“He’s not looking, he’s not looking!” Farwyn whisper-shouted.

“Go! Go! Go!” Aewyn whisper-shouted in response.

The two girls sprinted out from behind the bush. Their bare footsteps were perfectly silent as they pushed the limits of their athleticism skill. Over logs, and under branches, the girls ran away from the village as fast as they could lest the guard see their escape.

The so-called guard, a young elf by the name of Toriel, was napping on the porch of his family's home. He wasn’t aware that he was a guard in the girls’ game, but that mattered little to them.

“Yeah!” Aewyn crowed as they escaped the stifling confines of the village. “Come on. You’ve got to see this.”

Farwyn nodded eagerly, and the pair set off. The forest was familiar to them, and they easily dodged the various predators in the area. They had been navigating its uniformity for their entire young lives. To the point where their capped out navigation skill didn’t truly encapsulate their skill in traversing it.

But that was how all skills worked. The number on the system was just a guide to your skill, not its limit. This was especially true for children capped at level ten for years.

“Alright, look there,” Aewyn said, pointing out of the woods into a clearing sprouting at the base of Mount Tovald. “Do you see it?”

“...Yeah,” Farwyn squinted. “I think so? It looks pretty dark in there.”

“Don’t be a wimp. Come on, let me show you up close.”

Before she even finished the sentence, Aewyn was up and off into the clearing. She jogged up the gravel slope, slipping slightly on the loose shale, then peered inside the cave mouth.

A single glittering amethyst the size of her head grew on the far wall of the nook. Its naturally faceted surfaces flickered with reflected light from the pre-eclipse morning, covering the inside of the dark cave in shifting purple reflections that were alien and gorgeous in equal measure.

Aewyn grinned, then turned to the wimp.

“Oi, get over here, or I’ll tell Galanril that you’re a wuss!”

“That’s not true!” Farwyn glared at her, but reluctantly left the shade of the treeline. He climbed the slope, with far more dexterity than his younger compatriot, and joined Aewyn before the cave.

“Look,” Aewyn whispered, then waved her hand. The shadow passed over the natural amethyst, sending a cascade of shimmering reflections dancing across the walls of the dark cavern.

“Oh,” was all Farwyn said. His canted eyes glittered with the reflected light. “How long do you think it’s been here?”

“Dunno, it's pretty though.”

“You have dragon blood in you,”

“No, I don’t. Take that back.”

“It’s true, though—”

Aewyn smacked Farwyn on the shoulder.

“Ow,” he said. Then, a moment later. “Probably a million years if I had to guess.”

“You think?”

“Maybe even more. A million million years.”

“That long?”

“I’m sure of it. Look how big it is!”

“Wanna take it home?”

“No! What if it’s cursed?”

“It’s not cursed,” Aewyn scoffed. “Why would it be cursed?”

“I dunno, it could be cursed.”

“Nuh ugh!”

“Yeah, huh!”

“Whatever. It’s prettier in here anyway.”

“Yeah, I don’t think we could find a better place for the light to reflect off of it back in the forest.”

“Plus, it’s our secret.”

“Uhm...”

“You can’t!” Aewyn grabbed Farwyn by the arms. “Mom will forbid us from coming here!”

“But...”

“If you tell, I’ll hate you forever.”

“No, you won’t. You love me. Plus, forever is a really long time.”

“Yes, I will. Forever and ever and ever! Please, Farwyn, please!”

“...Okay, fine...” Farwyn sighed. He wasn’t that much older than Aewyn, but it seemed as if he was always the one making concessions in their relationship. “Let’s go home now. Before anyone gets suspicious.”

“Only if you don’t tell.”

“I won’t! I said I won’t, didn’t I? Now come on,” Farwyn grumbled and started down the gravel slope.

Aewyn stayed for a moment longer, her eyes entranced by her greatest treasure find yet.

[Treasure Hunter 2 → Treasure Hunter 3]

She grinned at the notification, then turned to join Farwyn.

