Chapter 7: Don’t Talk To Strangers
The silver-haired man’s gaze rested on Julius a little longer than he was comfortable with.
Julius was outnumbered four to one and couldn’t count on Yumiko if she decided to leave. The last thing he needed was a confrontation.
The man waved his hand and spoke.
"A good day to you two. We are adventurers and happened upon this stream. May we cross?"
His voice was soothing and had a calculated calm, one that showed he was no stranger to socializing.
Julius nodded.
The man stepped forward, using the rocks in the water as literal stepping stones to come over to his side.
Julius noted he moved gracefully for someone wearing armor from head to toe.
The rest followed, with the exception of the other elf holding a bow. He remained on the other side of the stream.
The three of them stopped. The silver-haired man advanced. Julius did the same.
"Daren Athaerius." He extended a hand. "These are my companions, Joan and Neznala," he added, gesturing to the women beside him.
Up close, he was taller than Julius’s first impression. He was also older — not just in his face, but in a way that felt ancient, something Julius couldn’t quite explain.
He knew enough about elves from his interactions with Vincent, but Daren wasn’t quite what he expected. He had the pointed ears and graceful movement, but he didn’t radiate the aura most books or shows described. The other elf however was a different story.
A screen floated above his head before disappearing.
[Daren Athaerius | Half-Elf]
The fox-eared lady, Joan, was almost eye level with Julius. She wore a red flowing dress with flowered patterns that highlighted her curves. It ended in a slit that revealed two daggers attached to her left thigh.
A brown-colored belt held a small satchel at her waist which complemented her boots.
[Joan | Kitsu]
She looked between him and Yumiko. A sly smile played at her lips from whatever theory she had formed about them.
The petite woman wore baggy clothing — a top and pants held by a belt with an intricate design. Her stature was a contrast to the oversized sword she had behind her back.
Two belts were crossed against her chest which held an assortment of items Julius didn’t recognize. She looked human, but her body structure was oddly different.
[Neznala | Dwarf]
She gave a simple nod when she was introduced, and that was it.
He took Daren’s hand and introduced himself.
"Julius."
"No last name?" Daren inquired.
"No," he replied.
"Very well."
Daren looked to Yumiko. "And Your companion?"
Yumiko heard the question and gave an answer. "Yumiko. No last name too."
Daren nodded.
Daren explained that he and his group were working on a request from the Adventurers Guild from the Free Cities.
They were on the job when they found the stream. He didn’t state details of the request, and Julius didn’t ask out of caution.
Daren’s gaze moved through the scene as he explained. The fish bones on the flat rock, the dying fire, the two of them with no obvious camp setup and no group beyond each other.
He asked what Julius and Yumiko were up to.
Julius answered that they were heading to the Free Cities. He lied that they were camping in the forest and were tired and wanted to head back. This explanation seemed to satisfy Daren for the moment or he wasn’t interested in pushing it.
"It seems the gods have fated this meeting." Daren brought his hands together. "You are welcome to travel with us, if you don’t mind."
Julius considered the offer before turning to Yumiko, who shrugged. Joan’s mouth twitched. She found the exchange funny but didn’t explain why.
"Sure thing," Julius said.
- - -
The path to the Free Cities took them through forests and small hills. Daren’s group had their formation.
He walked in front, while Joan and Neznala walked beside him. Kieran. The high elf who didn’t cross the stream, brought up the rear.
Julius walked to the left of Daren, with Yumiko changing the angle she walked alongside him.
Joan fell back beside him somewhere in the second hour.
He had watched her make the decision. The slight shift in pace, the way she angled toward him without making it look deliberate.
She drew level with him, and her nose moved. It was not subtle.
"What are you wearing?" she asked.
"Nothing."
She tilted her head slightly. "You smell..." She paused, looking for the right words. "Really refreshing. What is that?"
"I don’t know." Julius replied. He made a mental note to do an examination later.
Joan considered the answer. She didn’t find it satisfying, but she accepted it.
Yumiko had moved.
Not toward Joan. She had simply adjusted her position so that she occupied more of the space between Joan and Julius than she did a moment ago.
Joan noticed. Something happened in her expression that had nothing to do with the scent conversation. The corner of her mouth moved.
She drifted back to her position without another word.
Julius kept walking. Vincent would never believe any of this.
"We have a contract out here," Daren said.
"Guild contract," he continued. "Corrupted Fire Bear. Reported moving through this territory three weeks ago. We’ve been tracking it for two days."
Julius tried to keep his expression neutral. "Fire Bear?"
