An hour later (and two swords newer), Synshlee shyly entered Oonugh's inn room once more. This time, however, it was still daylight, and she was fully clothed. He looked up from polishing his spear blade as she entered, only to disregard her and return to his task. Synshlee's temper rose a notch, but she forced herself to keep a mask of cool.

"I have a request to make of you." she began, walking to a writing desk and sitting at the chair there, "Another bodyguard job." He paused in polishing to cast her a sidelong glance. She wet her lips and took a breath before continuing. "I don't have much money to pay you with, but I can..."

"I'm not interested in that kind of payment." he said in a dismissing tone. Synshlee clenched her mouth shut for a moment before letting out a short laugh.

"I wasn't going to offer that, just for the record. But I have reason to believe the thing I'm searching for is in the Giant's Cave, and you said that I could travel with you until I found it, so I'm asking you to accompany me so I can retrieve it." she paused, suppressing the urge to wince and said "Please."

Oonugh slowly set his spear to the side and shifted to look at her in the eye. She gazed back at him, unblinking, letting him know she was serious. He looked away and sighed. "Fine. But we're going to have to travel through the mountains. Aden Castle is under siege by a large alliance, and it'd be too dangerous to try to cross straight over."

"Fine then, when do we leave?" she asked, standing.

"Right now."

The moon was rising by the time they left, and they traveled for several hours through Skyshadow Meadow before finally reaching the Plains of the Lizardmen and setting up camp in the church ruins there until daylight. It was eerily quiet, not even the Lizardmen seemed to be making rounds this night. A storm formed to the north, raining large purple lightning bolts to the ground below. Synshlee could feel the earth shaking from it, even from so far away.

"Some fool woke the ancient Lord Baium again…" Oonugh murmured, poking the fire with a stick. Synshlee glanced at him, confused.

"Again? He wakes frequently?" She asked, watching the sky.

"Once every few years a foolhardy traveler will climb the Tower of Insolence and awaken Baium from his sleep. The trespasser usually dies right away, and the angels descend and seal him back in stone before he can cause any harm to others." he said. "Some believe there is a way to finally put Baium to eternal sleep, but there has been no one strong enough to do so yet."

"Not even you?" she asked seriously. He looked at her, his surprise apparent, before offering her a humanesque amused half grin.

"No. Not even me. I'm not that strong." he smiled, reaching for his pack.

"Yes you are." Synshlee said, her own pride wondering in confusion why she was opening up so easily to him after the rejection he gave her. "I've never met someone stronger than you." Her expression was solemn, and there was no haughtiness or bitterness in her voice. They were silent for a bit, the only noise the receding thunder and the crackle of the fire before he finally said;

"Thank you."

Oonugh woke them up after only a few hours of rest, telling a sleepy Synshlee that they had to get moving before the Lizardmen began scouting the region again. He guided her up a long slope and into a cave tunnel, promising her that she could rest once they reached the next village. She shielded her eyes from the sun as they emerged from the long cave to find herself standing on a path running along the edge of a cliff and then looked at Oonugh with wide eyes.

"Er...what village are we going to, exactly..?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"Hunters Village, why?" he looked at her over his shoulder. Synshlee smiled nervously and waved her hands.

"Uh...no reason, just wondering is all...heheh..." she said, her voice forced. Oonugh frowned at her as she stiffly walked ahead of him. She was acting strange..

A day's worth of travel later, they reached the edge of the solid cliff path and the start of the wooden suspension bridge paths. Synshlee stood at the edge of the first bridge and stared over the edge with wide eyes. The bottom of the chasm was nearly dark, and she heard the sounds of monsters growling below her. Oonugh paused halfway across the bridge to turn and look at her.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked, tilting his head at her. Synshlee's head snapped up to stare at him like she'd never seen him before.

"Huh?" she asked, fear apparent in her voice. Oonugh frowned and walked back to her, taking her hand and pulling her to the bridge.

"Come, it'll be too dark to see the path properly, we have to get to Hunters Village quickly." he said, tugging her along. The instant Synshlee's shoe touched the edge of the first wooden plank, she stubbornly rooted her feet and jerked her hand from his grip and backed up. Getting irritated, Oonugh turned to glare at her. Synshlee sank to her knees, her large eyes welling up with tears.