“Watch out!” Farwyn screamed,

A woosh of gigantic leathery wings. The clatter of rocks, hard claws around her midriff, and then an immense weight bearing down on her. A snap of a bone, then a jerk.

Wind!

So much wind.

Aewyn screamed as the green-frilled wyvern plucked her off the ground. Her broken leg screamed at her as it was jostled roughly by the rough ascent. She couldn’t see. The wind threw her hair around her head, knotting it up and blinding her. Somehow, though, through the chaos, she glimpsed the horrified and shocked expression on Farwyn’s face as he stood frozen on the edge of the tree line.

Aewyn gasped as the wyvern banked. It turned as it ascended, flying away from her home and over one of the mountain ranges. Treasure hunter pinged hungrily within her system, but its enthusiasm for exploring a new place was crushed by mind-numbing terror.

“Let me...Down!” Aewyn screamed, pummeling the claw grasping around her. No matter how hard she tried, however, the wyvern’s claws didn’t budge. It was almost as if it didn’t even notice her struggles.

Suddenly, Aewyn lamented not forcing father to teach her an active combat skill sooner. Admittedly, she hadn’t really been expecting to be kidnapped by a wyvern, but surely such a skill would be generally useful? There were plenty of threats in the forest, and yeah. The village was safe, but what about outside the village?

Her thoughts spiraled into a tangled mess as a side wind caused turbulence in the wyvern’s flight. It shifted, pressing painfully into her broken leg. It shrieked, cresting over the peak and finally revealing to Aewyn what lay beyond.

A part of her wanted to panic. It tried desperately to, but Aewyn fought it with all her might. She might be twelve, but Mom always said she was a fighter!

Thick, wet tears streamed down her face as she screamed for help again and again. But no one could hear her this far up in the sky. Plus, there were no elves in this valley. This was the Corded Sleepwing’s domain, according to Mom. Elves couldn’t live here because there was no water that could be drunk.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Despair filled Aewyn to the brim as the wyvern began its descent. It was going to land, and then eat her, and then she’d die!

The wyvern screeched again and suddenly started descending far faster. Aewyn squeaked as her stomach lurched, and then she let out a scream to end all other screams. This was it! This was the end! It was going to drop her into the cliff, and all that would be left of her—

The claws opened, and Aewyn was flying.

She crashed into a pile of debris. The pile collapsed on top of her, burying her in darkness. She barely noticed as the edges of her vision flickered as the pain in her leg spiked. All that escaped her this time, however, was a wheeze as her lungs spasmed from the crash.

Something gripped her by the leg, and before she knew it, she was standing on one foot looking at a humongous elf in a black suit that she had never seen the like before. He was short for an elf, but what he lacked in height, he more than made up for in sheer bulk. It was as if someone had taken three elves and smooshed them all together into one giant package.

“Fancy meeting you here,” the round-eared stranger said. His voice was deep and resonant. It tingled in Aewyn’s chest as he spoke. “Let’s get you out of here, before big momma over there comes back, yeah?”

Aewyn turned, wide-eyed and saw that the wyvern was gone. Where had it gone? Why was it gone? Had this elf beaten it up? With his...fists?

Aewyn squeaked as the elf lifted her up onto his back, which put her inches away from his ears. His round ears. Why were they round? Was he a Traitor? But there weren’t any scars...

The man carried her at a swift jog into a dark crack in the cliff face, and barely a few steps in, he set her down.

“Let’s get you patched up,” he said, stripping off his black overcoat, and using it in conjunction with two smooth sticks already leaning pre-prepared against the wall. There was also a square leather bag sitting there. Another alien design like the man’s clothes.

“Who are you,” Aewyn eventually managed. It came out as barely a whisper. Her voice unable to form louder sounds at the moment.

“Silly me. I always forget,” the man smiled. “My name is Red. A pleasure to meet you, Aewyn.”

