion, revealing her tapered ears. She fixed the slavers with a steady gaze, the hilt of her sword now visible above her right shoulder.

“That was uncalled for,” Nyara said coolly. “I could challenge you for such an insult, but I’ve no time for fools today. Let us pass, and we’ll be on our way."

The slaver with the cruel eyes stepped forward, looking eager for a fight, but his companions held him back. The female slaver inclined her head to Nyara.

"My associate is.......slightly over zealous." She said, as the other two men took the brute back to the wagon. "May the skies guide you."

"And the stars light your way." Nyara responded.

The woman rejoined her companions, and the slavers headed down the road. Nyara stared after the wagon for a long moment before turning back to Riona. The mercenary’s expression softened.

"It must be hard, seeing your own kind chained like that," Riona offered, her voice gentle.

Nyara's lips thinned, and she was silent for a a few moments.

"She could never begin to understand," Nyara thought bitterly. "She'll never know how helpless I feel each time I must stand by while my kin are chained, broken, and used—treated like nothing more than livestock."

Finally, she spoke, her voice tight and curt,"It is a sight I have seen far too often."

The elf started walking, her posture discouraging further questions.