"I'm afraid of heights!" she suddenly exclaimed, and began crying loudly, like a child. Oonugh stared at her in surprise before his expression softened, and he sighed, shaking his head. Of all things...a Dark Elf afraid of heights.

"Come on." he said gently, and picked her up like a child. "Just hide your face if it's too much to see." Synshlee buried her face in her hands and pressed that against his chest.

"Oh gods I can feel the bridge swaying..." she choked, her body tensing up. Oonugh chuckled low in his throat. He carried her the rest of the way to the Village, which was a tiny place made of wooden houses nestled into the mountain on either side of a great chasm. There was only one cliff path to the village, the rest of the entrances were by suspension bridge across the chasm. Half of the village itself was built into the mountainside and only reachable by bridge. Clearly it was the worst place anyone with Acrophobia could ever visit. Synshlee was clinging to his shoulders, her head buried in his neck, by the time they crossed the archway into it. He set her down almost reluctantly and set off to find them lodging for the night. The village was strangely busy for the time of night, warriors rushed around barking commands at each other. Synshlee could only assume they were on their way to join the siege on Aden. Normally the desire to join them would've sprung forth instantly at the thought of embroiling herself in battle, but the only thing she could worry about now was getting on even land. Imagine...a Blade Dancer like me...afraid of a little bit of elevation.. she thought to herself bitterly. Trying to conquer her fear, she inched her way towards the edge of town and looked over the side of the cliff. The world seemed to spin suddenly and she groaned, falling to her knees. Ok...I get it... she told herself, shutting her eyes.

A familiar cool chuckle met her ears above the din of clattering armor and shouting warriors. Synshlee's head snapped up and her eyes darted around wildly, looking for the owner. She shakingly pushed herself to her feet and stumbled through the crowd.

"Watch it, slut!" an Orc shouted, pushing her away from himself roughly as she accidentally bumped into him. She fell to the ground and woozily raised her head. In blurring vision she saw the familiar cold smirk, and slitted gaze of Shilen watching her from the houses along the upper cliff of the village. Synshlee's eyes widened and she stood shakily once again, walking towards her goddess.

"Shilen..." she said weakly, tripping once, but not falling. Shilen turned away from her and disappeared among the people running along the high balcony. "Shilen, wait!" Synshlee said louder, reaching out. Her next step met air, and Synshlee's eyes widened as a full view of the chasm suddenly came into her vision. A large hand went around her waist, catching her imminent fall and pulling her back. She found herself clutched protectively to Oonugh's body, and she drew in a few shocked breaths at what almost happened.

"What were you thinking?" Oonugh asked, his voice thick with fear. His clutch turned into a tight hug as she began to shiver. Shock finally set in fully, and she fainted dead away in his arms.

She woke up a bit later with a shocked gasp, sitting up quickly. Oonugh got up from his place on the floor and sat on the side of her bed to gently push her back down

"Are you ok now?" he asked, genuinely concerned for her. She looked up at him with a mournful expression, the realization that her goddess almost killed her setting in. Tears began rolling down her face and she rolled away from him, embarrassed to be seen. Unsure of what to do, Oonugh put a large hand on her shoulder and patted it gently, trying to console her. A new Synshlee seemed to emerge in that moment, and she darted up quickly and latched onto him in a fierce hug, all of her sadness for the past, her guilt for leaving her daughter, her frustration at the present and her fear for the future all poured out in that one moment. Oonugh hugged her back gently, letting her cry until the tears stopped coming. She stayed hugging him long after the tears faded, letting herself come back to her senses in his embrace. As reality returned, she loosened her hug and pulled back to look into his eyes, trying to convey the confusion he put her heart into. She didn't understand the feelings she felt when she was with him, and she wanted him to tell her what to do about them. He seemed to understand the unspoken plea, and leaned into her, catching her in a kiss that quickly turned fevered.

And what happened after this holds no recording, as private experiences should remain as such, especially when there is so much emotion involved. Did they discover some unspoken love for each other? Perhaps they did, for neither had experienced such feelings before as they did that night. They remained in Hunters Village for several weeks thereafter, making love every moment they could grasp, and honing in their fighting skills in every other moment. When they finally did leave, something had changed within Synshlee, but it would be awhile before either discovered what.