"Yes, Fire bears are native to this forest but this one has been corrupted." Daren answered. "You’re lucky, you two didn’t encounter it."
"I guess we are." Julius replied before asking Daren how the guild worked.
Daren glanced at him, mildly surprised by the question. "Someone files a report with the Guild. They assess the threat, assign a classification, post the contract with a reward attached."
"Groups register for the contract, hunt the target, bring proof of kill back to the branch."
"What counts as proof?"
"Depends on the target. Corrupted creatures leave a mana core when they die. Bring the core, collect the payment. The Guild verifies and closes the contract."
"Mana cores?"
"The core of corrupted creatures." Daren paused for a moment. "You are asking odd questions for someone who lives in the free cities."
"I’ve heard things," Julius said. "Secondhand. Never been to it myself."
Daren looked at him with the patience of someone deciding how hard to press something.
He did not press it.
"The Adventurers Guild is the largest in this region," he said instead. "Even a low rank opens opportunities."
Julius nodded.
- - -
Camp was a flat stretch of ground a few distance from the road where the trees provided enough cover to make a fire practical.
The group established it without being assigned tasks. Each person moving to do what needed doing with the efficiency of people who had done this together enough times.
Daren assessed the perimeter. Joan found the highest available surface within the campsite and settled on it. Neznala examined the contents of her satchel. Kieran built the fire.
Julius gathered wood with Yumiko. It was the task he could do without revealing anything.
He was aware of Daren watching him while pretending to be busy.
They sat around the fire when it was ready. Daren produced rations from his pack and passed them around. Dried meat, hard bread, something that tasted like fruit but looked like a rock.
He offered some to Julius and Yumiko but they declined.
The light was almost gone. The Free Cities would be visible from the next rise in the morning. Daren had said this on the road.
"Where are you from?" Daren asked.
Not aggressive. Just the tone of someone making small talk.
Julius recognized the difference between a casual question and a careful one, and this was the latter pretending to be the former.
"A small village in the forest," Julius said. "Too small to have a name you would know."
Daren nodded and asked another question.
"What is your race, by the way?" Daren inquired. "You look human, but that is impossible unless you are one of... " He trailed off, opting to wait for Julius to give his answer.
"You’re right. It’s not." Julius had anticipated this.
"I am an orphan, I don’t know what race I am. I think I am half human but I am not too sure." Julius replied as he mixed lies and truth.
They were enough to satisfy Daren’s curiosity.
Julius shifted to reach for a piece of wood at the fire’s edge. His shirt moved with the motion. He didn’t realize Daren’s eyes tracked his upper back.
Daren’s eyes widened slightly at what he saw.
Joan had been quiet for several minutes, which was its own kind of statement.
She looked between Julius and Yumiko with the expression of someone who had been building to something since the stream and had decided now was the moment.
"So..." she said to the fire, to no one in particular before looking at Julius, "how long have you two..."
"We met on the road," Julius said.
"I wasn’t finished."
"I know."
Joan looked at Yumiko. Yumiko was watching the fire with complete focused attention. Her tail moved once in a slow arc and went still.
Joan’s expression settled into something that had been working its way there since the stream. She did not share it with the group.
Neznala did not speak at all. She was focused on cleaning her sword. Julius wondered where the strength came from to hold it with one hand against her petite frame.
Kieran continued watching the fire. The elf hadn’t said much since they met up at the stream.
"Joan," Daren said quietly. Not a scolding. A gentle redirection.
Another silence settled in the atmosphere until a roar came from the forest.
Everyone at the fire moved at the same time in different directions. Daren to his feet in a single motion, Joan already had her weapons ready, Neznala’s hand going to something at her belt as she hefted her sword, Kieran had already nocked an arrow.
Daren looked at Julius.
"Are you armed?"
Julius had the dagger on him. He had returned it to his belt before the group came to the stream. He hadn’t mentioned it.
"No," he lied.
Daren reached to his belt without hesitation and extended a short blade, handle-first. Julius took it. It was heavier than the dagger.
The critters in the forest went quiet in the specific way that meant something bigger was moving. The bear walked out of the forest.
It was larger than Julius remembered or he had not fully processed the size the first time because he had been running but it was the same bear.
The corruption had done something to the fur. Parts of it were redder now, almost as if it had been painted with blood.
It looked at Julius, and for a moment he could have sworn it bared its teeth.
It followed me?
The whole group shifted into their stances.
The bear lunged.
Julius raised the blade Daren had given him. It was not going to be enough.
He held it anyway.
