Out of the Shadows, Part 5

"Why don't you introduce us to this captain of the rangers?" you ask Relis. "It might be interesting to talk to her while we wait for Verika to return."

The elf swallows, but then nods. "I... guess that makes sense. I should probably report in as well."

She leads you and Khaytala through the cozy collection of scattered cottages, passing by a few small fields that the inhabitants have set up on the outskirts. A few children run past, smiling and giggling, though they pause to greet Khaytala and to gawk at you, apparently having never seen a "tiefling" like you before. You return their wonderment with a smile calculated to set them at ease, and they soon run off again on whatever game they were playing.

Soon another elf comes into view, standing outside one of the larger buildings with a bow strapped across her back. Relis turns to head straight toward her. She's clearly older than your newly aquired ally, though like most elves, her exact age is difficult to determine past full maturity. Nevertheless, you can detect a distinct maternal air about her.

The strong family resemblance between the two elves is also obvious, even at a glance. Which you already suspected from the way Relis talked about her, but it's nice to have it confirmed beyond any doubt.

The woman turns as you approach, and her face lights up with a warm smile. "Relis!" she says. "And Khaytala, it's so good to see you visiting us again." Then she turns to you, and her expression becomes quizzical. "Now who is this?"

"My name is Talavar Kessen," you reply, giving her a deep bow. "A tiefling originally hailing from Urdeval. I had the pleasure of getting to know Khaytala on a recent caravan trip, and I'm now traveling as her companion."

"I ran into them on my way back from hunting," explains Relis hastily. "They're here to see Verika, so I invited them to wait here until she returns."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" the older elf says. "Please, make yourselves at home. Any friend of Khaytala's is a friend of our village. My name is Nisial. If you need anything while you're our guests, you need only ask me." Then she turns to Relis. "And how was the hunting, Relis? How much game did you find?"

Relis freezes. She didn't find any, of course. Mostly due to spending so much time both in her contest against you, and then getting fucked silly afterward. The problem is, she can't exactly say that to the woman who is pretty clearly her mother. Instead, all she can manage is an embarrassed "...none."

But her mother just gives Relis' arm a comforting touch. "That's alright, dear," she says reassuringly. "It happens. Don't worry about it."

Instead of comforting Relis, however, the words only cause her to tense and look down. You get the feeling that Relis almost wanted her mother to be disappointed. That Relis wanted her mother to have high enough expectations of her that a failure like that would leave her surprised.

But Nisial is already turning back to you. "Do you have anywhere to stay while you're visiting?" she asks. "If not, you can stay with us. Our lodgings are simple, but they should be comfortable enough."

"Thank you," you reply. "That's very kind. I would be honored to share your roof."

Nisial leads you through the village, and you chat with her as you go, while taking in more of your surroundings. Everything you see only confirms your initial impression of the idyllic, unspoiled nature of this place, hidden away from the rest of the world by the powerful elven magic. You know better than to look down on them; many of these elves are doubtless ancient, powerful and dangerous. But even so, their long isolation seems to have left them relatively innocent and trusting overall.

Eventually, you work the subject of the conversation around to your true target. Nisial's eyes immediately light up. It's obvious how proud she is of Verika, of what the drow has accomplished. Becoming a member of the pact of heroines. Spearheading the offensive that will finally end the threat of Kovora as a nation, putting a stop to the endless string of attempted conquests that the Free Nations have had to repel over the generations.

Relis shows no emotion through all of this, her face a stony mask.

Soon you're approaching their home. You could hardly have asked for a better situation; the captain of their ranger forces, inviting you into her very home along with two others who are—unknown to her—already corrupted to your side. She's leading herself to the same fate, like a lamb to the slaughter, and she doesn't even realize—

But your plans take an unexpected blow as another elf comes running over to you. "Captain!" he calls out after he stops, panting for breath. "Come quick! It's Verika! She's back, but... she's injured!"

Nisial and Relis look stricken, and you and Khaytala exchange worried looks. The four of you break into a sprint, racing back in the direction that the messenger indicated. You find Verika leaning against one of the trees supporting a guard post, clutching at her side. Her fingers are stained with blood, though it looks like she's applied a quick field dressing to the wound. She looks worn and disheveled, and you judge that she's traveled a great distance—and very quickly—even after receiving that wound.