“A...pleasure,” she mimicked softly. Red tightened the splint around her leg professionally and then met her gaze. His eyes glittered with specks of green.

“Let’s scurry on outta here before Big Momma figures out how to fish her egg from the mud mattress I made, yeah?” Red said.

“...okay,” Aewyn said in a small voice.

“But I can’t do it alone.” Red frowned. It felt exaggerated. Like acting. “I have this little birdie. Can you help me hold her while we go down the cliff?”

Aewyn blinked as she accepted the small blue-tailed swallow chick into her hand. It chirped aggressively but then settled down.

“Just hold her tight and don’t squish her.”

Aewyn nodded emphatically. “I won’t.”

“Good,” Red lifted Aewyn onto his back as if she weighed nothing. A tiny part of her mind realized his athleticism must be really high to do that. The rest of her mind latched onto Red’s next words.

“Let’s take you home.”

Red started walking. Like a machine, he didn’t slow his stride for anything. Despite that, he never slipped, nor did he appear to have any trouble navigating at all. Even when the eclipse darkened the sky, and he had to walk through a shaded crag, he walked as surefooted as if it was midday.

During this time, he kept up a constant stream of reassuring conversation. Stories, questions, and eventually just observations of the environment pelted Aewyn. Red’s deep voice reverberated through his back and into her chest. It wasn’t yet night, but the absolute high of adrenaline had exhausted her, and Red’s voice was the final straw that lulled her into sleep.

----------------------------------------

“Good morning, sleepy head.”

Aewyn blinked blearily as she was set down on the loamy forest floor. She instinctively brought the blue-tailed swallow to her chest, and it squawked indignantly at the rough treatment. That reminded her of everything that had happened, and she looked up at Red with wide eyes.

“Oh, uhm. Good morning.” Aewyn said. It wasn’t morning. It was afternoon.

“I’ve got another job for you, sweetheart. Think you can do it?”

“Oh, uhm. Maybe?”

Red nodded, as if expecting the response, and pulled the leather bag onto his lap. From it, he withdrew a handful of papers with intricate runic designs drawn on them. They were perfectly rectangular and of such high quality that they appeared nearly translucent in the afternoon light.

“Do you see these? I need you to take care of them for me. Can you do that?”

“...okay,” Aewyn accepted the sheets. She held them almost delicately with one hand, as if unsure what to do with them and the chick in her other.

“I’ve got to help out an old friend, and I need my briefcase for that. Just make sure the papers don’t get wet or wrinkled, okay?”

“Okay,” Aewyn said again. This time with more conviction. This was something she could do. A simple task to focus her mind away from the what-the-hell-happened-today and the shell-shock.

Red nodded, then began foraging. Each motion was precise, and it didn’t even look like he was foraging. He simply moved from plant to plant as if he already knew where each one was. What level was his foraging skill at?!

After collecting some plants, he lifted Aewyn back onto his back, and they traveled to a cave with a natural water flow. The briefcase was filled up, and Red made a healing potion. He gave some to Aewyn, but only enough to take the edge off of her broken leg. The rest was for ‘his old friend’.

Which turned out to be a bear.

Aewyn watched the scuffle with wide eyes as Red casually subdued the bear and entered its den. Aewyn waited with bated breath from her vantage point on the lower branches of a pine tree for him to emerge. She clutched at Red’s documents, headless of the fact that she was wrinkling them.

He emerged!

Aewyn nearly fell from the tree as relief struck her. She hastily smoothed out the wrinkles in the papers and made sure she hadn’t accidentally squished the chick. She hadn’t. Phew.

“I’m all done here. Are you ready to go home?”

Then Red walked. Aewyn’s awe for this round-eared stranger steadily grew as he navigated the mountain pass. As he walked, he explained his decisions: how he was taking this path because those boulders indicated a rockslide was imminent, or how that path led into the territory of a family of crested slinks.