You can see surprise in her expression as she notices your approaching group. "Khay?" she calls out wearily. "Thank the fucking goddesses. I don't know why you're here, but you couldn't have come at a better time."

"What happened?" asks Nisial, rushing over to check on Verika's wound. "Who could have done this to you?"

A bitter smile crosses Verika's face. "Drow," she says, the word causing Nisial to suck in a quick breath. "An ambush. Barely noticed it in time."

"I understand," replies Nisial. "Don't worry, we'll just handle it like we always do. Pull everyone back into the safety of the village, with only the rangers allowed outside until we—"

"No!" Verika shakes her head wearily. "No, you don't understand. This... this isn't just another slaving party. These were elites. Royal guard, I'm certain of it. The best of the best. They had sorceresses backing them up too, and at least one priestess of Melca."

"How many?" asks Khaytala.

"I counted twenty royal guard and five casters in the ambush," says Verika. "And I only managed to kill about half of them before they scattered. Never saw the priestess, but I could tell that one was casting from a distance. If we send out our rangers out after a force that well-trained... we're going to lose a lot of them."

"But what else can we do?" protests Relis.

"Just... make sure everyone hears the warning," Verika says. "No one leaves the village, not even the rangers. I just... need to get my wound looked at. Then Khay and I can go hunting for them."

Nisial nods. "Very well," she says. "I'll make sure everyone hears. As long as we stay in here, we should be safe. And we can choose the best opportunity to counterattack."

"Wait!" Khaytala says, suddenly worried. "We saw some other elves in the forest. Syvel and her three students. Are they still out there?"

"They... shouldn't be," says Nisial, a worried frown crossing her face. "They were only going out for a brief herbology lesson." She turns, looking up at the guard post.

The response from the elf up in the treetops is strained. "I... haven't seen them since they left, captain," he says. "If it was only a brief lesson, then... they're long overdue."

A sickening silence falls. Then Verika swings her fist around, slamming it into the side of the tree trunk. "Dammit!" she shouts, her clenched fist trembling. "I'm heading back out there."

"But..." Relis begins, worriedly. "Your wound, it's still—"

"I'll live," Verika says. "But if there's any chance to catch up before something happens to them..."

You can see a torrent of emotions roiling in Verika's eyes. Fear for the healer and the three young elves, of course. Anger at the drow who did this. But also... guilt?

Verika was right, you realize. This isn't anything like a normal slaving raid. The drow went straight after her, and only circled back to attack the other elves after their first attempt failed. You don't know what's really going on here. But there's one guess you feel confident making. If the drow took those elves, it wasn't to use them as slaves. It was to use them as hostages.

And their true target is still Verika.

Which means the drow aren't likely to kill them. Of course... that doesn't mean they're safe. Verika is clearly frantic at the thought of what her kin might be doing to them even now. Speed could be of the essence in sparing them from the worst of that, and it's entirely possible that the wound really is a handicap that Verika can afford to take on.

After all, she did manage to make these enemies flee for their lives from their own ambush, even after sustaining that injury.

On the other hand... nothing is certain. Going out there without any treatment besides her rudimentary bandage will diminish Verika's capacity to an extent. And while taking longer could result in a worse time for the hostages, a complete failure leaving them in drow hands permanently would be even worse than that.

You're confident you can convince Verika to stay and accept treatment before heading out. However, it's clear that this situation has utterly cut her to the quick. And in the state she's in, you doubt even you could convince her to like staying back to accept treatment.

No matter what, if you shut down her attempt to join an immediate rescue—knowing what might be happening to the captives—it will certainly not endear you to her.

Also, if you do convince Verika to stay for treatment, there is also the question of whether you wait for her to accompany you, or head out immediately. With the boost to your perception you've received from the brand on your palm, you're confident that you can now track much more effectively than you could before.

Of course, rather than having Verika in a diminished capacity, that would mean you don't have her at all to begin with... in exchange for the chance of a more recovered Verika catching up later.