[Navigation 8 → Navigation 9]

Aewyn blinked away the notification as they crested the top of the mountain. This was the first time she had gained a level from listening to someone else talk. The vista was beautiful, and it felt like they could see forever in every direction. Her treasure hunter skill pinged softly, but she ignored it.

Far below, she saw her home.

They descended, and an air of excitement grew. Aewyn forgot her broken leg as she listened with rapt wonder at every one of Red’s words. Halfway down the slope, Red grinned and took them on a small detour.

“Want to know a secret?” Red whispered conspiratorially.

“...What is it?” Aewyn whispered.

“Check this out,” Red said, then led them around a bend, to a familiar cave with a flickering purple amethyst. Aewyn gasped, then spun to face Red, her mouth in an open O of shock.

How had he known?!

“How did you find it!” Aewyn demanded, but Red only laughed heartily.

“I’m something of a treasure hunter myself,” Red said, humor dancing in his eyes. “But we are close. Your family is waiting for you. Onwards?”

Aewyn glanced at the cave, then back at Red. Then, after a moment, she reluctantly nodded.

“Onward!”

They continued, and before she knew it. She was home.

----------------------------------------

The village welcomed her back with open arms and a fair amount of rebuke. She was not allowed to leave the village without supervision under any circumstances. It was grating, and entirely Farwyn’s fault.

He had snitched!

Farwyn apologized, of course, but then became sulky when she didn’t immediately accept his apology. A gulf grew between them, though Aewyn barely noticed. She had bigger fish to fry.

Two weeks passed as the round-eared stranger stayed in her village. Aewyn did her absolute best to be a good hostess. Her parent’s lessons on treating guests had felt silly at the time, but now she struggled to remember them all. After all, how else was she to thank Red for saving her life?

She tried as hard as she possibly could, but for some reason, it didn’t feel like enough. With every passing day, she noticed Red spending more and more time sending wistful glances into the distance. He felt like he was slipping away. As if, soon, he would leave, and never return.

This only made Aewyn try harder to make him feel welcome in her village until one day, Red pulled her aside. Valandil and Miriel sat nearby at the dining table, listening in on their conversation.

“I’ve got to go,” Red said, leaning down on his knees so that he was at eye level with Aewyn.

“Why can’t you stay?”

“I don’t know,” Red said, shaking his head. “I’m trying to figure that out myself. But if I can. I’ll try to make it back.”

“Come back soon, okay?” Aewyn said after a moment. Somehow, she completely trusted him. If he said he would make it back, he would 100% make it back.

“I’ll try,” Red smiled. “In the meantime, You hold on to these.”

Red pushed his briefcase full of drafting documents into her hand and put his black suit around her thin shoulders. She clutched at the briefcase, nodding rapidly as she tried to hold back tears.

“I will keep them safe forever and ever.”

Miriel stood and joined her daughter. She gently ran her fingers through her hair as she smiled kindly at Red.

“Thank you for all that you’ve done for us. I hope our hospitality can repay even a fraction of what we owe you.”

“Ehh, don’t mention it,” Red shrugged, rising to his feet. Then, a glint of disguised humor glittered in his eyes. “Say, do you guys want to see a magic trick?”

Miriel’s brow rose in skepticism, but Aewyn just nodded.

“Okay, but you have to close your eyes. You to Valandil. Close your eyes and count to three.”

Valandil chuckled, and the family closed their eyes. A faint tinge of humor lifted the lips of both adults as they humored the round-eared stranger. Aewyn was far more sincere, scrunching her eyes as tightly as she could.

“See you around, sweetheart,” Red whispered. “You can start counting now.”

“1,” Aewyn heard Red’s footsteps.

“2,” His footsteps stopped.

“3,” Silence.

Aewyn’s eyes snapped open, just as Miriel gasped, and Valandil surged to his feet. Aewyn tore out of her mother’s grip, sprinting through the house, then checking outside.

Red was gone.